I Knew It!

You Should Be A Poet

You craft words well, in creative and unexpected ways. And you have a great talent for evoking beautiful imagery... Or describing the most intense heartbreak ever. You're already naturally a poet, even if you've never written a poem.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

And isn't it ironic that I should take this quiz just after I was recently introduced to this very cool thing called "Poetry Slam"? What's that you say? Well the best description I can come up with is Extreme Poetry Reading. That is to say, envision Jack Kerouac or some such Beat Poet performing his work on stage, but add some extra oomph. AND...the best news about this is that British Columbia has it's very own expert at this. His name is Shane Koyczan and I have to say that I really have never felt as moved by poetry in general as I have by his. THIS is the guy that will preserve a dying artform and perhaps make future generations realize that poetry isn't for losers. I know people that "hate" poetry. I don't really know how you can hate poetry. After all, haven't you purchased a greeting card before with some nice words arranged poetically? And what made you choose that particular one? Probably the poem - even if it was a naughty limerick.

Poetry has always been my thing and I have written tons of it. It is the thing I turn to when I really want to write, but don't have the time for sitting down and setting out a story on the page. But it can tell a story itself. It can teach a lesson. Admittedly most of my poetry rhymes, mostly because I find it a challenge - to make something make sense at same time as it rhymes. But I've started experimenting a little with other kinds of poetry and am pleased with the results. I am going to share a recent one with you; it's style was inspired by the late great e.e.cummings. But before that, you should really watch Shane in action. It will move you, I guarantee it!



Hoo, I get chills and tears at the same time!

Now here is mine. I wrote it after a recent family loss.

I Give You a Piece of My Heart

Cupped here in my hands
A splinter, a fragment, a mote
The smallest grain of sand
A piece of my heart for your heart
(My heart to your heart)

I don't need it, not this piece
The one granule of my heart that doesn't grieve
Place it in that pinpoint hole
So that one tiny portion of you won't hurt
(I'll take the pain)

It will be oh so fleeting
But during the frozen moments of the day
You'll stop the pain
Just for a microsecond I'd say
(Breathe it in and hold it)

Once you activate it enough
It will begin to grow
Not so quickly
It'll be downright slow
(Painstaking yet thorough)

In time the heal and hurt will reverse
Only a pinprick will cause you pain
That one will be there to stay
But the sting will be less than it is today
(For a lifetime to keep)

That will be my heart
Beating inside your heart
Enveloping the throb of sorrow
While you make a new start
(I give you a piece of my heart)

That segment will remain
A mneme for you to keep
Gone but not forgotten
To carry with you forever
(But I'll take the pain)