How many times Have you gone For weeks Or months Feeling little to nothing? Unable To so much As cry Nor smile Uninspired Unmotivated Unwilling And how many Of those times Have you done so On purpose? Spent so long Resisting That which is Most natural Because You believed It was something Unseemly Bottling everything Up inside Until you might just Explode What good Is an inkwell Never opened? A pen A brush Never dipped? The plastic tip There to keep The ballpoint From drying out Still on it From the day You bought it Emotion Sensation Experience Should not So easily Be let go To waste Forget living Forget life Being something That happens To bottle it all Is like having Life Simply happen To everyone else To everyone else But you But you You should Uncap it At least once Even if only a drop Were to come out It would be So addicting You will want To pour out The whole bottle Squeeze That tube Of paint As children do Never mind the mess It can be cleaned up And even if All that paint Were to be washed away Every surface Scrubbed Every trace Erased At least then Something was Inspired By something Anything Having done Something Anything As children do With no consideration For today Or tomorrow You will Have been inspired Rather than simply Contained Even if That liquid You’ve been So cautiously Bottling inside Terrifies you You should Find some way Any way To let it out If an experience Inspires nothing Creates nothing Did it happen at all?

Love is a drug. And perhaps it is the most terrible of all drugs, because unlike actual drugs, this one won’t kill you. …Usually, at least. It will just rip your soul out from inside of you, tie it into a knot, and beat you up with it until you wish you were dead. And because of that, we keep pursuing it. Because we’re all addicts. ... I’ve loved my children. Both the born and the unborn. Equally, though the latter with much more pain, and the former with a lot more frustration. Somewhere along the way I may have even loved myself for a moment of delirium. But then I met myself. And then, like every love before, I lost myself again. And like every love before, it refuses to die completely. For our addiction, there is no “Lovers Anonymous”.

This is a poem I've written for my book. Feels like a perfect poem to use as an introduction, especially as I find myself a stranger in a new community. Thank you all for having me!

Welcome to The Art of Poetry. If you're here, it means one simple thing… You love words. Maybe you’ve been writing poetry for years. Maybe you just started yesterday. Either way — you belong here. This community was created as a place where poets can write, share, learn, and grow together in a supportive environment. Before jumping in, here are a few quick things to know. ✍️ 1. Introduce Yourself Start by saying hello in the comments below. Tell us: • Where you're from • How long you've been writing poetry • What kind of poetry you enjoy most We love meeting new poets. 📚 2. Explore the Classroom The Classroom is where you'll find structured lessons and resources designed to help you grow as a poet. Inside the classroom you'll find things like: • Poetry lessons and writing techniques • The Prompt Vault for endless writing inspiration • Courses for developing your voice and style • Publishing and poetry guidance If you're serious about improving your craft, the classroom is a great place to start. 📝 3. Share Your Poetry You’re welcome to post your poems anytime. Many members also ask for feedback, and this community does a great job of encouraging and supporting each other as writers. 🗓️ 4. Join Our Daily Activities We also run daily creative activities: Prompt Monday – Writing inspiration Skill Builder Tuesday – Learn something new Share Your Work Wednesday – Showcase your poetry Feedback Friday – Get helpful feedback Spotlight Saturday – Celebrate our poets Reflection Sunday – Reflect and write Jump in anytime. 🏆 Community Events We also host things like: • Poet of the Month • Poetry contests • Community book projects • Writing challenges ❤️ One Simple Rule Be kind and supportive. Poetry can be deeply personal, and we respect that here. 👇 Your Turn Drop a comment below and introduce yourself. Tell us your name and what kind of poetry you enjoy writing. We’re glad you’re here. Welcome to The Art of Poetry. — Jason Founder