It's day 3 and today I have fellow Insecure Writer Support Group member Chris Fey! Let's see what the lyrical poet has to say about poetry in her interview:
Merriam Webster defines poetry as ‘the productions of a poet’. And as a ‘writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm.’ But in your own words, how would you define poetry?
Poetry is a lyrical feast of rhythmically arranged words that invigorates all the senses and heightens the mind. It is usually deeply thoughtful, often dark and clever, and sometimes funny. They tell stories, and evoke memories and emotions such as happiness and sadness. Each person’s experience is different and that’s why poetry is such a journey.
Do you believe poetry matters? Why?
I absolutely believe poetry matters. Poetry is a wonderful way to get in sync with your emotions and to help you deal with hardships such as the death of a loved one, depression, and heartbreak. Some people find it easier to say how they feel through poetry than anything else. It cures and that’s an amazing thing.
Emily Dickinson. I’ve loved her ever since I was a child because I thought her poems were intelligent and mysterious.
Name one poet you wished more people knew about and why.
My mom, Elaine Kaye. She writes poetry for the sheer love of it and doesn’t let any rule restrict her. That’s why her poems are delightful. I grew up reading them and would love for more people to read them too.
Explain your poetry writing process.
I actually write more song lyrics nowadays, which I believe is in the same family as poetry. When I get the idea for a song, it always starts with the chorus. I think about the chorus and treat the song like a story. I ask myself what could come before the chorus and then what could come after the chorus to end the song. Once I know that, I could write a complete song in an hour or less.
Bonus Chrys also shares with us today a poem she wrote:
Falling Feather
I am a falling feather drifting in the wind,
I never know which way to go so I glide undecidedly,
always hoping to land where I am meant to be,
but I am just a falling feather.
I am a falling feather and I am blind.
Does that make me lucky?
For I can’t see the world that can be so devastating.
Death, poverty, hatred, and war have made the world ugly.
I am a falling feather and I am sightless.
Does that make me worthless?
For I can’t see the beauty that devastation is hiding.
Life, happiness, kindness, and love are all a work of art.
But I can’t see the good or bad because I am just a falling feather.
I am a falling feather losing height,
Where did I come from? Where will I end up?
I am afraid of leaving the wind,
but I am just a falling feather.
I was a falling feather, but now I’m down.
Does that mean my life is done?
For I was just a feather from a creature that is long gone.
Lost, weightless, still, and lifeless is what I’ve become.
I was a falling feather, but now I’m grounded.
Does that mean I am a part of Earth’s artwork?
Perfect, beautiful, soft, and whimsical is all I wish to be.
But I am neither ugly nor pretty because I am just a fallen feather.
I am a fallen feather lying in a bed of flowers,
I never knew a little girl would come along and pick me up,
but in her hands is where I am meant to be,
because she doesn’t just see a fallen feather when she looks at me.
(c) Chrys Fey (Published 2012 by a Long Story Short)
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Website: www.ChrysFey.com
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