MADE Magazine Summer 2023

What is poetry and why should I read and write it? There is a common misconception in poetry, being that poetry must come from the Eliots, Wordsworths, Shakespeares, Shelleys and so on. But not only is this wrong but also simply ridiculous. Poetry, at its most basic, is just an expression of emotion, like painting, dancing, music and other art forms. Poetry, to many, is a form of therapy. So great, I should write more poetry, but why should I read more? Well, reading poetry is the same as listening to music – it allows you to indulge in a fantasy world, a creative escape from the daunting and futile, circular, predictable life on earth. Another overlooked factor about poetry is the limits – being absolutely non-existent. Writing poetry has no boundaries, no laws. One may assume that poetry needs to be charged with metaphors and all forms of complex language techniques, but the truth is that there is no need for such a thing. Just put pen to paper and, minding the cliché, let the magic happen. The Blinding Light Finding comfort in the darkness is like finding comfort in death, Is Like the idea of freezing yourself to avoid being burned. To bury one ’ s feelings is to bury oneself, an antecedent digging Of your own grave, for to live without feeling is to not live at all. We fear the highs, because we fear the lows, just as a fear of heights Is more accurately a fear of falling. And as such, we close our eyes, For we would rather never see than risk being blinded. Consequently, The shadows become so appealing, as if we never rise, we can never fall. The fire that burns hottest, is the most destructive, like trying to toast a Marshmallow on the surface of the sun, aware that soon your wax wings will melt. And when they do, you ’ ll come tumbling in freefall, afraid that the flight of your Life may be the very thing to end it, and yet somehow, we never feel more alive than When we are almost dead. That pang of regret as the ground gets ever closer, or The secret thrill of running for your life, things that almost kill us breathe life into our souls. So, there comes a point when one must choose between ecstasy and agony or the Deep bottomless abyss of nothingness. To kiss you is to taste heaven, and yet It may well send me to hell, but better to experience both than to spend an eternity Trapped in limbo, teetering on the knife edge between happiness and sadness, too afraid to Move in case you tip the scales in the wrong direction. But, like the flipping of a coin, It must fall one way or the other, and to wait will do nothing but delay the inevitable outcome, Prolonging the suffering endured within limbo, close enough to touch heaven, And yet equally close to the flames of hell, hot enough to hurt but not hot enough to melt you. The light of heaven is so bright, matched only by the fire seen in hell, And so you close your eyes, because you would rather see nothing at all than be blinded by either. - Liam O'shea Why Poetry?