exclaimed, "I was forced into it!"
She went on to tell me that in the
online poetry hub one of her peers
performed a bad improv only to
show her that it was nothing to be
afraid of. He was the best poet in
the room. He made himself the
horrible example that she lived
with in her head. He sacrificed
himself, totally making a fool of
himself only to get into a private
IM with her saying, "Is THAT what
you are so damn afraid of??" She
says that because of him showing
her that it was not the end of the
world, she took on improv and has
been doing it since.
thing. Serene wanted to
understand her, so she did an
improv in which she saw things
through the girls eyes. She says
she still cant totally understand it,
but the words flowed about the
topic and they came from a place
of love and empathy. The girl told
Serene that the words meant
something to her and they have
been very close every since then.
"Poetry is a state of being to me "
she explained to me. And, when I
asked her who are the famous
poets that inspired her and why.
She said, "Alfred Noyes, he wrote
The Highwayman. I suppose that
I posed the question to her; What was the first non nursery rhyme
advice would you give the budding poem I ever heard and I like that it
poet, the budding improv poet?
told a story. I also love the
she retorted, "Just do it! Do not
romantic poets; Shelly, Byron,
worry about if it is right or wrong Keats and of course, Poe. Maya
or good or bad; you can edit later. Angelou, now that is an amazing
Some of mine just end up in the
woman!"
trash and that's okay. If you can
Not knowing how she would
get one idea, one phrase, one
respond to the next question. I
image, you are farther along than
was peaked in interest before I
you were before. To me, its almost
gave it to her. I swallowed deeply
a prayer, a meditation, and a way
and sat up with more intent when
for me to learn and
I asked, "How would you begin a
communicate."
poem?" She began an improv right
She told me a story about a young in the middle of the interview!
girl who was a cutter. Serene could
[we sit we talk she asks I answer
not fathom why this girl did such a
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