My first reaction is, Woo Hoo I'm getting published, finally someone likes me! The butterflies beat not only in my stomach but up in my lungs as I flutter with anxiety over really putting myself out there for the public, for better or worse. Not that I would really expect to be the topic of anyone's literary conversation, but I certainly didn't expect such immediate criticism of my work!
There are really only so many things for a poet to write about. Love, family, death, disaster, and every emotion possible. If a poet writes a sad poem about losing a loved one to the untimely grips of death, does that mean that the poet really experienced this? Or that the emotions of this poem symbolize the poet's constant pain? I think poets are highly emotional people, and as such are uniquely allowed to experience other people's emotions vividly. This intense empathy gives a deep connection between a poet and their writing, but doesn't necessarily reflect truth in the sense that the poem is literally about the poet.
This may be hard for some people to understand, as is the case with my own work and my own family. I want to be proud, and shout from the rooftop that I have something beautiful to say. Although my sense of beautiful is different from anyone else, and that is what makes poetry so unique. I just want to be able to reach someone who reads my work and says, I get it. Whether it's the message I intended or something that has a separate meaning, if it speaks then it's successful.
So, without naming names, I have upset a family member with my poetry and it's very unsettling. I'm not callous, I'm not trying to hurt anyone, prove any point or paint some picture. I am a writer, I write. I write from my point of view, I write from a child's view, a woman's view, a man's view, a dog's view...get it? I don't want to be afraid of who I might unintentionally hurt in my creative endeavors, it feels somehow like that fear would taint my material.
And so I type on, unafraid, uninhibited.
How? you might ask, Could I do so? Will I change my name, create a pen name like Amy Sweeden and really tear everyone apart? Or will I change my content, and write romantic sonnets about how perfect and dear all people are? No. I will write what I feel. It doesn't mean I am writing my personal feelings out there for everyone to read like a teenager's angry diary. No. I will write whatever I feel like writing and hope that my readers will understand and appreciate it on whatever level they can. We are all flawed, and I find that our flaws and complications are the most fascinating to write about.
Don't question it, just write about it.
