Poetry from Daily Life: 'Write what you know' is always a good place to start

Today’s guest on "Poetry from Daily Life" is Scot Young, who grew up in Raytown, Missouri before settling in Ozark County. He has been writing since his junior and high school days. Scot says he typically writes snapshots of his life or what he has observed. He thinks that poets write for themselves and hopes that others might relate or see themselves in a different way. His past published books are "All Around Cowboy, American Haiku" and "They Said I Wasn't College Material." A unique fact about Scot is that he earned three college degrees after he was told he wasn’t college material. ~ David L Harrison 

It is said that poets see the world differently, sometimes it is by describing or telling the story in a simplistic manner whether it is a haiku, a sonnet or free verse. I find poetry is everywhere in my daily life and always have. This brief snapshot of life with words not only gives the reader a glimpse, a memoir type approach into the writer’s life, but also presents the reader a look into the world around us. I like this narrative approach. Poetry can convey a political statement, act as a type of therapy to help get over a recent trauma or simply describe something beautiful as morning sunrise or sunset when the sky is on fire through the trees or maybe a trout breaking the surface downstream or combination of these. The examples are endless as life itself.

When I taught poetry and asked high school students to write a poem, I got fidgeting and "I don’t know what to write about" responses until I told them that poetry is everywhere, just shut your eyes and look. I asked them to tell their story but do it in a snapshot of time about something that affected them either in a positive or negative way or something they will always remember.

We had open discussions and shared stories. I asked them what their greatest fear was. About half of the class replied that when they got older nobody would love them. Sometimes the truth is hard to deal with. After that discussion, one student changed classes. Some wrote about a pet that had died or a relative that passed on or a parent or parents who walked out of their life. They lived up to the adage "write what you know" and that is always a good place to start. 

Typically when the class was about to end for the semester, for the final assignment I would ask them to write what they wanted in life. By this time they were teenage masters of the metaphor and every other figurative language term. They had all the tools. Many students wrote about being successful or famous while some were more to the point and told their story.

she only wants

she says her parents

loved her so much

they divorced so at 14

she walks 3 miles down a dirt road

to drive her grandparents home

from the bar that turned into all day

when her dad moved close by

before going back to the pen

she would have her friends over

and he would send her out on the 4 wheeler

she believes the boys

think she’s pretty

when she goes braless

at school

but behind her back

they chant limericks

that rhyme with her name

the last assignment was

to write a poem titled

what i want in life

she turned hers in within minutes

punctuated with a heart

i

only

want

what

you

want

Scot Young is a retired construction worker, teacher, principal and superintendent. He lives in the Missouri Ozarks with his wife of 43 years and a herd of goats. He is thankful for the vision of Butterfly McQueen whom he met when he was a teenager. He can be reached at scotdyoung@gmail.com  or by visiting scotyoungpoetry.com.