Being A Poet Poem by SPC Kellaway

‘You are a poet’ he said, ‘How does that feel? ’

Like nothing on earth, I think, like I am bleeding words
It calms my system, but fires my imagination

It loses me in worlds of far reaching desperation
But sends me joyous, flying through the stars

It is as painful as losing someone close
Or as happy as welcoming a new born son

How I strain for that finished word or meaning
Then rejoice in gaining a simple rhyme

It is like opening my fractured heart for all to see
Yet it feels so good to share the depth of pain

It is all consuming and it bares my tortured soul
While bringing peace and happiness at my lowest ebb

It is like being sad or happy and not knowing which it is
It is my whole life but has no part in my existence

Nothing can beat the feeling of a dam bursting flow of words
But who can know the frustration of a blank page or line

Being a poet is a punishment and a reward for life’s many paths
And how does it feel? Above everything else? Free and alive!