Poetry is Always Honest

I published my first book REBORN with New Degree Press this December 2019. It is a book of poetry that explores my personal stories, details in humanity, past regrets, and healing opportunities.

Writing is something that I do every day. I don’t write to improve my writing. I write because it is necessary for me to live, to feel, and to love. I write because it makes me appreciate the little things in life. I write because I love it when the tip of pen dances through the lined paper and makes pleasant noizes. I write because I want to remember myself at this specific moment when my thoughts are written down. I write because it makes me feel alive.

My friends always ask me, “do you literally take out a random notebook somewhere and just start writing?” To be honest, my room is messy for a reason. Yes, there are stacks of notebooks everywhere. I always start with the date and the year before writing down my ideas and stories. Why? I do that because I want to be able to remember how I feel right now at this moment ten years later when I look back to this page. There are times I’m afraid I will not remember the little details in life. I know that’s when I need to rely on my past writings for comforts and for records.

I wrote about why I love poetry the most out of all the mediums in my book. If I were to summarize the reason, it would be because poetry is always honest. It is impossible for the speaker to lie when it comes to lines of poetry. The minimal amount of words in a line, a stanza, and in a poem pours heavyweight on the meaning of every letter. Therefore, I dream to create a space that opens up people’s hearts and touches upon their feelings, even if they could be hurtful and truths could be dangerous. I would like to make my poetry in everyday language and explores the possibility of healing.

What’s on your mind? How are you feeling? Did you ever walk out of the nightmare?

In my past 23 years of living experience, I know people lie. Some people lie for the bad, and some people lie for “the good.” I am nobody to make any judgments, but I believe in the power of self-reflecting. When poetry is honest in front of you, that’s when you will be honest with yourself and with your feelings. To be honest with oneself is one of the most difficult things in the world. It means to some people that they need to face their weaknesses, their scars, and their past. Do I believe opening a self conversation with past trauma is a good thing? Not necessarily, I know it is extremely painful and a lot to ask for. Instead, I hope and I write poetry to encourage people to recognize their feelings exist and should be valued. To me, the scariest thing is not to feel disappointed or sad, it is to feel nothing after all.

When you are reading poetry, it is like you’re reading a person’s naked mind and body.