Growing Up A Poet

Have you heard the tales of babies cooing out words that rhyme even before breast feeding?  Well, I am not one of those babies.  Poetry came through music.  Making up different words to my favorite tunes (something I am still guilty of and send those around me insane) solely because I didn't understand a single word they were trying to share with me. 


There are those that have a natural ability to write poetry and were encouraged to develop it at a very young age.  Sometimes they have parents that are teachers or writers.  Sometimes it is a stranger that takes an interest or a relative.  Sometimes they come across a very special teacher in their childhood.

For the rest of us it was something else.  I developed some with the music thingy but it wasn't until complete misery that I became a poet.  Just pouring my pain down onto paper felt so much better that I continue to do so.  When the hurt wasn't as defining I started to take interest in the poetry of others.  From that I began to hunger more information on style, form and word usage.

Not everybody will be born writing poetry.  However everybody is born a poet!  Events in life act as a trigger to bring out our inner poet.

So, you think you weren't meant to write poetry?  You were born to write poetry!  Maybe you just need a little push or confidence.  Confidence is a funny thing.  If others are harsh to your work you may loose it but you shouldn't.  Your work needs to only satisfy you!  Write and write and post and post and the ability to believe in yourself will grow through practice.  Practice breeds confidence.  Confidence is what takes that newborn with poetry deep inside and releases it creating The Poet.