In college, in my early twenties, I started writing poetry. I never felt it was very good, it was sing-songy and Dr. Seuss-y, while other students in my poetry classes were writing deep, meaningful confessions with raw emotion and creative ideas painted with words, bordering on profound.
I challenged myself to write other styles, using metric lines verses, religiously obeying foot patterns, and other known forms, like sonnets. Since the mid-90s, they've been sitting either in my drawer, or in aged file formats on a computer, slowly moving forward, untouched, over the decades.
I read something recently about embracing what makes you imperfect. I would say that the main reason I have never shared this before is because when someone experiences your art, they can critique it. Sharing it will expose you - someone can now knowingly and confidently say your work is just... mediocre. And isn't that the biggest fear? Finally, in 2021, I decided it's time to publish them. So, fear be damned, I have a backlog of poems. I'll continue posting them until I run out of content.
All of these are 100% original poetry. Acknowledging that much of it is 20+ years old and the work of a college student, I'd love to hear what you think. We make art to make people feel something. If you read any of my work, I'd love your feedback, publicly or privately. You can email me at ascheinberg /@/ fastmail.com.
In the meantime, enjoy.
Here is a brief list of my favorites to get you started: