My Poem is locked up in a sweet Mandarin; my Identity is sprinkled with spicy Cinnamon.

Read Time:5 Minute, 46 Second

Listen to the article and poem: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-5wky8-10fc1f0

By William Van Zyl (Aug 2021)

After writing this personal poem – ‘I come from …’ you will not believe how good I felt afterwards! Also, my creativity soared. The expression of my feelings and thoughts – at the same time delving into the great memories from the past – had released some feel-good hormones. As I saw the text in front of me – documented past experiences – my self-worth increased. It made my imagination sharper like when you take an old pencil and sharpen it. My pencil looked refreshed – sharp – ready to ‘write.’ Can you see the sharpened pencil in this poem of mine?

I COME FROM A LAND OF THE BRAVE

I am from a long lineage of brave and courageous people: Piet Retief, Louis Trichardt, Racheltjie De Beer, and Nelson Mandela.

Believing in themselves and a Higher Force – making the impossible possible

I come with a knowledge of the ‘Groot Trek.’

I come from the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa

I come with the knowledge that we are conquerors

I come with conviction “His rod and His staff, they comfort me…”

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I come from Charlie and Nena Van Zyl

Hardworking, loving and caring parents

I come from Saaiplaas and Harmony, Virginia, in the Freestate

Where the large wheels of Harmony Gold Mining Company used to spin

Where Dad worked many long hours – toiling – so we could enjoy the very best

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I come from a team of young boy’s scouts that played in dugouts

We dug trenches, covered them and produced secret codes

I am from a place of extravagant code: some hidden and some deciphered

As a young boy, my mind was filled with grand thoughts and ideas

I am from a happy, sheltered and carefree place

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I am from Aotearoa now, where God defends New Zealand

“Let our love for Thee increase, May Thy blessings never cease,

Give us plenty, give us peace, God defend our free land.”

Now I am from this land where people care; a land of more than enough

A lush green land, a moist and blessed place

I am from New Zealand – the land of the long black fern.

END

Sketch of the hideout (sectional view in 3-D). Pen, pencil, watercolour pencils. Credit: W Van Zyl (Nov 2018).

Inside the hideout. See the ‘hand gun’ constructed of timber. Powered by an elastic band. Based on a typical slingshot mechanism. W Van Zyl – November 2018.

I am convinced that everyone will benefit from writing poetry.

Table of Contents

I share 5 benefits of poetry and some advice in this article with you:

1. Improve cognitive function. I recommend you have an online – or hardcopy – dictionary or thesaurus next to you. Learning new words and finding new ways to articulate one’s thoughts and feelings will give your grey matter a jolt. Do you want to feel smarter? Write some poetry!

2. Healing from emotional pain. I remember sharing a personal poem in a class at Uni: We had to share our poems online. One particular verse stood out for me – the lady of about 45 years old – had so much pain. The grief and pain oozed out of her poem. I felt so sorry for her. I then realised that one can be imprisoned if one doesn’t let go of those past hurts and disappointments. I recommend that you get rid of such emotions spurt them out on paper. Let the paper soak up all the bad blood. Grief is one of the most painful emotions we experience, and it’s also the source of some of the world’s most inspirational poetry. Loss can also be relieved through poetry. Let the ink bleed into the paper – use a fountain pen – see how the ink stains the paper.

3. Revive self-awareness. Writing poetry constructively revives your self-awareness. “Inner reflection” will stimulate your feelings, the YOU locked into your soul.

4. Spark spiritual enlightenment. Dig deep. Don’t hold back. Forget about political correctness. Be yourself, lay your heart and spiritual feelings bare. It is like counselling without a councillor present in the room. Cut your spiritual feelings free; let it run.

4. Your poetry will inspire and educate others. We all have fears and anxieties. Those emotions are called ‘universal’ because everyone experiences them. Once we’ve done exploring and finding answers, we can help others by sharing them. I have shared my poem ‘I Come from a land of the brave‘ because it encompasses my identity, soul, and spiritual being. Why don’t you write your poem on “I come from…”?

5. Celebrate yourself and your life! For some unique things in your life, a cake and balloons just won’t do it. You have to go deeper. Go deep down to a poem – those explorative words locked up in your inner being. Go and fetch it. Let it bleed out on paper or flow through a keyboard. Just write!

Not sure how to start your poem?

Jot down unique keywords.

Once you have your keywords, take a thesaurus and find more related words – build the depth and extravagance of what you want to write about.

The rules of poetry

If you’ve never emptied your heart through poetry, I highly recommend it. There are no rules. Your poem could have any shape and form.

Be brave and share it.

Here are 11 rules for “How to write poetry.”

Read a lot of poetry. If you want to write poetry, start by reading poetry.
Listen to live poetry recitations. Tune your ear.
Start small.
Don’t obsess over your first line. Just write. You can come back later and tweak it.
Embrace tools. Do some research. Use the new knowledge.
Enhance the poetic form with literary devices. Do your homework; use the new devices in your writing.
Try telling a story with your poem. Or, just enjoy the free expression.
Express big ideas. Be extravagant with your words. Add some flair.
Paint with words. Imagine seeing a picture – close your eyes.
Familiarize yourself with myriad forms of poetry. Look at different genres and structures.
Connect with other poets. Visit their websites.

To read more about writing poetry, follow the link: