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Heart

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Before I go into the reasons why I believe the "Best" poetry comes from the heart, I cannot in good conscience let go unchallenged the outrageous and insulting contention that somehow, if a poem is written, not from the heart, but from the mind, it some how negates its right to be called poetry! By what right of ascension do some claim the authority to decide what is poetry and what is not? Who is a genuine poet and who is not? How dare they be so presumptuous, so egotistical, so naive, as to put forth those absurd notions.

In addition, just who are these so called unnamed leaders in poetry some refer to? I don't ever recall any so called "leaders of poetry" telling me I'm not a poet because I wrote a poem for a friend's wedding that had just about nothing to do with my heart. Heck, it was a chore because my heart was not in it! Not all of a poets work comes directly from the heart. I can personally attest to that fact. Don't dare try to tell me I am not a genuine poet because I wrote a poem from my mind and not from my heart!

The question here under debate is does the "BEST" poetry come from the heart or the mind. This is not a debate on the definition of what is poetry, or who is a poet and who is not! After some long, agonizing, self-analysis of my own work, I have to say my best work came from my heart. I think it is reasonable to say that many poets discovered the poet inside of them when some passionate emotions rose up within them. In many cases, it was Love. That most commonly associated emotion inextricably related to the heart.

Likewise, sadness, despair, joy, hope, desire, and just about all the human emotions imaginable are associated with the heart. They are in reality, in the cold hard scientific view of life, just chemical reactions to outside stimulus bouncing around in the grey matter of the brain. From that view, it is easy to claim that all poetry, the good, and the bad, the best and the worse, come from the mind. However, how degrading to the concept of humanity, if we take that view, is it? I for one will not accept that view as the be all and end all of reality. Scientific evidence be dammed!

Speaking for myself, (I highly suspect it also is true of the great poets also) I see poetry everywhere. I see poems floating in the night sky called stars. I see poems echoing across schoolyard playgrounds as children squeal with glee on swings. I see poems in the tears of those at a funeral. I have seen poems of bravery, courage, and self-sacrifice in the actions of my "brothers in arms" in times of war. I see poetry in motion when basketball players seemingly defy gravity and fly to the basket to deposit a ball. I see poetry in motion everywhere there is life and even where there is none, like the moon.

Poetry is not just written words on a piece of paper or computer screens. It is life in motion, and the motion of life. Poetry is found in the ongoing events of our lives. It is the poet's passion, acting on a sense of duty, to act as the translator of those motions and events, and put them into words. Words, which we call poems. The mind can see the poems that surround it. However, it needs the heart to provide the motivation for action by the poet. Hence, I contend that the best poetry comes from the heart. Like an athlete that has lost his passion for his game, his performance will suffer and not be his best. Therefore, it is the same with a poet. Without the passion for his work that the heart maintains, he will not produce his/her best work........PEACE

Learn more about this author, George F Pecoraro.
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