The Keys to Writing an Eye-opening Poem

Many people love to read poems for various reasons. For some people, poems are a therapeutic tool that fosters creativity and imagination. For others, they are a great source of ideas and knowledge. In general, poems are powerful literary works that have the ability to touch the minds and hearts of people. Most, if not all, poems out there even have the power to transform lives. These poems are eye-opening poems that combine wisdom with creativity.

The Color of Love by Raymond Quattlebaum is a poetry book that contains a number of this so-called eye-opening poems. Most of the poems found in this masterpiece are poems about life, love, and God. In essence, this book talks about how love is the most powerful emotion in the universe, how God’s love is the only unconditional love there is, and how life in general is a gift full of love and wonder. This poetry collection about the landscape of life by Quattlebaum is a magnificent compilation of poems that can wake people up. If you are an aspiring poet who wishes to create such powerful poems as Quattlebaum’s, then this article is especially for you. This article lists down below some of the keys to writing an eye-opening poem that can touch people’s minds and hearts.

Write based on your observation

Poems should not just come out of your imagination; but, more importantly, it should be a product of your observation. This means that your poems should reflect the reality. They should inform or at least give other people some ideas on what is happening in the real world. This is one of the most important things that you should keep in mind if you want to create an eye-opening poem – your poetry should be a poetry of observation. It should not be so detached from reality. Otherwise, no one might be able to relate to it. To make your poem as close to reality as possible, write about your experiences. Observe your surroundings, and try to get some stories out of the things that are happening around you.

Do not just describe, demonstrate

This is actually a golden rule in writing poetry in general. In crafting your poems, do not just simply describe, but demonstrate rather. This means that you should allow the readers to see and understand things from your point of view. They must be able to see what you are seeing, hear what you are hearing, and feel what you are feeling through your poem. Technically, to do this, you should avoid using direct statements. As much as possible, refrain from using adjectives and adverbs. Instead, use solid and concrete verbs and nouns. To put it simply, in writing a powerful poem, show, don’t tell.

Establish a connection with your readers

In order for your poem to serve as an eye-opener for other people, it should be able to explain to them where you are coming from. In other words, your poem should be so clearly and beautifully crafted that the readers can easily pick up its message. To accomplish this, you, as a poet, should establish a genuine connection with your readers. This means that you should make them feel either comforted or disturbed by your poetry. More so, the readers should also be able to see some similarities (or differences) between themselves and you. Ultimately, to come up with a truly eye-opening poem, you should go beyond your role as a poet. Write as if you are a friend or a family to your readers.

In conclusion, you do not necessarily have to be a world-class poet to be able to come up with an eye-opening poem. More than a form of literature that students learn in class, poetry is a personal journey. It is a journey that begins with absorbing the things that you learn from life and ends with sharing your learnings with others. Ultimately, to create a powerful poem, the only essential thing that you need is genuine connection. As a poet, you should be able to connect with other people through your poems in order for your poetry to have a lasting impact on their lives. Raymond Quattlebaum’s poetry collection about the landscape of life, The Color of Love, is a manifestation of how true all of these things are.