Advice not taken

by Alex Penuelas   Feb 6, 2018


You know guys,
I have to be honest with you all again.

Sure, I write poems that often are
Designed to make the readers feel
Some sort of empowerment,
Some sort of drive to strive to
Improve their lives and keep pressing on.

Then again, poems can very well
Be taken as simply another platitude
That you can chalk off,
Another stanza to hang on your wall,
Another 500 page book with one sentence poems
That you can place at the back of your bookshelf
Where it'll collect dust.

And when i write those poems,
Even though I love to make them,
They nonetheless come off as
...disingenuous.

I mean, I try my best to
Translate what goes on inside the
Neurons of my body into an
Easily digestible set of words,
But often times it comes off as word salad.

What's worse is that I sometimes
Don't even take my own advice,
The one that I push out to you guys.

I know.
It's a work in progress to write powerful poems,
And more often than not I write whenever
I get that sudden burst of creative inspiration,
Which only lasts about as long as my happiness.

Still. I must resolve to continue writing,
To further improve my trade,
For this is really all i got.

At least, it's the aspect of me
That's truly...me.

And i really gotta take my own advice.

    report violation
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Latest Comments

  • 6 years ago

    by Brenda

    Alex, I liked this a lot. Its an honest heartfelt write. We are our own worse enemies and critics, especially when we write. We always want these "amazing" pieces and even when they are we don't think so. Please keep writing, it really is beautiful the pieces you create.

  • 6 years ago

    by Ren

    "It's a work in progress to write powerful poems,
    And more often than not I write whenever
    I get that sudden burst of creative inspiration,
    Which only lasts about as long as my happiness."
    ^^
    These lines ARE powerful...and hit me right in the feels.

    It's easy to get caught up in the desire to write that one poem that will blow people away and impress not only them but yourself as well...and to spread that motivation or empowering feeling to others. But sometimes poems aren't empowering or motivational. They just...are. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Poetry reaches us on so many more levels then that, and that's what makes it so amazing and such a universal language. If it means something to you it'll mean something to others, too, because raw emotions and words are something we can all relate to...whether it's about following your dreams, a broken heart, or just another day gone by. Let your fingertips do the walking and your heart do the talking. Writing is a funny business. Inspiration comes and goes and pops up in the most unlikely places. Either way... always keep writing :) do what makes you happy, and don't ever hesitate to share, because you're awesome and so is your writing! So keep em' coming! Take your own advice (I know I need to!)...improve your trade... and just be you and write :)

    I know I get carried away and ramble a lot of times, but I do truly love this piece because I think most of us here can relate.

    Well done!

    • 6 years ago

      by Alex Penuelas

      I should actually use that segment as its own poem

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