This week: Dare to be Original Edited by: Brrr...rooke  
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| According to Wikipedia, Poetry (from the Greek word poiesis, "making") is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, literal or surface-level meanings. Thank you for reading this NL. |
If you’ve spent time reading the work of beginner poets, you might notice a certain predictability. Many new poets tend to echo the same themes, use the same predictable metaphors or flowery language, and arrange their lines in nearly identical patterns. The result? The poems don't make you feel anything. They lack individuality and impact. If I was as good as someone like Jayne or Ken, I'd actually give you an amazing example.  Let me practice, and maybe next time.
All jokes aside, look at what we've read so many times before. Teardrops don’t always fall like rain, sadness isn’t always a never-ending night, and we've heard all there is to hear about a heart that soars or shatters at the emotional whim of eyes that are described as miniature oceans with hidden depths, or like magical portals to someone's soul. As we all know, sometimes stars are simply just distant balls of burning gas, and not symbols of someone’s unreachable dreams.
So, what’s the alternative? You must dare to be original. Challenge yourself to express a thought that’s uniquely yours, in a voice only you possess. Read extensively, all kinds of poetry. Find your own voice. Experiment and find a phrase that could only have come from your experience, from your perspective. It’s more difficult than it seems to craft a truly original sentence, something the world has never read until this moment. Make that your goal.
So how do you do it? Use old words in new ways, forcing your readers to pause and really consider what feelings you’re conveying. Be creative, combine words, use them in strange and new ways. One of the most well-known poets did this, and let’s just say I think it worked out well for him. Shakespeare.org has a list of all the words that are attributed to him and where they were first used. Here is a handful from that list:
 Undress: (v) to remove clothes or other covering
The Taming of the Shrew, Induction Scene 2
Varied: (adj) incorporating different types or kinds; diverse
Titus Andronicus, Act 3 Scene 1
Worthless: (adj) having no value or merit; contemptible
The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 4 Scene 2
Obscene: (adj) repulsive or disgusting; offensive to one's morality
Love's Labour's Lost, Act 1 Scene 1Yelping: (adj) uttering sharp, high-pitched cries
Henry VI Part 1, Act 4 Scene 2
Zany: (n) clown's assistant; performer who mimics another's antics
Love's Labour's Lost, Act 5 Scene 2
Innovation in poetry isn’t just about dodging clichés, it’s about being brave enough to bring something untested into the world. Give yourself permission to be strange, bold, and honest. That’s really where poetry gets interesting.
Suggested activity for stretching your poetry muscles:
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You say you're a writer.
That your heart pumps ink
and jerks tears, belly full
of plot holes,
adverbs wedged tightly
between your toes.
~  ~
"Bloody Halos and Porcelain Chains" by Jeromée  from "The Lie Within The Line"
Martyrs in mansions,
victims with crowns,
weeping for wounds they've never bore.
~ ~
Spreading like covid
your words it infects
Through vowels into consonants
each phrase it subjects
~ ~
"Interpretation Inspired by Omission" by Beholden  from "Those Who Live in Grass Houses"
Slow
Children
said the sign
and I praised the decision
to omit punctuation
thereby leaving the matter
open to question.
~ ~
Like a shattered mirror,
I see pieces, not a whole.
The fractures run so deep
that I can feel them
in my soul.
~ ~
"Synesthesia Overload" by Dave Ryan  from "Activities Book"
Deafening colors and audible flavors
Smell of the new mown grass cubic and yellow
Grip on reality starting to waver
~ ~
On Amtrak glam track,
where clickety-clack meets yakety-yak,
hoity-toity party pack,
going gaga over Dada,
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
In response to "Poetry Newsletter (November 5, 2025)"
From TJ says, "keep on keeping on!" 
Thank you for featuring my poem!
Thank you for sharing it!  Keep writing!
From: Eravathi 
Thank you so much for choosing my work for your newsletter.
Thank you for writing it. Keep it up!
In response to "Poetry Newsletter (December 3, 2025)"
From fyn-busy writing!!! 
Great newsletter! A subject that I often speak on . . . those little things are a compression of our lives, the details that, in a very real sense, define us. And, as such, need, should be incorporated into our writings to give depth and that sense of touch that elevates writing to higher levels!
Also, thank you for using one of my pieces as an editor's pick. This piece was torn straight from the fabric of multiple lives.
I agree completely. They can be easy to overlook, but are so important. Thank you for writing!
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Poetry: December 31, 2025 Issue [#13519]
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