Finding Meaning in Your Poetry

they

they made black marks on the
ground,
stains on the world.
someone saw,
someone knew,
but no one cared.
it ruined nature,
it ruined beauty,
and its next target was humanity.

---

That’s a poem I wrote, on April 15, 2017, for NaPoWriMo.

I was inspired to write this because I was riding my bike around (forced to by my madre #hermit). Some construction workers are building this stone fence outside of my house that separates my neighborhood from the road. There are trucks everywhere.

I was riding my bike, and on the street, I could see tire marks left by these “construction trucks”. People trampled the ground, the grass is gone, and all that’s left is dirt and debris and broken trees.

Why?

We already had a fence. It wasn’t broken. I’m sure there was a need for this new stone fence, otherwise it wouldn’t have been built, but why else? Why do we have to keep expanding and ruining the beauty that is our world?

One of my favorite quotes ever is:

I see humans, but no humanity.

And it’s true! There are people, humans, everywhere, but we are not acting HUMAN. We’re destroying so many things, being mean to our own kind, and making life miserable.

One of the dictionary definitions of humanity is:

humaneness; benevolence

Where has our humaneness gone? Where has our benevolence gone?

Despite my existential crisis going on here, I decided that this was the PERFECT topic to talk about here on TWW.

---

For me, poetry is expression of the soul.

And so is writing! But in writing a story or novel, you don’t get to put a lot of your feelings and emotions and thoughts and beliefs in it. (And if you do, OMG TEACH ME YOUR WAYS YOUNGIN.)

Poetry is freeing, and that’s what I love about it.

Most of the time, the poems you write are going to mean something. They’re going to be inspired by something, and they’re going to be based on something that has been lingering in the back of your mind.

There is no “one way” to find meaning in your poetry. I’m no expert either (I wish). But often what you’re writing about is what your meaning is.

Take a look at this poem:

---

the pain in love

hey
it’s all right.
even when the knife slices your face
and when my hand slaps your skin
it’s all right.
you’re going to be fine.
this is normal.
this is love.

you are a flower
a delicate flower
one that will get stronger by being
broken.
glass shatters
but you will not.
this is not making you weaker.
it is helping you.

i want to help you.
i love you
and would do anything to not see
you in pain.
but for that to happen
i must make you feel all the pain
until
one day
you won’t feel any at all.

isn’t that love
my delicate flower?

---

In this poem, I realized that I was exploring why people abuse others: Why do they abuse the ones they love? Or do they hate them? Or is their love so twisted, like this?

So where am I going with this rant?

Meaning is everything in poetry. It is everywhere. “Meaning” can mean so many things*:

• a message
• something you’re exploring
• the reason you wrote this poem
• its importance

How to find it? Look at your poem/poetry**. What is the reoccurring message? What’s hidden behind the words? What’s the context? What are you trying to say?

But the most important question is:

WHY IS MEANING IMPORTANT?

Meaning is basically what your poem is about. It’s what you’re leaving the reader what. It’s what will stay with the reader, what will follow them, what will linger.

What is your meaning?

*Was the pun intended??? You’ll never know.
**I literally just said “poemtry”.

---

(Also I apologize for my lack of wittiness in my post. I HAVE LET MY MANGO KINGDOM DOOOOOOOOWN.)

shall we chat?

do you write poetry? how do YOU find meaning in your poems? can you think of any poems with great meaning? what does “meaning” mean to you? tell all, frens.

yours,

le mango queen