How to Stop Writing Sad Poems: An Invitation to Wonderland (& the Neuroscience Behind It)

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Photo by Elle Cartier

I am finally climbing out the hole I fell into in February, one that unfortunately did not lead to a wild Wonderland of creativity but was more “Off with her head!” meets existential crises. Such is life, especially when you’re a poet, right?

We put the emo in emotional, dress it in aesthetically pleasing language and call it “poem.” We swivel our heads around looking for joy only to find a ruthless Queen of Hearts who stole ours and left an empty hull in its wake. That beautiful thrum of life feels distant, and we may feel disconnected and lost. We wonder, “What happened to happiness?”

Our pain can become incredible poetry if we let it, but at some point, even we get tired of our own bullshit. At some point, we want to stop writing sad poems.

I used to think my best work came from pain, but the more I healed those wounds of the past, the more I found myself falling in love with love, rediscovering joy, and finding miracles in the tiniest things: a silly-shaped cloud, my morning cup of coffee, hearing a meaningful song begin playing on the radio station I just turned to.