Hello there. I have just spotted Peter the writer, with Paul the love poet, walking around the lake. Let’s go jogging and catch up to them. They won’t mind, if we come close and then walk behind them, for a while. They are always so interesting to listen to and maybe they will give us some new food for thought.
Peter: “Paul, you always talk about creative love poetry. I do creative prose writing, but I have never heard anyone mention the concept of creative love poetry. I rather like that idea too, so tell me exactly what you mean by it.”
Paul: “All right. Love poetry is created, just like any other kind of writing is created. Is that not correct?”
Peter: “I guess so. You know, poetry being created makes sense to me, but using the expression creative love poetry, does not seem to make a lot of sense. Is that not redundant? Or are you suggesting that there is non-creative love poetry too? Would that not be sort of blah?”
Paul: “It sure would. It would be like re-hashing an old nursery rhyme, again and again. “Bah, bah, black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.” Anything that lacks new creativity does not tend to generate a lot of excitement for anyone. For instance, when you write creative prose, you always try to put your own, new ideas, thoughts and expressions into your writing, do you not?”
Peter: “I do and I must confess that sometimes I abscond with a few of your thoughts and ideas too, Paul. I guess it would be better for me to state that I expound upon them. You are always such an inspiration to me and a lot of what we have talked about, surfaces later on in my writings.”
Paul: “Well, that is why we talk, isn’t it? I encourage you to write and you in turn, always seem to help me to open up some new channels of creativity in my love poetry. The only difference is that your thoughts go into prose and mine tend to be bounced around in my love poetry. Does that make sense to you?”
Peter: “It sure does. By the way, have you noticed those two people who always seem to be around us, when we are talking? Here they are again, right behind us. No, don’t look.”
Paul: “I have seen them many times. Let them listen in if they want, as they may need to learn something too. This is like a classroom at the lake. It is funny how they always manage to find us. Do you have any idea who these people are? They never bother us. They just like to listen in on our conversations.”
Peter: “Maybe they are writers or poets? Perhaps we have some competition? Or maybe we have developed a following of some kind.”
Paul: “That doesn’t matter to me, as I know that I can hold my own. Speak up, man! I think I am getting a bit hard of hearing in my old age and please don’t yell at me. That way they can hear every word that we state. One of these days we will engage them in a conversation.”
Peter: “I understand. This could prove to be fun!”
Paul: “Now you were just asking me about creative love poetry.”
Peter: “I think I should entitle my collection of creative writing, “The Paul-Peter Dialogues”. What do you think about that, as a title for my project?”
Paul: “Actually, I rather like the idea. It seems creative too, but how about changing it to “The Peter-Paul Dialogues” instead? That sounds better, doesn’t it? You are the writer, so your name should come first.”
Peter: “Whatever you suggest is fine with me. Sure, let’s go with that.”
Paul: “Now you are being a bit of a creative genius too, as you have just created a title for your writing project about love poetry. Suggesting that your work is a dialogue is also an excellent idea. Now apply that same principle to writing creative love poetry. When you are creating a love poem, you do exactly the same kind of thing. First of all, you need to come up with an idea. A title or even using just one word, is a good way to begin to express an idea. It’s a starting point.”
Peter: “I think I’m getting the first lesson in “Creative Love Poetry 101″, a course on how to write creative love poetry.”
Paul: “Exactly (and a couple of others too). Now, let’s take it one step further. You have an idea and you have given it a title, in order to put the idea into actual words. Remember that with love poetry, your focus will always be on love of some kind, love of something or love of someone. Let’s say that creative love poetry emphasizes love. Love is not always that easy to put into words either, because it deals with our thoughts, emotions and feelings. Those kinds of concepts do not always surface just like that and they can be very intense, almost embarrassing at times, particularly if they surface at the wrong time or in the wrong place.”
Peter: “I understand. But if I love nature, I can express it creatively and poetically. It is just a matter of finding the right words to express how I feel about it.”
Paul: “Right. Now you are getting the general idea. But the word nature encompasses a huge realm and thus the concept of nature is still very non-specific like an abstract thought, so you have to be more specific with it. Saying that you love nature actually says a lot, but it is really not stating much about anything in particular. What is there in nature’s realm that you really love?”
Peter: “I love an early morning sunrise or an evening sunset.”
Paul: “Ok, but be more specific. Choose one or the other.”
Peter: “All right, let’s start with the early morning sunrise. I begin to understand what you are doing with creative love poetry now. You are zeroing in on something.”
Paul: “Initially yes, but now begin to expand upon what you are thinking or feeling about your love of that early morning sunrise. Maybe you’d prefer to paint a picture of it?”
Peter: “Paint a picture? I am not artist. I am only a writer.”
Paul: “And a good writer you are too, Peter. When you write, you always expound upon the topic that you are writing about, do you not? In other words, you incorporate some of your own personal creative thoughts and ideas into your writing. I see it in your work all the time. So you are really painting a picture, but with words. In a way, you could be referred to as an artist too. I think we talked about that before.”
Peter: “I guess. Let’s see. In my mind’s eye, I can see a tall man who is wearing a long, dark coat, standing somewhere that is really high, overlooking a city. He is watching the early morning sunrise, over the ocean. Maybe it is a sunset?”
Paul: “Maybe, but stay right on topic. Stick to the early morning sunrise. Let’s say that you are writing a creative piece of love poetry, about this particular man and what he sees. In other words, your subjective thoughts and feelings are projected onto him, as if they are his subjective thoughts and feelings instead of yours. You are objectifying everything.”
Peter: “Is that what I am doing?”
Paul: “That is one of the things that you can do, if you choose to do so, as a creative love poet. It distances your poetry from you and allows you to look at it more objectively too. It gives you more room to play with your thoughts and feelings, without making yourself too vulnerable to others, by revealing your own personal thoughts and feelings.”
Peter: “This man is really lonesome. He is longing for his love, someone who is very far away, but he consoles himself, with the beauty of the early morning sunrise.”
Paul: “Good. Now your love poetry is expressing some very deep emotions, but your love appears to have been split between this man’s intense feelings of loneliness and love for his loved one, as well as his love for the beauty of the early morning sunrise, revealed by nature at its very best.”
Peter: “That is exactly what I did. Gee, I can’t believe I really did that. I substituted one love for another. Is that wrong?”
Paul: “Not necessarily, but your creative love poetry begins to get more and more complex, when you do that. You might lose your love for the early morning sunrise by focusing on the man’s love for this other person and his love for the beauty of the sunrise, so try to narrow down your direction of creative thought and intensify it through the words that you use. Keep your words simple but expressive. Profound words are even better.”
Peter: “You are really challenging my thought processes today, Paul.”
Paul: “That is the whole idea behind creativity. Take a simple idea and expand upon it or expound it, as you were saying, in such a way that it touches and changes the life of someone else. Let your creative love poetry speak. Love is extremely potent. It will do just that, even when you attempt to cover it over with words.”
Peter: “All right, let’s go further with it. In my mind’s eye, now I can see this man reaching out across the vast ocean, to touch the one he loves. And now I can see rose petals floating across the ocean. She is waiting on the other side and sees them floating on the water. He smiles, as in his mind’s eye he sees her pick one up. She holds it tight, close to her heart. It is as if she knows who and where it has come from. Imagine her wonder, surprise and amazement!”
Paul: “Now Peter, you have tapped into the essence of both romantic and creative love poetry. Your words have told a beautiful love story, that others will be able to relate to and understand. Maybe the sunrise was on one side of the world and the sunset was on the other side?”
Peter: “Paul, you really have that creative love poetry thing down pat! No wonder everyone loves your love poetry so much! It speaks right to the heart.”
Paul: “Actually Peter, those were mostly your words, thoughts and feelings. When you get home, pen them down as a creative love poem. You will never forget those words. By the way, I think our friends just heard everything they needed to hear, as they are disappearing down the jogging path.”
Peter: “I see that.”
Paul: “Teach as though you taught not.”
Peter: “Bah, bah black sheep…”
Paul: “You know, I was just thinking. Maybe that children’s nursery rhyme was originally creative love poetry, penned by someone who really loved children, a very long time ago.”
Peter: “And black sheep too? That sure puts everything in a new light.”
Paul: “Yes, it certainly does.”
I think those two fellows knew that we were listening in on their conversation. Maybe we should start saying ‘hello’ to them too? Perhaps we might even become friends, at some time in the future? I really like the way they think; they are both so romantic at heart. Imagine that, rose petals floating across the ocean. What a wonderful idea! Maybe we should go down by the water and see if we can find one or two of them?
