Last week when I hosted Poetry Friday, I asked readers to write a line or two answering the question “What is Poetry?” To create this crowsourced poem, I printed out the lines and cut them up and played with the arrangement like a child with a new puzzle. It was fun. My writing group helped me fit in everyone’s contribution.
What is Poetry?
crowdsourced poem by Poetry Friday bloggers
A poem is a whisper of words
that opens a secret door
and invites you to walk through,
a song your heart sings.
Poetry is
our quickening
to the life-song pulsing in us
and through us, a leaf fluttering
in the breeze, waves crashing,
a glimpse into another soul.
Poetry balances our soul
and begs our action,
a pratfall or a lift,
beauty never before shown,
truth never before known.
Poetry is a whisper of life,
distilled essence,
an echo full of vibrancy and emotion,
fed by the waters of creativity.
Poetry is a sudoku of words infused
with energy, story, and song;
words arranged to nourish the soul,
truth at a slant put to music.
Poetry is a hidden treasure
voicing what is inside
and ready to soar outward,
a butterfly caught in my net,
then released.
Poetry is concentrated language,
our very best words
squeezed into tight spaces
creating an essential spark,
a kiss, a blessing,
the lake dancing with the sunrise…
And on
and on
and on!
Contributors include: Jan Annino, Michelle Kogan, Linda Mitchell, Molly Hogan, Mary Lee Hahn, Linda Kulp Trout, Little Willow, Fran Haley, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Carol Varsalona, Karen Edmisten, Alan J. Wright, Irene Latham, Catherine Flynn, Tim Gels, Janice Scully, Laura Purdie Salas, Ramona Behnke, Janet Fagel.
Reflections on the Teche 
Stunning, beautiful, organic….like those waves crashing on the shore!
It’s glorious, Margaret – the way you wove these poem threads together is amazing. Just breathtaking. I will save it for those moments of drought, when when my wellspring seems to be running out… a little primer to get the wordflow surging once again, then letting it take charge. I am so grateful for your incredible insight and artistry – and for that of all the others here.
Wow, Margaret! This poem is amazing! The arrangement of words flow beautifully from one line to the next, to the next, to the next…I didn’t want to stop reading. Great collaboration of gifted writers. This community continues to inspire and uplift me. I’m going to reread this often. Thank you to everyone.
Lovely!
Appreciations to you for this invitation last week & to your group for slipping lines from each provider in. I like the building synergy. This soars. You soar.
Lovely!.
Appreciations to you & your careful line editors!
I love the synergy & it’s a lift to see revealed what poems mean to so many.
This soars ~ you soar, dear Margaret.
So cool! This crowd sourced a wonderful poem, Margaret. 🙂
Love your creative process, Margaret. You’re making me think I should play with words soon.
I’m so impressed with how you wove all these lines together, Margaret. They flow beautifully!
This is amazing, Margaret–thank you for inviting, creating, sharing…
You did a fabulous job weaving these lines together! Thank you for inviting us to ponder this question that is so fundamental to our lives, yet is often easy to overlook.
Thanks for weaving together this rich poem filled with sparkling threads–and for asking us all to contribute!