Yes, I made it across the finish line, huffing and puffing, and wobbly with exhaustion. 😀 I’ve done global and national poetry challenges before, but never reflected on them. But this time I thought I’d share lessons I relearned from the exercise:
1. Creativity Requires Freedom
After publishing my latest poetry collection, I vowed to focus on fiction writing until I can write a happy poem again. I miss the feeling of writing poetry from a place of awe, wonder and joy. But here I am, with poems burdened by injustices of our world. The more I tried to control the direction or the outcome of each poem, the more I failed. So, I simply went with the flow.
2. Being a Verb, instead of Noun
There’s no doubt, writing a poem every day for a month requires discipline and commitment. While consistency is an achievement, for me, showing up regularly to the page reminded me to be a verb again, instead of a noun. That is, shut up and write, instead of talking about writing.
3. Embracing Imperfection
There’s much editing to be done now. But I wouldn’t have had anything to edit if I didn’t embrace imperfection. It’s liberating to know I can’t create a masterpiece during GloPoWriMo, and maybe never. The act of writing itself, not the outcome, becomes the focus.
4. Community Fosters Growth
I know I often complain about social media activities and behaviour. It’s because healthy discussions, encouragement, or valuable insights are scarce on these platforms, nowadays. As poet Mark Nepo once said, we’re living in a society where everyone is trying to get attention.
Thank goodness for the blogs! The blogging community remains one of the best. I’m deeply grateful to you all who wrote alongside, read and offered encouragement this past April. I appreciate every comment. Thank you!
5. Poetry is a Journey, Not a Destination
Each poem written is a step forward in the journey of self-discovery and artistic expression. This is also why I wanted to acknowledge this GloPoWriMo effort, instead of rushing off to the next big thing. Poetry writing is an ongoing process that enhances self-awareness and understanding of the world around me. Perhaps, the reason it remains my first love.
On that note, I’ll continue the search for a happy poem, especially now that birds are back. 🙂 Wishing you days full of wonder and joy, whatever season you’re in!
