Featured Poem: Inside Yourself

Poetry is a beautiful thing. It can be used to convey thoughts and feelings, but it can also be used to connect people together, united over a single feeling. This can be a comforting thought, to know that somebody else shares the same sentiments as you and knows what you’re going through. Inside Yourself by LastBastille is a poem that addresses this connective quality within poems, by bringing across a heartwarming message between the beautifully-structured lines that read: You are not alone. I caught up with LastBastille to ask them a few questions about this poem!

Give us a quick summary of Inside Yourself.

When I think of poetry, I think of a conversation. More than just getting my own thoughts out there, I want to say something to the reader. I want to share my own hurt and sadness, but I also want to convey understanding. I want people to know that they aren't alone. That is the sort of poem Inside Yourself was meant to be.

What is the inspiration behind this poem?

I suppose you can say that the inspiration for the poem is my own experiences with abuse and coping by escaping inside my own mind. But perhaps more than that, the inspiration is from any instance where being alone within my own world seemed better than real life.

How did you choose the title for it?

I chose the title because I felt it to be the most accurate summary of the poem itself.

What was your favourite thing about writing Inside Yourself?

I think that my favorite part about writing any poem, but this one in particular, is the feeling of lightness after it is done. It is as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The feelings behind the words are no longer just mine, but rather they are for everyone who has read the poem or had the same experience. It's a sense of shared community and a feeling that I'm not alone.

Do you have any writing rituals that you follow when writing poems?

I don't have any particular rituals when writing poems, as they are often spur of the moment and a race to find paper before I forget the words, but I do when writing short stories and other works. I suppose they could apply to poetry if I let them. I often try to find a serene environment. Preferably, I'll sit near a fire of some sort or pull a video of one up on my laptop, and I sit down with a cup of coffee and some medieval music to write. Sometimes I'll read something from a writer who I aspire to or just something I have previously written.

What do you look for when reading works by other site members?

When looking to read something from another site member, if we are specifically talking about poetry, I don't have anything in particular I look for. I try to make a habit of reading all the poems on the page. I feel bad if I don't always have something to say, but I know that even seeing someone has read what I wrote makes me happy.

Is there anything you would like to say to anybody who read your poems?

If I wanted to say something to anyone who has read my poems it would be simply this: Thank you for your time. There were a million other things you could have done with that minute or two it took you to read my words, but you chose to spend them on my poem. That is a humbling thought.

Finally, do you have any other poems that you think people would enjoy?

As for other poems, if you mean my poems in particular, they all follow the same sort of themes and writing style so any of them are comparable (though admittedly some are better than others). If you are talking about other writers on the site or other established authors, I would recommend Michael Westen on Mibba and Christopher Marlowe, the writer of The Passionate Shepherd to His Love.

Special thanks to losing control. and Audrey T for editing!

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