I recently took my first poetry class. I have always been intrigued by this form of writing and so I was really looking forward to learning more about the form and writing in it. However, I didn’t expect to learn as much as I did. It was one of those things where you learn more about yourself as an artist than you do about the form itself. It was a very interesting journey and I feel like it has made me a better writer.

Poetry has always been a bit fantastical to me. I’ve always enjoyed reading it, especially Shakespeare’s Sonnets. They always seemed to be border lining on the magical and that was so very alluring. So why is this form of writing so beautiful?

It expresses emotion. A lot of writing forms express emotion, but with poetry, it seems to go deeper. Poetry seems to bring more emotion out. It’s one of the reasons why I love it.

It can mean anything. With such minimal writing, the words can mean anything. This can make it relatable to so many people. And one person can have one perspective while another can think it means something completely different.

It plays on words and sounds. This has always been intriguing to me. It is amazing how intricate the words and sounds can flow in a piece of poetry. The rhythm and rhyme really makes a piece of poetry stand out.

There are so many different forms. You have free verse, sonnets, villanelles, prose, and so many more. Poems can rhyme or they don’t have to. But at the end of the day, they all shine with so much magic.

With any form of writing, an author puts a piece of their soul into it. All those words come from the heart; it is our blood and our life. Poetry really shows us this, though. It is all because of the raw emotion put into it and exuding from it.

I suppose that is where my fascination comes from. Poetry uses impressive elements to bring words to life- just the smallest phrase can become a beacon of raw emotion, the smallest sound can send a chill up your spine.

Poetry is a talent - an art. It really is magic.