Guys…

Something has happened to me…

I feel so ashamed, but I can’t hide it anymore.

I have been writing…poetry. Lots and lots of poetry. Haha

I have an appreciation for some verse, but my experiences with bad modern poetry have turned me off from nearly all of it for years. As a teenager I wrote my share of shitty rhymes that read like a bad Goth Talk journal. A lot of us did. I never expected to see anyone publish some of that junk though. Add in terrible love poems from exes and that did it.

Epics are the exception. They never lost their favor with me. It takes a lot of work to write a good epic, but the over lengthy lines of flowery verse saturated with more metaphors than sustenance always made me roll my eyes.

And the greats never stopped shining. Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman never got old. So when I used to say I hated poetry, I often caught myself having to correct my words and say: MOST poetry. Because, like a lot of writing, it’s over-saturated with people who think it’s an easy way to try and make money or gain fame. Haha

Money and fame don’t make a great writer, great writers find their way to paid publishing and a fan base. And I’ll be the first to admit that all writers are hypocrites. We’re the WORST.

I always do my best to be honest and connect with my readers with genuine integrity. But life loves to shift things. When I got pregnant with my first child I started writing more than I ever had. Before that it was just a hobby that I sometimes took to for myself and myself alone. Something about the nesting period or maybe the prospect of bringing a life into this world sparked new ideas.

Whatever it was, it led me to a career that has been very rewarding (although I have a long way to go).

When I got pregnant with my second kiddo, my writing stayed steady and I also got back to writing music. I had quit a singing career, but my songwriting improved. The writing was always what mattered most to me.

And here I am now, writing poetry…

What does this mean?

Well I married am artist who dabbles in poetry. I shouldn’t say dabbles, he’s my favorite poet and reminded me that not ALL modern poetry sucks by introducing me to Ron Padgett.

So of course as soon as I started writing a bunch of silly kiddie poems (a-la Shel Silverstein – who influenced me greatly.) I should have known something was up. Humor has always been my greatest joy. It’s great for enjoying the best of life and coping with the worst. There is nothing I love more than a good laugh, well except someone who can always give me that good laugh like my children and my husband.

BUT I am happy to share that I am pregnant with my 3^rd and last kid. (For real this time. My new husband and I are not planning on opening a breeding farm or anything). Three is a powerful number and this kid is already influencing my work in the best way possible.

It’s often good for us to eat our words. I can’t honestly say that I hate poetry anymore because I’ve been having so much fun writing it. There’s always a new form of creativity born from my kids.

Being a mom isn’t for everyone. I don’t believe that all writers should be parents. We all have different methods, but I’m always astounded that each pregnancy brings me new self-discoveries.

Self-discovery is vital to an author’s growth. Whether that blossoms from the inspiration of parenting, isolation, pain, or happiness, we each have our own road to follow and mine has a variety of verse to discover.