What is art? It can be so many things, from a song, to a dance. The painting hanging in a museum, or your baby's first smile caught on film. It can be a piece sculpted by Neil Barker, or it can be the first pottery project done at preschool and cherished always. From the cologne a perfumer makes to the pastries a chef bakes, they are all forms of art. To me "POETRY" embodies all that art should be. It is the essence of words that flow forth freely to land on paper or linger on lips. Poetry is able to capture life at its best and worst. Words are able to paint a picture as vivid as any photograph and as haunting as any world renowned painting.
Just as the ocean, poetry has ebb and flow that is as constant as it is volatile. The flow of poetry is soothing and relaxing, quite reminiscent of the sound of the ocean with its supposed healing qualities. In its most basic forms poetry is able to inspire emotion to a degree that will overwhelm a person. The mere whisper of a word leaves you breathless with anticipation for the next syllable. It calls forth forgotten emotions, from the tears of pain to the tears and sobs accompanied by heartbreaking joy. It is artistic in the way that words are able to paint pictures in such vivid color across your hazy perceptions. The fiery red of anger comes through just as clearly in words as it does in an oil based brushstroke on canvas. The calming blue of acceptance is as clear as the sapphire necklace given to you as a Christmas gift. The vibrant green of rolling hills is as lush as the garden you tend on your weekends. As line is the building block of visual design, it is also the base of poetry. As you create lines of words to express a feeling or event it begins to bring life to your work. You try to put as much of yourself in to the piece as you can so that the person who is reading the piece is able to understand the emotion and the mind set behind it.
