It's absolutely crucial to maintain my life as a poet.
Edward HirschRead
Poems mesmerized me, and I felt better when I was writing them, or trying to - more in touch with something deep and dark within myself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses how writing poetry provides a sense of healing and self-discovery.
In this quote, Edward Hirsch conveys the profound impact that poetry has on the writer's emotional and psychological well-being. Engaging in the creative process of writing allows him to connect with his inner self, exploring complex feelings that are often hidden beneath the surface. This relationship with poetry serves not only as a form of artistic expression but also as a means of coping with and understanding deeper aspects of oneβs existence.
Themes
PoemsWritingHealingExpressionSelf-Discovery
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on creative writing, I shared this quote to inspire participants to delve into their emotions through poetry.
More from Edward Hirsch
All quotes βThe commitment to working at poetry is important because a poet is a maker, and a poem is a made thing. We have to honor our feelings by working to transform them into something meaningful and lasting.
Edward HirschRead
As far as I'm concerned, freedom is the most important thing to creativity. You should feel free to write in whatever way, whatever language, feels comfortable to you.
Edward HirschRead
The idea that a poem was a made thing stayed with me, and I decided then that I wanted to be an artist, not just a diarist. So I put myself through a kind of apprenticeship in writing poetry, and I understood even then that my practice as a poet was deeply related to my reading.
Edward HirschRead
And every year there is a brief, startling moment _x000D_ When we pause in the middle of a long walk home and _x000D_ Suddenly feel something invisible and weightless _x000D_ Touching our shoulders, sweeping down from the air: _x000D_ It is the autumn wind pressing against our bodies; _x000D_ It is the changing light of fall falling on us.
Edward HirschRead
When poetry separates from song, then the words have to carry all the rhythm themselves; they have to do all the work. They can't rely on the singing voice.
Edward HirschRead
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