By Madeleine Wass, IV Form

Poetry and The Intimacy of Writing

Since a young age, I have loved writing. At first, it was a great pass time and then developed into a passion. I first learned about poetry in my sixth grade English class, and I then began to keep a journal with ramblings of words that, over time, began to string together. Ever since then, poetry has been with me through tough times. It comes to me the easiest when strong emotions run high, such as anger, sadness, or frustration. Poetry is a wonderful way to channel what I am feeling. My poems can come in many different forms; no way is the right way. For me, it is more about just being able to express what is going through my mind or something that has happened. I also use my poems to record and to remember the feelings I had during an event. When I place my pen on the paper, I just feel the thoughts in my head flowing out. Sometimes they are jumbled and other times they fit well together. My main goal is about capturing what I am feeling while escaping the weight of the world. The following excerpt is from a poem I wrote about a beautiful hike I went on:

Inhale
the mud stained grass trail

Exhale
the tree formed tunnel just like a fairytale

Forget about your life confines
and embrace the rust swallowed power lines

With nature, be alone
like the lily flowers sitting on their green thrown

Make a wish
on the tinny ripples from even tinier fish

With your friends you’re talking
on top the old wooden bridge made for walking

See the life of nature, most a mystery unwritten
the sun a top the water, oh how it does glisten

Grasp pure nature, it makes you feel bare
breathing in the addicting fresh air
When leaving enters your mind
try to remember this feeling and what you leave behind

When I wrote this and, even better when I read this now, I transport back to that day, and my memories become vivid of what I felt and saw. This is what intrigues me most about poetry. The power of words and how when arranged in a certain way can make the reader (and poet!) feel so much. I have recently been playing with this idea. When writing I try to emulate the emotions of someone else, and I put myself in a situation. I then try to imagine how this person is experiencing it. I think about what I would do and I sort of simulate it in my head while writing. For example, I imagined being someone hiding in a closet while a serial killer lurks directly outside. Thrilling, right?! While writing this, I can feel the fear in every aspect. I see the streaks of light coming in through the small cracks in the door, and I feel my hands quivering at the smell of dried blood coming off of the person waiting outside. The intimacy of writing this takes me to a different place and allows me to experience such strong emotions while simply writing. I do not share most of my writing because I feel it is something that I can have to myself and something people are not capable of taking away. After all, it all comes down to the thoughts in my head. They are weird, funny, and all sorts of crazy, but they are me. I love poetry as an outlet for creativity, and I am glad to share my love of it with others!

Madeleine Wass is a IV Form boarding student from Princeton, New Jersey. She enjoys rowing crew, reading, and dancing. She loves to laugh and values her fun friendships.