This column by Tom Radzienda, an instructor in poetry and culture at Srinakharinwirot University, aims to encourage your interest and develop your skill in creating poetry. Poetry is a combination of visualisation, observation, imagination and creative use of language. Discover your poetic side, too!

Poet to poet, Day to day Poetry, like any artistic skill, needs regular practice and inspiration. To practice piano or poetry just once a week is not sufficient to improve. Poetry is more than just practice; it requires shifting your whole life towards a more sensitive, artistic and creative way of being. The goal is to create or experience a "poetic moment" every day of the year. A poetic moment is an experience, observation or feeling that stimulates you in some unique, insightful way. A poetic moment is when you pause, look around in wonder, and deeply appreciate the stimulation of life. Poetic moments can be inspired by virtually anything, including natural observations, musical sensations, the touch of a friend, the reading of a vivid poem, or the creation of a kooky new recipe. Journal of poetic moments Keep a notebook to log the poetic moments of your life as in the following examples. Also include your response to poetry that you read. Your response can be personal, humorous, or poetic. Date Poetic moment Response 1 June Walking though the forest, I saw two blue bird’s eggs carefully nested within the leaves of a tree. I felt how delicate and precious life is. Usually I see eggs and think about breakfast, but this time I recognised the sanctity of life. "She took a palm-sized leaf, gently folded under, wrapped like the sling a farming mother wears to tote her children while collecting rice…" 3 June My friend showed me a great poem by e.e. cummings, "I’d rather learn to sing from a single bird than teach a thousand stars how not to dance." This poem comforts me because sometimes I feel it is useless to teach humanitarian values in a consumer society. I cry when I read this poem. Am I crazy? 6 June Sitting in an Italian restaurant, I heard the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. My friend and I stopped talking, as if Andrea Bocelli had come to sing to us personally. It felt like hearing music for the very first time in my life. 7 June An old friend visited me at home. It was so nice to prepare a fresh glass of watermelon juice for us to share. The watermelon juice, in some strange way, seemed like a symbol of our friendship because it was fresh, personal and relaxing. Somehow, making a watermelon shake relates to the bonding of friends. It seems like every process of life can be symbolic. 8 June I read the newspaper and saw a picture of a baby in Iraq born on the day that the bombing began. I shiver when I see the photo, yet I feel very sceptical. Why do they always include "warm and fuzzy" pictures like this when thousands of lives are being destroyed by bombs? I want to write a poem that contrasts news with reality. 10 June I was on bus number 36 and the ticket collector was very friendly. He joyfully received my coins. He announced each stop like it was some big tourist attraction. That guy made me realise that whatever work we do, we need to do it with joy, with passion, with enthusiasm. It’s funny how I found the theme of this poetic moment just by observing him doing his job. These are just a few examples of poetic moments. Notice that these are not big, monumental moments. Rather, they are simple, ordinary events that happen on commonplace days. With careful attention, find something special in tiny events that can lend you to greater insight into the beauty of life. The poetic shift To experience life more poetically, it’s helpful to make several shifts in your day-to-day routine. The following chart indicates several helpful ways to shift your life from being routine to becoming poetic. Poetic habits to increase Routine habits to decrease Going to art galleries and museums Going to the movies Walking in the park or the forest Watching nature shows Playing games with family and friends Playing video games Reading literature Following soap operas Learning to play music Watching music videos From notes to poems Your notebook is a good place for collecting the raw material for future poems. It’s not necessary for your notebook to be well organised or neat. Just make sure each day is flavoured with a poetic moment. In reviewing your notebook from time to time, garner the best observations and moments and develop a poem. The key to writing poetry is to be aware at all times of the poems that life offers to us on every bus we board, in every poem we read, in every juice we squeeze, in every melody that we hear. Be aware, be awake, and waste little time on useless, meaningless input. The quality of life is best experienced as a continuous moment of poetry! Contact poet tree care of: Learning Post Eighth Floor Bangkok Post Building 136 Na Ranong Klongtoey 10110, Bangkok Tom Radzienda is an instructor in poetry and culture at Srinakharinwirot University. Visit his poetry column at www.bangkokpost.com/poetry You can send your poem by email. Mark the subject line: Poet Tree and send to this address: learningpost@bangkokpost.co.th Read other Poet tree columns here. Back to our home page | Comments to Terry F. at terryfrd@ksc15.th.com | |© The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2003 | Last modified: May 19, 2003