Michael A. de Melo• Show poetry

A Note To My Readers,

I’ve had several occasions where people have read some of my poetry and assumed it pertained either to them or to some actual event or person. I’ve even had people claim that I wrote horrible things about them personally, or that a certain poem meant I hated them. All I can say about this is that when a write has been inspired by an actual event or person, that inspiration has been marked in the title, such as “Nicholas 2191”, which is about my son Nicholas. I have to admit that I find such personal poems difficult to write and so I don’t attempt them often.

Most of my other poems are conceived through prompts. Sometimes a picture or a phrase will spark the creative flame, as was the case with “They Came Back”. Sometimes it is a combination of several events as in “Thawing Childhood Memories”. Sometimes it is a reflection of several people. Even the use of a nickname or pet name does not imply that piece is about one individual; as such names tend to be recycled. I’ve had many friends for instance, whom I referred to as “little brother”. If I were to write a poem entitled “Little Brother” it would probably refer to them all and not a single person.

I’ve also had people write to me to say they understand how I feel when I write. I can assure you again, that unless we have spoken directly and you know what was going on in my life when I wrote a certain piece, you don’t understand how I felt. I appreciate your support, but more often than not it’s misguided. I did not have to be in love to write “OK”, any more than I needed to die to write “Descending”. It is with great amusement that I promise you all I didn’t become a mass murderer to write “From Hell Again”.

As cold hearted as it may seem, I write for me and don’t really give a fuck who likes what I create. I write for fun and self expression. Read them if you want, and take from them what you will. If you feel a connection to the poem, I’m happy for you. If it makes you think, even better. Don’t place so much weight on relating to my mood or situation at the time of writing, and for fuck’s sake, don’t get your feelings hurt. Just accept them as mere works of fiction. In the end their meaning is whatever you attach to them, so if you relate to them and are offended, the fault is in you and not my writing.

Peace,
Michael