I started writing poems to impress a girl in the summer after 8th grade. I picked my first rose for her when we went for a walk one day. When I got home I wanted to do something that would last longer and that would impress her more. We started writing poems back and forth for about a year. The next summer I discovered jealousy and our relationship ended quickly. Poetry has always been my way of gernaling. It’s been a great way to relieve stress and frustration and get any depressing thoughts out of my head and down on paper. Now I see my poems as a photo album that only I can see. I love having other people read my work but I try not to think of the reader while I write and I rarely ever rewrite anything. When I was at the University of Washington I had a professor who gave me this: Rescue yourself from these general themes and write about what your everyday life offers you; describe your sorrows and desires, the thoughts that pass through your mind and your belief in some kind of beauty — describe all these with heartfelt, silent, humble sincerity, and when you express yourself, use the Things around you, the images from your dreams, and the objects that you remember. If your everyday life seems poor, don’t blame it; blame yourself; admit to yourself that you are not enough of a poet to call forth its riches; because for the creator there is no poverty and no poor, indifferent place. And even if you found yourself in some prison, whose walls let in none of the world’s sounds — would you still have your childhood, that jewel beyond all price, that treasure house of memories? Turn your attention to it. Try to raise up the sunken feelings of this enormous past; your personality will grow stronger, your solitude will expand and become a place where you can live in the twilight, where the noise of other people passes by, far in the distance. — And if out of this turning-within, out of this immersion in your own world, poems come, then you will not think of asking anyone whether they are good or not. by R. M. Rilke The professor who gave that to me was Akio Takamori. His encouragement and support has allowed me to live a happy uncomplicated life. There is never any blame when one takes responsibility for their own life, there is only challenge and no challenge is good or bad. Navigation About Links Brian Andreas Dylan Thomas E. E. Cummings Emily Dickinson Ezra Pound HAFIZ The Great Sufi Master hallucidPOETSdreamreal In a Dark Time Maya Angelou Poest and Writers Poetry & Poets in Rags Robert Frost Rumi Seattle Poetry Slam Tagore Walt Whitman Categories All My Poems Song Lyrics Others Poems Archives July 2008 June 2008 April 2008 March 2008 December 2007 October 2007 June 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 December 2005 September 2005 February 2005 January 2005 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 November 2003 September 2003 July 2000 January 2000 June 1999 March 1999 September 1998 August 1998 July 1998 May 1998 December 1997 November 1997 October 1997 September 1997 August 1997 July 1997 June 1997 May 1997 April 1997 March 1997 February 1997 January 1997 May 1996 March 1996 February 1996 September 1995 January 1995 October 1994 September 1994 August 1994 July 1994 June 1994 May 1994 April 1994 March 1994 February 1994 January 1994 December 1993 November 1993 October 1993 September 1993 August 1993 July 1993 June 1993 May 1993 April 1993 March 1993 February 1993 January 1993 December 1992 November 1992 October 1992 September 1992 August 1992 July 1992 June 1992 May 1992 April 1992 March 1992 February 1992 January 1992 October 1991 September 1991 July 1991 June 1991 December 1990 November 1990 October 1990 September 1990 August 1990 July 1990 June 1990 May 1990 April 1990 March 1990 February 1990 January 1990 February 1989