My English teacher assigned us a poetry project a while ago, due February 2nd. Today I decided to begin it. The assignment was to write an "I Am" poem in the format given, which is basically "I feel ____; I try ____," and we are expected to fill in the blanks with meaningful phrases. I learned that writing a poem by a format is harder than it looks.
When I sat down to write, I couldn't seem to find a topic. One line was about my clarinet playing; another was about my quest for knowledge. After only ten minutes, I had to put it aside. I was just too conflicted to write a simple poem about myself.
I often tell my friends that I am "too complex to be put down on paper." Now I stand by this with my whole heart. I ended up writing five different first stanzas, all of them good, and all of them capturing one aspect of me. No matter how hard I tried, however, I just couldn't seem to find that one stanza that captured all sides of me. Thus, I had to resign from the matter temporarily while I wait to find that one idea that I know is right. In the meantime, however, I've come to a conclusion.
I may know myself enough to function in society, but I don't know myself enough to write about. Or at least, I know myself too well. Isn't it easier to write about something from an outside view? That's what this poem is about to me, though. Being able to write about yourself and learning to express things too big for words with words. It's a hard prospect, and it's one that I better understand withing the next week. For now, though, I'm stuck writing multiple poems, none of which seem to come out just right. I may truly be too big for words.
The father of one of my friends said "Forget the format. Do what you want." I stand by this for things that are too big for simple language, but as a writer, I must take on the challenge and do as best as I can. I think I've already got the "I try ____" line figured out. :)
