Poetic Statement in mind

Something I have always wanted to try is to write a poem with the poetic statement in mind. (I guess this means first I have to fully form the poetic statement that I have in mind.) I think that knowing where I’m coming from as a writer would give me some form of guidance that I’m not usually used to writing from. Often times when I write a poem, it is very haphazard—originating with a line that I hastily jot down somewhere and then continues rather lackadaisically from there on. However, if I were to sit down knowing my intent and with my usual stylistic choices in mind, that would bring a consciousness to the act of writing the poem, therefore providing a fresh sense of awareness.

2 Replies to “Poetic Statement in mind”

  1. Sara,

    I totally agree that knowing the intent behind a poem before scribbling words down could definitely provide some new sense of awareness to the writing. However, my hesitation with having some sort of “formal” statement about what the poem should be before the poem is, could be really limiting. When I sit down to write a poem, I generally have some idea of intent behind it– I’m no good at starting with an image and just going from there, though that does happen sometimes. However, usually only a small portion of that original intent is preserved by the time the poem is “finished” (is a poem ever really finished?). So, I would worry that, for myself anyway, a poetic statement prior to having words on the page would restrict me in a way that could be detrimental to what could have been, had I just let myself flow more freely. Also, this lackadaisical quality about your writing works from the standpoint of someone who has been workshopping your poems. They always have a really natural, organic flow about them, which is really cool.

    Okay, so as I was writing this I reread your post and realized that you are referring to a poetic statement as a writer (not a statement about each poem). Yes, I definitely agree with you 100% on that. I feel like having a clear (or at least less unclear) idea about who I am as a writer could definitely open up a whole new level of self-awareness that would benefit my writing. Coming up with a poetic statement is honestly something I have been dreading. It’s really hard for me, as someone who really didn’t write much poetry prior to this workshop, to know who I am as a poet. I imagine I’m not the only one in this boat, though. Best of luck to you on your statement!

  2. Hi Sara,
    I’ve actually been having a lot of trouble writing my poetic statement, but I’ve come to find that a lot of my poems are similar in theme and style. Of course there are some that stray away from the romance that resides in most of my writing, but overall it is what I mainly write about. In the draft of my poetic statement I focused on this a lot. I also find the handout we were given last class very helpful. I particularly liked answering the question: “In what ways do you live in your work?” This question helped me to think about how my work is a part of me.
    I don’t know if I was any help! Good luck!
    Arianna

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