Groping in the Darkness | Teen Ink

Groping in the Darkness

August 27, 2013
By Distant_Freedom DIAMOND, Nowhere, Pennsylvania
Distant_Freedom DIAMOND, Nowhere, Pennsylvania
50 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today. -James Dean


Recently I relearned about poetry in school.
My english teacher said that free verse poetry
Requires many things, but one struck me.
It didn't strike me well at all.
She said that free verse requires flow.
A general rhythm behind each line
To keep the reader going.
And yet, look at almost every single
Poem I've ever written.
I've simply cut off a line and started another
When I feel that line is too long.
There is no rhythm involved whatsoever
In the formulating of my poetry.
So perhaps she was right,
And I'm simply in a whole other genre
Of poetry altogether.
Perhaps I've created a new genre
In which countless others will follow.
I suppose many others have already
Written many poems like this,
So this most likely is a path
Well-worn by the feet of many a traveller.
I have such a problem figuring out
How to end a poem, and so I
Just cut it off, or at least that's how I feel.
I just stop where I am and save the poem.
I never change or make any alterations.
When I do that, I know the
Spring of inspiration within me
Has run dry, as of that moment.
Inspiration returns at a later date,
But for just then, the well is empty.
And I find that...I feel that sad
Doesn't do it justice. I can't find the right word.
I'm groping in the darkness.
Maybe I'll find the right word sometime,
But not today.



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This article has 6 comments.


on Mar. 25 2014 at 11:24 pm
Distant_Freedom DIAMOND, Nowhere, Pennsylvania
50 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today. -James Dean

Thank you for your critique. I have a list of works I'm going to check out by you, so be on the lookout for that.

dya.o PLATINUM said...
on Mar. 25 2014 at 10:20 am
dya.o PLATINUM, Milton, Florida
43 articles 0 photos 86 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If consensus is overrated, I think balance is, too.<br /> I have no interest in living a balanced life.<br /> I want a life of adventure.&rdquo; | Chris Guillebeau

I like the dedication you put into this poem, and how it can relate to other writers such as myself. I to feel like Im writing my own genre of poetry whenever I write. I just write what I feel needs to be wrote down, and Im glad Im not the only one that does this. I guess thats what poetry is, writing what you feel, and putting your thoughts on paper. (or in my case typing them on a computer) I love this poem! 5 Stars!

on Feb. 23 2014 at 8:18 pm
Distant_Freedom DIAMOND, Nowhere, Pennsylvania
50 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
Dream as if you&#039;ll live forever. Live as if you&#039;ll die today. -James Dean

Again, like I said in my previous reply, I really wasn't expecting you to read any of my work, much less comment. I posted those comments because I wanted to express to you how amazing your writing truly is. You have a passion for the craft that I find myself lacking on a constant basis, and I so hope you continue on. You will definitely make a living off of doing this, and a very good one at that, as long as you persevere. The only poetry I write in is free verse, with maybe one or two poems actually rhyming. It's just not something I'm good at. Honestly, a free verse poem having limitations and restrictions is quite contradictory to me, since the title, "Free Verse", should imply limitless or boundless. It's also why I like writing in free verse the most; it's the easiest to write in. That unit was the only part of the year I didn't agree with her on, and I still wrote the poem I was assigned to write the way I wanted to. I also believe the most important thing is to have a passion for it, and it doesn't just have to be writing. Writing in this way forces the reader to go with the tempo and pace of the poem, and to adapt to the odd style. Yes, while I perused your work, I noticed that you wrote in a similar way to mine own style in many of your poems.

on Feb. 23 2014 at 5:29 pm
transparantspirit434 PLATINUM, Farmington, New Mexico
40 articles 0 photos 40 comments

Favorite Quote:
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. -Hebrews 13:5

When you posted all of those very, very nice comments (which kinda made me excessively happy), I decided to read some of your work as well. All of them are very, very brilliant and, like the first piece I commented on, quite deep. This one especially struck me because I feel the same way about poetry. When I write free verse, I write in the way that I feel it needs to be written, without subjecting to grammatical rules. That is the point of poetry, isn't it? To unleash your feelings without a formulated template to go by (or, as you put it, rhythem)? I really admired this poem an your others. Please don't listen to your english teacher; while some poems have a set flow to them, what really matters, I think, is whether you have a passion for what you are writing. That gives it it's own flow.  And yes, I am one of those people you have mentioned who has strayed down the path of "incorrect" poetry.

on Aug. 31 2013 at 6:36 pm
Distant_Freedom DIAMOND, Nowhere, Pennsylvania
50 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
Dream as if you&#039;ll live forever. Live as if you&#039;ll die today. -James Dean

Thank you! I hope you post some writing yourself so I can read it.

on Aug. 31 2013 at 9:47 am
------------ BRONZE, Portage, Michigan
2 articles 0 photos 20 comments
That last line reminds me of a really popular quote: "One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple." - Jack Kerouac.  I really like the idea of this poem. It's very unique. You don't find a lot of poems about poems, you know? It's nice to read a well-written poem that isn't necessarily about a love story. Good job.