Why verse?

I write in verse, and often question

Myself on this literary format selection

Why is it that I find myself unwilling

To write in prose, why is poetry more thrilling?

 

Maybe the answer to this question is embedded

In my Indian heritage- intricate  concepts were threaded

In short verses (shlokas) in ancient Indian texts

Listening to the Gita probably had lasting effects..

 

Maybe I was influenced in some way

By the use of  verse in Shakespeare’s plays

His blank verses and rhyming couplets

Brought his plays alive on minimalist stage sets

The imagery in his verses left an impression

Quite lasting, I say in full confession

 

In writing, the value of brevity

Has often been impressed upon me

Important as it is in scientific discourse

What initially appeared to have been forced

Upon me now comes naturally to me-

Poetry compared to prose begs more brevity

Language must be more effectively deployed

In writing poetry- thus this is the medium I enjoy

 

Here is the final thought- let me confess

This is not original, nevertheless

 

Let me tell you how poetry and prose affect the mind-

The relationship between  reader and writer is intertwined

In a novel- it is a dialogue between the two

While a poem is for self-expression, what it tends to do

Is help the poet process his conflicts internal

Oblivious of the effect on the world external

Since I was looking to resolve my internal conflicts

Poetry happened to be the medium I picked…

 

Here I end my verse hoping I shall be

Writing verses into eternity..