Poetry and Experience...

When you see,is when you believe... When you go through, is when you feel... And those two 'injustices' done upon you,altering your persona every now and then are always grossly grouped under the tag of Experience....Experience,as suggested by my friend,is what brings out expression... An authentic expression...Expression which can stir the hearts and touch the minds of those thinking few... Experience is what keeps it together,the thought,word and action... And often creates a memory,which lasts and guides us further... Art in its highest sense is something which forms a voice for the human soul,unshrouded,unmuffled..Art,and one of its most accomplished diaspora,the Poetry,is the voice of the soul... Sweet as it may sound,the depth and the nature of poetry goes way beneath the mere overt vanity of its structure and symbols and figures and rhythm...Poetry gives an individual the scope of delving into oneself,exploring those unearthed chapters of human thoughts,which lay hidden beneath the burdens of social and psychological idiosyncrasies... Poetry has been more than those few lines,which we recite in groups when we are 10,read aloud when we are 15, read silently when we are 25, and quote when we are 50...Poetry in its essence carries the answers for everything in life... Because,the questions created in our life,have answers, more than often, in our hearts,and this art,is a key to unlock those answers...Now,an interesting question arises,as to what are the elements that go into it?By elements,I don't envisage the vocabulary and linguistics, as the answer; but by elements I look into much more humane concepts,which go into it,and come out bursting in colours flowing from our heart,to our mind,into our ink and onto our paper with it...Elements unique to man... Elements like opinions,judgements,morals,emotions and most importantly,summing up all,ideas...These elements,language is construction,these elements are conception...Now,my friend questioned me quite shrewdly indeed, about the authenticity of a poem,when you haven't experienced its theme,here the theme being "war"..I opine of the perspective that experience is a tool,which we can utilise,when it is available... But depending solely on it for gaining our understanding and comprehension; for our judgements,for our perceptions, about the sea of knowledge and topics which cover them is plainly impossible and more importantly incomplete and is naive indeed... Experience in itself,is an excellent,and universally,acknowledged teacher,often acclaimed to be the finest in the profession; but waiting for this experience is what I find to be the most imprudent thing to do when it comes to creativity... For often in the wait,you lose the waited...Experience,can not always be available,and sometimes asking for it serves to negate the very purpose and cause you might be willing to address...As in the aforementioned case of war,for example,waiting for experience is one of the most foolish things to do,which as I said will negate the purpose...Experience,when it comes by circumstance and accident,is welcome... But it is not advised to go looking for it,when you deal with the themes like war... The very purpose of writing about war is to bring out its horrors,heroics,deaths and destruction,by which,the writer intends to warn and impede the reader from asking for it...Literature can't rely solely upon experience,for when it does that,it becomes reduced to being merely an instrument for depiction and description; quite departing from its purpose in its highest forms,which is,expression...Expression goes beyond mere depiction...Someone who does, need not write,and likewise someone who writes, need not always do... My friend argued that I had never been in a war,so how can I write about it in a first person perspective.. Well,I must allude to one more elemental ingredient of poetry,for answering his question,sensitivity...If a soldier suffers,but can't or doesn't write about his suffering,and I can empathize with his feelings,and I can voice them for him,then I feel it to be my duty,my responsibility,to voice it... And sensitizing with the soldier may not have brought out the exact emotions of the soldier in my poetry,but,if not achieve such duplication,I would at least try to align my poem and its emotional appeal in congruency with his perception...Now,movies,songs and so many other forms of literature talk of war and war-related themes... And every person who might have been involved in those forms of story telling might not have been involved in the story itself,if and when it happened,but it is hoped and expected that the viewer,the listener,the reader,or in general,the appreciator,appreciate the theme,the story,the message... The message should serve the purpose,the purpose of acquainting the audience with the subject... Acquainting and gaining the sympathy,if not,empathy from the audience...In literature,its is always the expression of idea and the purpose it intends to meet with,that matters in the end,more than the form given to it or the character you as an writer adorn...I wrote the poem in a first person perspective,not because I was the soldier there,and not even because I was impersonating the soldier who opened his heart unto me,but rather because,I saw a movie,wherein through that movie,I thought I heard a soldier describing their horrors, most explicitly...But again,movie is another tool,another attempt to reach out to the people,the audience... One doesn't need to have a first hand experience,to describe others suffering,as long as one has the heart to listen to it,and the empathy to understand his brother's suffering...This again brings me back to the idea,I intend to emphasize through this piece...Poetry,in its didactic essence is for sensitizing to issues... And how you do it is immaterial. If it is that Chance provides you with experience,so be it... Or if you find yourself capable enough to sensitize,find your agreeability,thus... As in the end,thoughts remain,voices are what make history,and let not your voices be constrained by an improbable wait for an accidental benefactor called experience.. Give your thoughts,the voice they deserve...

© Karthik Adithya Singaraju