Why I Write
Clearing the Cobwebs, One Poem at a Time
Today marks a milestone I've been dreaming about since childhood—my third published work is here, and I'm still pinching myself.
As a kid, I was captivated by Chicken Soup for the Soul. I'd flip through those pages, absorbing story after story, mesmerized by how many different voices could come together in one book. Each perspective was unique, yet somehow they all connected to create something bigger than the sum of their parts. I remember thinking, "Someday, I want to be part of something like this. I want my words to sit alongside others and create that same kind of magic."
That dream of being part of a collaborative writing project has finally come true, and it feels even better than I imagined.
But why poetry? Why not short stories like those Chicken Soup contributors?
Poetry, for me, is a powerful tool for decluttering the junk drawer in my mind. We all have that drawer—the one where random thoughts, half-formed feelings, and lingering worries get tossed and forgotten. Over time, it becomes so cluttered that you can barely open it. Poetry is my way of emptying it, sorting through everything, and deciding what's worth keeping.
When I write, I'm clearing away cobwebs and evicting the ghosts that have been renting space in my head far too long. Those persistent thoughts that circle back again and again, the emotions that don't quite have names yet, the memories that won't settle—they all find their way onto the page.
There's something deeply therapeutic about the process. Poetry forces me to listen—really listen—to what's happening inside me. It's about flowing with whatever comes up, not fighting it or trying to make it prettier than it is. In those moments of writing, I feel grounded again, connected to something genuine and honest.
Soulful Poems: An Anthology of Poetry Activating Your Inner Mental represents more than just published work to me. It's proof that our individual voices, when brought together, can create something meaningful and lasting. Just like those Chicken Soup stories that shaped my childhood dreams, these poems—mine and my fellow contributors'—offer different windows into the human experience, each one designed to spark something within the reader's inner mental landscape.
To anyone sitting on their own creative dreams: that junk drawer in your mind might contain the exact words the world needs to hear. Don't let the ghosts keep all that space to themselves. Clear out those cobwebs and see what emerges. Start by setting aside a few minutes each day to write, draw, or create in any way that speaks to you. You'll be surprised at what you find in that cluttered drawer.
Sometimes our childhood dreams know precisely where we're supposed to end up.
