Why I Write Poetry

by Terry Loncaric

Technically, it took me two years to write my first book of poetry Crashing in Velvet, but in a way, it took a lifetime. My poems are a culmination of my life experiences, lessons I have learned, and interesting characters I have encountered during my life journey.

I think I was collecting material for poetry during the many years I worked as a newspaper reporter and feature writer. On a daily basis, characters popped into the newsroom. There was a mad energy that crackled inside a newsroom. As a reporter, I was trained to write concise, yet compelling tales. This was great preparation for poetry. Poetry allowed me to write on a more expressive palette. The reporter in me loved the deeper truths that always simmered in poetry. I discovered there is great freedom in writing poetry. I can write a poem on nearly any topic as long as I strike the right balance of phrases, easy rhythms, and imagery. I can break the rules of formal language. I can write in sentence fragments and even repeat words. Poems may begin as the simplest of phrases that dance in my head. Some lines from poems actually stalk me in my sleep. Once you chisel and shape words, the details of poetry can become thoroughly maddening.

Open mics allowed me to hone my craft in front of an audience. As I wrote my poems and presented them, I was able to cultivate a feeling for constructing pleasing, cool rhythms. The end game is to make every word count. Poetry is tricky. You can analyze every word and cadence in a poem, but ultimately you never really appreciate a poem until you read it out loud and let the rhythms wash over an

audience. Writing poetry is much more than technique. It is understanding your own soul and having the courage to travel to a very deep place.

There is a communal spirit in poetry. The moment you share your own life experiences, you validate someone else’s. A gentleman said he was going to go home and hug his cat after I read a poem about losing my cat, Jonathan. When I read my New Orleans poems, people tell me they feel like they are in the French Quarter being bombarded with colorful images of jazz bands and street performers.

Poetry removes racial, gender, and cultural barriers. Poetry has an intimacy that makes it special. And I love the surprise moments that you experience when you share a poem. At its best, poetry allows us to take a break from life’s noise and share what we hear in the depth of our silence. The poet Rainer Maria Rilke describes the act of poetry as one of sacred reflection. “Find out the reason that commands you to write,” Rilke asserts. “See whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart. Confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write.” Rilke nailed it. Poetry is redemption. It is therapy. It is meditation. It is conversation. It is prayer. It is the language I will speak as long as I live and breathe.

Terry Loncaric is the author of Crashing in Velvet, a collection of original poetry. She has hosted many poetry events and has read her poetry in numerous venues. She has lectured on feature writing at Columbia College and Roosevelt University. Her opinion pieces have been published nationally.