I think that being a poet involves more than merely being engaged in the act of writing poems. I believe it is also a way of looking at the world, a state of mind if you will allow me a cliche. A poet should be able to perceive the wondrous nature of life and the living essence of nature and be willing, nay needing to sing its praises.
To celebrate being alive and to cry out with joy and anguish at the feelings that gurgle and gargle within the cauldron of the heart; that's what it should be all about. I can have the mundane and dreary side of life anyday but when it comes down to writing or reading fine poems I long to be uplifted out of my own petty shell and reach for the skies in that eternal firmament that covers us all.
Call me old-fashioned..
