What do you mean by “poem”?

What do you mean by “poem”?

Is it an open confession? Or is it a way to make some sense of the world?

Is it both? Or is it neither and something else entirely?

I'll tell you what I believe a poem is and is not,

A poem is actually an open letter and a poem is also actually someone. It is an ointment you apply for scars that hurt on the inside and it is the floor that scrapped your knee, too. It is art and art is actually just therapy. It is a drink but maybe it’s also not a drink. Sometimes it's also a savior and a companion, too.

A poem is them saying, “text me when you reach home.” and it is also you saying I already miss the way your hand feels in my hand, and it is admitting you miss them even though you don’t want them to come back. A poem can be a warning and a poem can be a sign of gratitude, too. On days when you are on the phone with your friend and you’re talking about your missing assignments, both admitting how scared you are while also talking about how anxiety has just been sneaking up on you so often these days, and suddenly it’s not a conversation it’s a poem and then it’s not a poem it’s cheap therapy but also it’s not therapy it's just another conversation. It’s holding hands without touching, giving your loneliness company.

A poem is you in an argument about the most trivial thing but it’s not the thing in attention but something between the words, the poem is something else, it’s really not even about the stuff of the daily, but rather of how your mom always seems to cook what your brother would like but would always call you to take the first serve and how your brother always seems to be annoyed of you but always cook for two when no one’s at home and how your dad has never really been there for you but still managed to be a looming presence of support and it's about how you've always put the blame for everything going wrong in your life, on you but still managed to be the beacon of light for everyone else in your life.

And maybe even feelings aren’t even just feelings, they're actions and then, sometimes they’re the broken clock or your ruined favorite book, and sometimes they are the ignored calls or the seen text messages. Maybe even a song isn’t just a song, it is a cry for help or just another background noise to keep you from going insane, or maybe the poem is that one song that’s stuck in my head because I heard you liked it, or, “I listened to this because you send me, and now I really love it.” or just, “I am sending you this song I like because the lyrics make me think of you and it's only fair that the song reminds you of me, too."

Sometimes you are alone but you are also not alone because you are picturing them with you, and you are crying and venting to your own ghosts, and you are dancing, alone. But somedays, it’s not a dance it's lying in bed, motionless and, sometimes it is not lying in bed, it's sleeping because you don't want to wait for the time to pass.

So maybe, a poem is never just a poem. A poem is my heart in your hand and a poem is you saying you love me too and sometimes a poem is all the colors, in their brightest hue and the poem is you. But maybe sometimes the poem is, in fact, just a poem. It is the longing and it is also that one tablet of paracetamol with that glass of water they gave you without you having to ask, and sometimes a poem is indeed just a poem and maybe if you listened carefully you’ll hear your poem say - It's okay, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere.