I began this site in December 2015 after many years of writing only occasionally. During those years I would, from time to time, dash something out on paper and quickly abandon to a box without taking the time to sit with it, work on it or, as often happens now, trash it because it simply was not satisfying and I could not think how to make it satisfying.  In those days I thought to myself that, after all, I am not a poet because I do not write or only so rarely as to not qualify even for my own sense of what calling myself a poet might mean.

Since I began In Cascadia I have written at least one poem every month, for four years. My average output per month is something over three poems. Quantifying poetic output doesn’t go well with the poetic sense, I know, but my reason for doing so is simple. It means that I have been writing consistently and for a number of years. This gives me confidence to say, at least to myself, that I am a poet.  While I know that the innate desire was part of me, patiently waiting since at least my high school days, it was not until I began to write with some consistency that I felt I could claim to be, in earnest, a poet.

Now, there is no need to go into whether I am a good poet or not. There are far too many  subjective and objective qualifiers to go into here.  I have, however, read a few “how to” books from “real” poets, enough to understand that the quality of my work will not likely bear the hard scrutiny of established critical standards. So be it.

My own standards are these:

• Do I like and appreciate my own work?
• When I go back to read poems I wrote months or years ago, am I still satisfied?
• Does writing add meaning to my life?
• Do I enjoy the process?
• Am I fascinated by the way a poem morphs along the way, sometimes ending far differently than how I thought at the beginning?

Yes.  To all, yes.

My conclusion is that to be a poet means that I must write poetry and with some regularity.  This is no different from any other writing form.  One just has to sit down and write and see where it takes you.  I do not think it has as much to do with meter, rhyme, line break, or any other of the many qualities that are ascribed to poetry.  All these are important of course but writing itself is the finest teacher I have – always there for me.

I am very grateful for those few who follow my work here. I never expected to reach many readers so I’ve not been disappointed. I greatly appreciate your expressions of “like” for my work.

Peace,

Tom