Writing From The Heart
Writing from the heart: A look at the intimacy of writing in verse
I first found refuge in writing poetry when I was thirteen just after my sister, only five years older than me, committed suicide. The writing itself was terrible. It rhymed poorly, it was in iambic pentameter, it was entirely unimaginative and unimpressive. But, that was far from the point. What poetry gave me then was something I could not find in a family and community crashing with inexplicable grief and that was an intimate process by which to question the nature of my sister’s passing, to understand the swirl of emotions stirring inside my teenage body, inside my broken heart.
I was not new to the concept of poetry as one of my most beloved books was given to me only a few years earlier by my fifth grade teacher. The book, WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS by Shel Silverstein, filled with silly, pun-filled poetry was a joyous experience I returned to again and again as a reader. What’s more, poetry was infused within my culture and in Spanish, my native tongue, in multiple ways. It was in the lyrics to boleros and rancheras, the soundtrack to my upbringing, it was in the tongue twisters and jokes of the albur Mexicano we overheard our parents practice leisurely. At thirteen, poetry was in my bones enough that when it was time to reach for it, it was there, waiting for me to use it as comfort and console. Since then, poetry has thankfully been the place where my truth comes to light.
The poet, Billy Collins, said “poetry is the history of the human heart.” It is an apt description for what draws us to read verse and also to write it. As a reader, I am moved by verse that makes me question as well as illuminate notions and feelings I had never thought nor felt. I am often surprised by recognition, by the shear vulnerability shared in poems but I am also grateful for that opening, the opportunity to stare boldly at the poet’s truth and pay witness to my own humanity. As I became a more practiced poet, developed my craft and learned the expansive ways by which to render a poem, I understood something that isn’t given much attention in writing programs focused on craft. Starting a poem from the heart is as necessary for poetry as is knowing how to use poetic technique. Without touching on this essential piece, is it poetry at all? This said, it is through the use of figurative language, imagery, form, the music of the line, the economy of words, etc. that we are able to manifest language to convey what lies within the recess of our emotions in unique ways. It is the combination of both that makes a poem truly successful. The craft of poetry is a river that pours into the ocean of the heart.
Did poetry ever help me fully understand the reasons why my sister took her own life? No, it is a mystery I continue to unravel to this day. I’ve come to see poetry as the seed my sister left me. Poetry as intimate confidant. Poetry, a communion with my heart. Through it, I am revealed to myself and to readers, a little more each time I write.
Aida Salazar is an award-winning author, arts activist, and translator whose writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. She is the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade verse novels, THE MOON WITHIN (International Latino Book Award Winner) and LAND OF THE CRANES (Américas Award, California Library Association Beatty Award, Northern CA Book Award, NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, Jane Addams Peace Honor). Her forthcoming books include the picture book anthology, IN THE SPIRIT OF A DREAM: 13 Stories of Immigrants of Color (Fall, 2021), the bio picture book JOVITA WORE PANTS: The Story of a Revolutionary Fighter (Fall, 2022), the novel, A SEED IN THE SUN (Summer, 2022), and the anthology MY NEW GIFT: Period Stories by BIPOC Authors (Spring, 2022). Aida is a founding member of LAS MUSAS - a Latinx kidlit debut author collective. Her story, By the Light of the Moon, was adapted into a ballet production by the Sonoma Conservatory of Dance and is the first Xicana-themed ballet in history. She lives with her family of artists in a teal house in Oakland, CA.
