Poetry Journal

I picked out the poetry journal “Rooted” on blog spot. In my search for the perfect blog to indulge myself in, I skimmed roughly 8 blogs looking for something that would spark my interest. Rooted stood out to me because of the description of the journal which states: “Poetry for me is a way of living, it comes out of nowhere and I have to write it down. How I write, what I write, I decide. I am not asking for you to be judgmental. I am gifted with the ability to see beyond the obvious.” This interested me more than the others because of how spontaneous her poetry seemed. I was also thoroughly impressed by her self confidence and her ability not to care. Although ironically in many of her poems she expresses her reliance on either things or people.

In her poem “Erosion” she discusses her weakness and directly addresses what seems to be her self demise:  

I yearn for your breath

 that breath you stole from me..

I put on a mask again
throw a clay pebble into that imaginary pool
no one will allow bend the rules-
except you. except you

After reading a number of her earlier poems I have come to the realization that she must be talking about a spouse who has recently left her. She uses a poem fixated on baking and transforms it into a poem about cheating and consequences.

I have built a fence with bricks,
now I hide in that tastefully decorated
tasteless kitchen so that I won't cheat.

nothing is left for me-
everything tastes like gravel-
I seem to wallow in trash.

I precisely measure out portions-
that balance that you gifted to me
occupies a place of pride.

 I can now relate this back to the description of her poetry blog, and after further analysis I realize why she asks her readers to refrain from being judgmental. I may have perceived this incredibly wrong but to me it seems as though she was the one who broke her marriage (or broke something….but seems like marriage). She writes her poetry on a day to day basis and essentially puts her frustration, anxiety and stress into her poems. It is almost like a personal journal. Additionally, she often adds abstract pictures that shed light on important aspects of her poems. I think this is a really exceptional journal due to the risks she takes. She allows herself to open her life up through poetry on the world wide web which is something I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing. Not only does she open up her life but she criticizes herself and her own indiscretions. Definitely something we can all learn from.