Poetry Corner: Hide n' Seek

When I was finally emotionally able to snap-out of my “woe is me” mode, I decided that I needed to force myself to do something I know that in the past I have loved.

Writing poetry has been a part of my life since my hand found pen and paper. I recognized that I hadn’t written a poem in about a year. 

To understand the significance you need to know that I carry a writing book and pen at all times. On average, I was writing about ten poems a month and here I had gone for a year with a single poetic thought!

Poetry Playhouse

I don’t recall exactly how it was done, but during a conversation with a co-worker who also writes, somehow within a few weeks we had formed a poetry writing group of five people; we called the group Poetry Playhouse. 

Our numbers and faces have changed over the past three years, but we are still meeting twice a month. Our only rule is that Poetry Playhouse has no rules; it is what you make of it. 

We critique, we share, we grow, and we inspire each other. This experience has made all the difference in the world to me.

One time, Poetry Playhouse had an assignment that we should all write a poem about “why we write” and that the poet who won the competition (i.e., poem that was most liked) had to do a presentation about his/herself in the following meeting. My poem won. 

I mention this because I think the message of the poem not only reflects why I write, but what this outlet has meant to me. 

It reveals how crucial it is that I have an outlet that provides so much emotional freedom; where I can express myself freely, with no holds barred. So here is the poem:

Hide n' Seek

language has a promise
that somewhere,
someone will understand -
in hopes that I don't feel,
… so alone

so, to the heir
I repeatedly toss

a variety of
my deepest secrets,
greatest loves,
most terrifying moments,
and only known comforts –

there to hide,

in slippery verse

as I continually seek
for the reason
language lies

By Diana M. Bateman
2004 ©