My philosophy on poetry is pretty basic. I think that poetry is something
everyone has inside them, but just hasn't discovered yet. The ideas for a
poem can come in many ways to many different people. Some need a specific
type of atmosphere, or need to be in a specific kind of mood. Some can write
a poem in just five minutes while, for others it takes hours or even days. For
me it all depends on the image I'm trying to capture. Some poems take me a
few minutes to write, and others take days or even a month or two. I can
write a poem in any kind of atmosphere. But I mostly like to be alone when
I write a poem. I use pictures, paintings, or whatever I see at that moment
and I try to give it life and feeling. I try to make something look interesting,
and sometimes even a little seductive or creepy. Some of my poems are written
on the spot and over a few months might change a little. Some are the originals
just popped into my mind. Only a couple of my poems have actually taken me a
few weeks or a month to write.

Everyone has their own idea, or philosophy, about what poetry is and where it
originates. The truth is, a poem is the words from your creative mind. Only
you know the true source behind it. Each poem you write will be different, no
matter how similiar they sound. Only your creative mind and your emotions,
your heart and soul, is what really brings the poem to life. Even if other
people may not like the poem, what is important is that you like it; you like
the way you made the words flow off your tongue and into life. You are the
one, the poet, only you can bring your poem to life the way it should be.
And, hey, noone is perfect!

Don't get stressed if your friends hate the poem, what matters is that
you like it. Besides, that's what white out, erasers, and a clean sheet of
paper are for. "Being different and unique is normal, all those who follow
the crowd are just boring. Don't write about something that has been
written a thousand times, I dare you to be different and unique!"

Cheryl Basile