Unleashing Words, Finding Balance...

I truly don't know where I'd be today if I hadn't found writing to be my solace, my joy. What started out as a way to heal has evolved into a lifestyle; one that requires the constant unleashing of words onto a laptop where my fingers are the only thing that can keep up with my thoughts. Sometimes it feels like I'm guided in what to say or express in the moment. At others, it's the challenge of crafting a poem from a prompt shared among the community of poets and writers. 

All I know, is that without this outlet for my feelings and ponderings, life would not hold the same taste for exploration, both internally and externally. When one begins to create, the world becomes a canvas upon which to paint stories for the mind and spirit. Social media has provided a platform by which to share these creations yet it also is a place filled with frustrations -algorithmic roadblocks seem to be everywhere. I learned early that one first must write for themselves; if their words be embraced and shared by others, then all the better. It's far too easy to succumb to the desire for fame or a huge following but staying true to our roots tempers that frustration, knowing it's not us -it's the forces beyond our control that test us.

Each night, my mind lingers on what I've written that day and begins to formulate ideas for the morrow. Each morning, my fingers become anxious for the feel of the keys beneath them as my mind drives their pace. I recall when I began to write those first poems -of how I saw the possibility of poems everywhere, my thoughts composing in rhyme. Like everything new, the possibilities felt overwhelming until balance could one again take hold of my day. I came into writing in my later years, a time that allows for the indulgence of creation at my own pace. It has become both a hobby and a job. 

Once the commitment is made to share one's words on social media pages, there comes a feeling of obligation to produce new and better pieces -what a wonderful obligation, and honour, it is!

~inked by ML