Are You A Poet?

Are you a poet and don’t know it? Quite possibly, because you’ll never know unless you try and if you haven’t tried ask yourself why. Forget your unsuccessful efforts while at school, forget the rules that your English teacher tried to drum into you and just get something on paper; no one needs to read it unless you want them to.

Writing poetry can be very beneficial for your mental health because it allows you to express emotion and have a creative outlet which, in a fast-paced life, can sometimes be difficult to find. By putting your emotions into words, you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your inner world and help you release built-up tension, stress, or anxiety.

Composing poetry often requires focus and concentration. When you immerse yourself in the act of writing, you enter a state of mindfulness and presence. This can help calm a restless mind, improve concentration, and provide a break from intrusive or negative thoughts.

It can also be a tool for empowerment and self-expression. By putting your experiences and perspectives into words, you gain a sense of control over your narrative. It allows you to communicate your truth, share your voice, and connect with others who may resonate with your words.

Engaging in creative endeavours, such as writing poetry, nurtures your sense of imagination, innovation, and self-expression. It encourages you to think outside the box, explore different perspectives, and experiment with language. This creative process can be liberating, enjoyable, and fulfilling.

Our poets, Sandra Griffiths and Louisa McKee, have kindly shared their poetry to inspire and encourage you to try writing for yourself. As Maya Angelou wrote “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”, so get creative and see where it leads you!

If you would like to submit a poem and possibly have it published in Be Phenomenal Women, we would love to hear from you. Just send your poems to justsayit@bephenomenalwomen.com

Her Essential

Sandra Griffiths

Island hopping, how you pull us back,

with a vital part of the plan to go to Syros.

We must go the capital of the Cyclades,

the guide books recommend the once proud

Ermoupolis, neo classical buildings,

old mansions cascading down to the harbour.

Her ear was listening to his musing

But her heart was tuned to her essential,

a different island, sheltering in the Dodecanese.

There her blue and white would come alive,

her longing for that family, that monastery,

that rough valley, that isolated beach

that café ever playing, “The Sultans of Swing.”

Ambedo

Louisa McKee

In The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

ambedo rests - gentle,

melancholy, lost, absorbed

in tiny ripples and smouldering clouds,

child-dribbles, or

the folds of shrouds;

A moment when the miniscule means much;

A bubble ripe to burst

at any touch,

haunting me:

epiphany.