This idea that the best pieces of poetry always come from sadness or brokenness or some inner chaos isn’t true at all. Because of this wrong ideology, many intentionally put themselves in precarious situations.
They conjure sadness for themselves even when that isn’t true about them. They deliberately set their eyes and hearts on darkness, avoiding the lights all around the world.
And this really is difficult because darkness is more difficult to find than light, because darkness is a rejection of the light.
You don’t have to be sad to write good poetry.
Yes, sometimes the muse will come from the brokenness that we all often experience on our journey as humans. However, sadness isn’t the only way to write good poetry.
Look around. There is joy in this earth. There is a radiance that daffodils exude. There’s a happy tune in the cries of a new born babe. There’s hope in the sight of a high mountain. There’s peace upon the bodies of blue seas. There is delight in love, in two lovers holding each other’s hands.
The earth is not a place of darkness. And when the darkness comes in the night, there is a moon that tears its flesh apart.
There is gaiety upon the skin of each day. Find it, and write your discovery upon the pages of screens or papers.
Adebayo Kolawole Samuel is the author of POEHERTIC, a collection of poems
