Why I Write
In the deepest depths of the night, in the farthest reaches that remain untouched by rays of warm daylight, there is a rhyme lost in the ether. In the blackness of my woes, wrought in my own dissonant thoughts, tossing in its relentless echoes, I hear that rhyme calling for help. So I go there, tracking that tone. In doing so, I make it my mission to share with it a blanket of my own, keeping the rhyme from frostbite. We find ourselves in space together, I am shown how to wield my chatter. And so it may live in sight forever, in return I offer the rhyme my voice.
Why I Write - by Tom Shaw
This poem is a little piece about what poetry means to me, which I wrote in celebration of reaching over 100 subscribers on Substack. In the time between making this post available for my Paid subscribers and in it becoming public, I passed 150 subscribers. Shortly after, I reached 200 subscribers, and recorded an audio version about the poem in celebration of these milestones.
I spoke a little bit more about why I write in a recent interview with
, which you can find a clip of below.You can find the full interview with Dr Lawrie over on her Substack below.
You can use the image version of this poem below to easily share this piece with someone who may benefit from it:
I’ve also turned this poem into a notepad in the same style as the image above, which I think makes a great item for anyone who wants to write their own poems and wants to support my work in the process. You can check that out over on my Shop using the button below:
I write for myself first and foremost, and I feel honoured to find out that the fruits of my process of sensemaking helps others to do the same. I cannot thank you enough for all the support you have shown me, and I look forward to continue bringing you more.
With immense gratitude,
Tom
