Reliving Trauma

During my Great Day presentation, someone asked me an interesting question that I wanted to pose to the rest of the poetry community:

“Do you feel you are reliving your trauma by reading past poems you’ve written about it?”

I was caught a bit off guard by this question because I’ve never thought about the concept. A therapist I work with once mention that she was confused as to why a client of hers would talk about sexual trauma during a group because talking about it was reliving it. I disagree with this, and I disagree with the idea of someone reliving their trauma by writing about it. Yes, I’m sure someone can be triggered by reading about trauma similar to their own, but the idea of not being allowed to talk about it because talking or writing about it is reliving it… that just sounds like so many different types of wrong to me. Writing and talking through trauma is processing it. Yes, processing is hard. But what is the alternative?

In terms of being triggered by your own work… I didn’t have an answer because I’ve never thought about it from either my or someone else’s POV. I suppose it is possible, but I’d image some aspect of the poem has already been processed before being put on paper, at least enough to allow the person to sit down and open up about it.

It was an interesting question, and I really wasn’t sure what to say in response to it. So if anyone wants to give their input, feel free.

Mythological Perspectives

Before I learned that I could write stories, there was a certain type of genre, if that’s what you would call it, that I was drawn to: Mythology. I was always encapsulated by the idea of gods, monsters, and heroes. The stories woven through mythology were always intricate and fascinating, as an ancient culture wove their own origin stories as to why the world was the way it was. The gods weren’t flawless; many of them had many flaws that led to mistakes and deaths. Heroes faced daunting challenges and didn’t always escape unscathed. Although women were looked down upon in most ancient societies, goddesses were often warriors and figureheads. Even average citizens made mistakes and some were granted blessings for their actions.

Many of the figures of mythology provide interesting perspectives. For example, there is the story of Icarus, whose pride led to his downfall. However, with every story, there could be another way of looking at what happened. Medusa, the snake-haired gorgon from Greek Mythology, has a story of how she became a monstrosity. Because she had an affair with Poseidon in Athena’s temple, Athena cursed her to turn away all men with her stony gaze. However, some people read the story in a different manner. Some people read the tale as Athena blessing Medusa after she was raped by Poseidon in her temple. There is an article written discussing this idea, and I’ll put the link at the end of the post. The story of Medusa changes completely when different perspectives are taken in.

Another popular figure of Greek mythology is the tale of Persephone. This story has become the plot for many young adult novels, and while interesting, there are different interpretations. Some people write that Persephone chose to leave with Hades, others that she was abducted, and more recent works place emphasis on Persephone’s own power. One poem that wrote Persephone with emphasis on her power was Daniella Michellani’s “Persephone Speaks” as found on her Tumblr account daniellamichellani:

“I asked him for it.
For the blood, for the rust,
for the sin.
I didn’t want the pearls other girls talked about,
or the fine marble of palaces,
or even the roses in the mouth of servants.
I wanted pomegranates—
I wanted darkness,
I wanted him.
So I grabbed my king and ran away
to a land of death,
where I reigned and people whispered
that I’d been dragged.
I’ll tell you I’ve changed. I’ll tell you,
the red on my lips isn’t wine.
I hope you’ve heard of horns,
but that isn’t half of it. Out of an entire kingdom
he kneels only to me,
calls me Queen, calls me Mercy.
Mama, Mama, I hope you get this.
Know the bed is warm and our hearts are cold,
know never have I been better
than when I am here.
Do not send flowers,
we’ll throw them in the river.
‘Flowers are for the dead’, ‘least that’s what
the mortals say.
I’ll come back when he bores me,
but Mama,
not today.
— Daniella Michalleni, “Persephone Speaks”
In the end, Persephone was made out to be a dark queen which I thought was a really cool interpretation of the poem, and seeing as there are many perspectives myths can be seen from, they provide really cool sources for writing.
Here’s the link for the Medusa alternative analysis website:
https://aryayogi.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/a-yogic-perspective-to-the-medusa-myth/

Lyrical, Part 2

Lyrical, Part 1 listed some of my favorite lyrics and the artists who sang them. Song lyrics often reflect what we, as people, connect with and what we feel. My English teacher in 12th Grade had us do an exercise in Creative Writing Class where we found the lines we liked most in songs and the poems we read in class and put them all together into a single poem.

Looking back, I think this is a very interesting exercise, especially seeing as it consists of found poetry. All the sources would probably have to be credited and whatnot, but even if it was just the ideas taken from the lines and how they would connect altogether. The way he thought of it was a way to get us thinking about how the lines of completely unrelated works could create an individual story and it inspired us to think in new ways. I’ve tried once, and while it was time consuming, it was ultimately something that stimulated ideas. It was an activity that helped me to look at writing as a puzzle rather than something to simply be written. I had to think of how the lines could lead into each other and how they would sound together and where lines could be cut and pieced together.

 

Lyrical, Part I

I realized that in one of my initial posts about inspiration, I listed song lyrics as sources of inspiration. Seeing that I never really went into this, I decided to devote a blog post about it. Many people connect with music, and when you look at the lyrics, many of them could serve as poems in and of themselves. One of the main differences is that songs repeat more often than poems and have a beat that they are read to. That being said, metered poems have a certain rhythm to them that many people overlook.

While songs have many lyrics that allow for emotional connections, sometimes there are just fragments of lyrics that are awesome in and of themselves. Here are some lyrics that I like:

FFDP’s Coming Down: “It’s caving in around me/ What I thought was solid ground/ I tried to look the other way/ But I couldn’t turn around”, “You pull me under/ To save yourself”

Jon Bellion’s Guillotine: “There’s bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway”, “I know that you love me, love me/ Even when I lose my head”

Set It Off’s Why Worry: “Sick of hearing this hakuna matata motto/ From people who won the lotto/ We’re not that lucky”

Panic! at the Disco’s Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time: “I’m a scholar and a gentleman/ And I usually don’t fall when I try to stand”, “I’m not as think as you drunk I am”

Often times, our choices in lyrics reflect who we are, what we think about, what we think is funny, and what we find striking. I enjoy seeing what lyrics people connect with most in songs. Are there any lyrics you find striking? Do any of them have ties with your writing, and do any of them inspire writing?