WHAT DOES BEING A POET HAVE TO DO WITH AGE?
Now, what does being a poet have to do with age? That’s a question I’ve been pondering over a lot.
I started writing poems during 7th grade, when I had just discovered Wattpad, a site where aspiring authors can build their own writing platform and introduce themselves in a world of writers and readers alike. I found it fascinating to be a part of this awesome community.
Since then, I published my own poetry book called Marceline’s Lullaby, a poetry book about the accounts of Marceline, the Vampire Queen (a character from the cartoon network show Adventure Time) and had over 20 000 reads, 4000 votes and 700 comments (yes, I still have the screenshot of my book when it went up the charts at top 3 because I felt pretty proud back then).
Back then, I understood the majority of readers of poetry in Wattpad. Poetry lovers in the site wanted to read something relatable, tumblr-ish poems (quotes) and incorporate a little bit of self-harm and emo voices, you should be good to go.
I can see now that the fame of Marceline’s Lullaby wasn’t because it was relatable to young adults whatsoever. It was because it was a fan-fiction—a fan-fiction of Adventure Time (which is pretty popular everywhere).
Obviously, I’m a big fan of Adventure Time otherwise I wouldn’t have written Marceline’s Lullaby. And if it isn’t obvious enough, can you tell who my favourite character is from the show? Well, just in case you’re wrong, it’s not Marceline, the Vampire Queen. It was Jake, the Dog.
So then, why did I write from the perspective of a vampire? Well, that was pretty neat. I found Marceline’s character fascinating. I found poetry in her version of the story.
Well, that was when I was still in 7th grade, but when I met Simon Petrikov, I wish I did his version of the story instead.
Anyways, that’s me taking a stab on poetry. I did not know I could write poems until I decided I’d just start sharing Marceline’s story. Surprisingly, I chose poetry as the literary convention.
Even now, I still have no idea why I chose poetry. I just did. And now, all these things are happening.
HOW TO IDENTIFY A POET'S AGE
So back to the question—what does being a poet have to do with age? The answer is quick and easy—it has nothing to do with age. But the poems you’re writing? It definitely has to do with your age as an explorer of life.
Here’s the thing—being a poet is a label anyone can wear. It’s almost too easy now to be a poet. Scroll through your Facebook feed and you’ll find sixteen-year-old girls posting mini heartbreak poems. Scroll through your Tumblr feed and you’ll find boys and girls writing poems about self-harm, following their iconic aesthetics. You get the gist? Sure.
The point is being a poet is easy. But the poems you’re writing? Here’s where the label poet starts to animate.
As an avid reader of poems, it’s easy to identify if the writer is a young adult or an adult one. You can do that through these factors:
1. Theme
What is the reoccurring theme you can find in young adult poetry books? That’s right. It’s pretty simple to know, isn’t it? That’s the first thing you can see when you’re tracing the poem back to its author.
2. Writing style
Pick one classic poetry book and place it side-by-side a contemporary poetry book. Do you see the difference? The massive difference between the two writers? Of course! The other one is called a classic poet for a reason!
3. Message
Even if you’re writing a poem about a heartbreak, there’s still a message hidden behind the lines and stanzas. This is the main reason why you’re writing a poem in the first place.
Let’s do same thing, shall we? Place a classic poetry book side-by-side a contemporary poetry book. What do we get? Which author is spreading the good message? Which one is spreading the bad one?
The point is maybe age has something to do with the poems you’re writing. Maybe. But not entirely. As I have said, it has something to do with your age as an explorer of life.
BEING AN EXPLORER OF LIFE
Now, being an explorer of life—let’s talk about this for a sec. Humans mature differently from each other. It’s the reason why there are individuals called Late Bloomers and Fast Learners.
Being eighteen doesn’t mean you have surrendered your twelve-year-old attitude. I know 25-year-old friends who still call their moms for their doctor’s appointments.
As a poet, you talk about normal things in a fresh perspective. A moment in your life that you care deeply about. But as a mature explorer of life, you just don’t talk about the same things you talk about when you were still premature. Age doesn’t matter when it comes to poetry. But you have to be mature to get to write about the most life-changing stuff. That’s the thing I’ve been deeply pondering about.
MATURING AS AN EXPLORER OF LIFE
Now, here we go—being eighteen and a poet, I have a heckload of maturing to do.
Anyone in rush to mature enough to be a poet isn’t a really a poet. Nobody wrote a guideline on how to be a poet, or a requirement or a list of accomplishments to deserve your label as a poet. If you’re a poet, you just gotta do what you have to do—write poems.
Bottomline—what does age have to do with being a poet? None. What does the poems you write have to do with your age? Your age as an explorer of life is a big factor on the poems you’re writing. But at the end of the day, does it matter—being a mature explorer of life? No, it does not.
As I’ve said, it’s easy to be a poet. You just have to do what you have to do—write poems.
If you think this post deserves a boost, hop on over and upvote! It means the world to me! Another quick note before I end this post, the first book of my debut series, All Is Well In The Waters, is out now on Amazon and other retail stores! Check it out here!
Till then, see you!
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