I Am Not A Poet

Sometimes I hate my poetry. In this case, this resentment fueled my writing.

Words have meanings,

But I disregard the definition.

Looking too deep into a collection of letters

Does nothing but devalue.

I am not a poet,

For poets are chefs.

I am a home cook,

An amateur who confuses sage with bay leaves,

Ruining the dish by adding every herb in my cabinet.

I am not a poet.

I am indeed a dreamer,

But my dreams are grey

And set in times I will never know.

One can’t write what they don’t know,

So all my words go unwritten.

All my dreams stale and bland,

Pushed into the corner with the other cobwebs.

I know that to write poetry is to feel pain.

I cannot feel enough,

Yet I cannot feel any more.

Feeling like other poets is an alien thought,

I am an outlier.

I am either an original mind,

Or I am a simple masquerade

That no one paid any mind to.

Reviews

[Relic]

I don't worry about being a poet anymore. I just write, post, and if anyone likes it, so be it.
You've got great lines in this one. The poem is easy to read and take in. And yes, I've felt this way in the past. You explained it much better than I could. Great job. :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

This is really excellent metaphor and contradiction...you say you are not a poet and yet every line begs to differ with that alleged fact.
No masquerade...just words that would be defined as being straight from the heart.
j.

[carl]

great read on something I would hope we all consider, (not whether or not we excel to being a poet but how we approach our work) . I think the freedom you take with your writing is for me your strongest attraction. Expressing doubts is not difficult, but to do it in such a relaxed and carefree manner is a real talent. Write on, I say.

[John the Baptist]

Not a poet? Non-poets can't use metaphors like that.

[willweb]

Poets are a funny breed and I don't know of many who would call themselves poets. Most I believe dabble in many things, not so great at some but highly accomplished in others. Trust me, I have ruined a few meals in my day but I still sit and watch the cooking shows with home cooks and think...hey I can do that. : )
I really like your collection of stanzas above (not sure you would want me to call it a poem). : ) nicely done.