Poetry Thinking

To write good, deep, beautiful poems, rather to be maintaining the same momentum or a level of artistic quality, I believe one needs own philosophy that serves as the fundamental law of thought or framework for ideology. One may follow the great poets though by knowing them deeply, the way they thought and composed – in short, to know their philosophies. Yet you have to know that you are really compactable with them emotionally in terms of time and needs.

I was first writing without much understanding of poetry – far from having a fundamental framework. That was from 1984 to when I left Burma.

In 1993, I found a few lines to define my poetry that led to a way of thinking.

Poetry is a window to see the scene of a river that all types of feelings (thoughts, ideas, beauty, emotions …) flowing along.

That gave me my first step fundamental attitude to poetry that I could come out of the narrow limited repeating ideas and themes mainly romantic. I did expend my emotions to different objects when I was in Bangkok due to exposure of different scenes and experiences of my own and others but without necessary philosophic framework of poetry.

In the 2001s, I think, I found a prefixed word ‘SUBREALISM’: sub + realism; in other word, to deal with hidden reality.

The word surrealism had been in my mind all along for a few years that I have appreciated Dali and his paintings, and other surrealists as well of course. However, I was practically unable to follow its ideas though it’s not always about dream-like things but also cleaver unrealistic creations (I guess it is more advanced than abstract art particularly).

I have always sought for reality. I believe in it. What I’m saying is the real reality, the true reality of the nature that makes us or given meanings to us.

Realities are the truths that we human out to seek, maintain and respect. However, human nature is unable to keep things, knowledge and truths found in the past. So there are lost treasures and the treasures never found before (I don’t know if there are things never found before) – Or they are hidden treasures or SUBREALITIES. SUBREALISM is to deal with them with artistic purposes. Idealising them is rather a different view as this will lead to philosophy than making arts I guess.

Subrealism has encouraged me to think harder and to seek deeper, maybe in a particular way, in order to find out necessary thoughts and ideas or things also. Naturally we are all guessers and risk in guessing before we find the truths – since naturally we need vision for the upcoming or for the long-term future. My nature inclines to philosophy I think but I try to make my thoughts rather to be practical and realistic than ideological. I believe practicality doesn’t make arts ugly – especially poetry and writings.

In the late 2002, I found another phrase ‘WET FIRE’ during library visit; it was in Oakleigh, Melbourne. I nicknamed myself as Wet Fire and I wrote a poem as it is the title. Then my English was improving.

By having such framework of thought, you might not like to think of anything and write down just anything. You will have ability for quality control – I think.