*sort of winning in the end :):)

This is always the million dollar question - I love it! For me, I have consistently struggled with letting a situation go in life. I've always felt this need to analyze why someone did something or question my role in the dynamic, etc. But when I discovered poetry, sometimes not knowing those answers is what makes great poetry, because you can just explore the idea and sort of wander around it which is what can make it really poetic. So, what that has allowed me to do is purposefully let the situation be because I know that will serve me a greater purpose in writing. I actually like when certain situations/people are unfinished now because that means I can most likely explore the idea for longer on paper which I love! I also think it empowers you in a situation that would otherwise feel largely disempowering. I can almost say to certain people/situations in my life "that's fine, I'll just go write about it", so I know that I am the one wort of winning in the end which can really help when you're dealing with unsavory characters! haha :)

@Adam Gary I’m excited to be here!!!! Everyone is so nice on here!!!

@Rachel Glass great point!! I’m glad you referenced mental health struggles. That’s a topic that I haven’t read a ton about, but I would love to further pursue it. do you have a favorite collection about mental health struggles??

@Sophie Oh, I completely agree! It‘s so refreshing when you finally realize that as a writer because then it affords you the opportunity to write about so much more than you would be able to otherwise. You can take anything at that point and really offer insight on a topic and hopefully make it universal in its appeal! The collection is wonderful! 😍😍😍😍

I love this discussion due in large part to the fact that I've had the same question writing poetry. I will share sort of how I think about it that makes sense to me and how I typically like to proceed with poetry. This idea has already been referenced in the above thread, but I figured I would echo the sentiment! So, I think there is a middle ground between "saying something", or in other words sort of imparting knowledge upon someone" with a poem and writing a poem that may exist for the sole purpose of exploring wordplay or the technical nature of poetry. I used to feel as though I had to come to a conclusion when I wrote on a heavier topic. I felt like I had to give the reader a lesson or state a definitive opinion on the subject which is a great deal of pressure. Instead, what I've learned to do is simply raise a question about the topic by just observing. You can just write about how things are without it really meaning a ton. You can just observe something or raise a question or just present something in a way where your reader can ask their own questions. What I have also found in peer review, writing groups etc. is that when you simply observe/comment rather than delving into anything prescriptive, you really allow the reader to draw their own conclusions which i have noticed earns the reader's trust. They feel a bit more empowered without feeling the pressure to agree/disagree with the opinion in the poem! Like i said before, I know you all have probably stated a similar idea, but I figured I'd say it a way that makes sense to me in case it helps someone else!

Thank you! I am so sorry I put it on the wrong page! Thanks for letting me know - I saw the general first and didn't think to keep looking!

I love what you said about the poem sort of contradicting itself. I think that's incredibly beautiful. And to that point, I am really drawn to poems that sort of ground the reader with a really raw, almost mundane setting that wouldn't typically suggest something so pretty or profound. I think it really highlights the fact that there is this whole other space in the world that is often overlooked, and oftentimes that can be far more meaningful than something sort of obviously pretty. I actually just read a poem the other day set at a gas station, and it was perfect haha! Also, the collection is Fieldglass by Catherine Pond . I certainly may be late on it, but it's amazing.