shexpo

During college my closest friends and I have spent hours analyzing our personalities and determining what makes us unique. We explored what motivated our becoming good doctors and why it would make us happy, and we examined the underlying currents which influence and motivate our thoughts and actions. For me, the most visible current is communication: being able to articulate my thoughts, being able to make others experience them, being receptive to the ideas of others, and being understanding.
As a poet, I feel that in order to write meaningful poetry, one must have a clear sense of how to communicate effectively. Whenever I begin a poem, I remember the advice of my high school English teacher: “a poem should be wordless, as the flight of birds.” By choosing precise words, by paying attention to the sounds of phrases sewn together, and by evoking clear images, a poem is created. It should grip and move the reader immediately just as a person, seeing a perfectly wedged V-line of Canadian geese flying overhead toward the horizon, stops, catches his breath, and reflects on the beauty that has passed. It is through poetry that I try to recapture my feelings during those wordless moments, and I try to pass them on to the reader.