By: Arnelle Williams
How It All Started
It was late at night and those juices, a metaphor for poetic words were flowing into my mind as sweet as grape nectar. When they stopped flowing, I was immediately satisfied with what I had produced. I discovered a hidden treasure of words buried within me and it was lifted to the surface for the first time. I wrote a poem title "Remedy" about relationships and submitted it in a poetry contest without specific expectations. Imagine my surprise, when it won first place.
That experience was the beginning of my love for writing poetry, but I did not write again until my first year in college. There, I attended a poetry slam event and was inspired by how passionate students were for the arts. That atmosphere triggered a circuit in me, and the "juices" began to flow once again. In a short period, I wrote four poems and eagerly recited them in cultural showcases.
My inspiration stems from my own personal experiences, endless conversations with my mother, my Christian faith, reading, and not the least, my friends' personal experiences.
I realize that I want to speak my passion with words and inspire others. Spreading knowledge through poetic means and building relationships are the key forces that drive my need to foster intellectual thought in my generation.
I want people to be talking about poetry again, and most of all hear from you. This is a safe zone to engage young people in social issues such as faith, race, education, relationships, etc. Let's spread knowledge!