Catharsis In Poetry Poem by Gita Ashok

Gone are the days when poetry had many rules.
Today it’s a serious hobby indulged by many fools.
No matter what month, day, date or time
no matter whether there’s form, rhythm or rhyme,
everyone writes these days – young and old
eagerly waiting for the heart to unfold
a plethora of emotions – positive and negative.
The mind these days is truly a fugitive.

Themes in the earlier centuries would be limited
But today themes are plenty and unlimited.
The likes of Wordsworth, Frost and Blake
You’ll find in poetry websites when you rake.
Writing poetry is so much fun and cathartic
whether you’re at the Equator or in the Arctic.
When you write about your feelings blue,
your friends read and try to comfort you, too.

Hey! All you folks out there -
don’t just brood, stand and stare.
Just get that diary and pencil out
and pour your mind out like water from a spout.
Don’t worry about form, rhythm or rhyme
and wait not for a more appropriate time.
Just ink all of your thoughts from your heart and mind
without waiting for a better theme to find.

Many thoughts from your mind will make a literary ocean
And you’ll find peace in the midst of all this commotion.
So wake up and discover the hidden poet in you
If I can do this, you can do it, too.


1/10/2010,5 pm