Express Yourself

The Extreme Sport of Opening Up

For the Modern Disciple there are a number of levels on which we need to learn to communicate. We are called to share the Gospel, commanded to encourage fellow Christians, challenged to teach, and may be asked to lead. In this series of three articles we will explore three different ways to communicate ideas, experiences, and feelings.

PART I: Lyric Verse

Of the three methods of expression that we will cover in this series, each of which require writing, the one that most immediately strikes terror into the heart of the average man is "poetry", without doubt. Many of you probably recoiled in pain just reading the word. In reality, it is actually the easiest to do of the three (the other two being journaling and object lessons). To ease the pain of working in the medium of poetry, lets call it lyric verse instead. Think of it as writing the lyrics for the next big album by your favorite artist, if that helps.

Verse is a very strong form of communication. It is the basis for any great song and a format that we can easily memorize. Perhaps it is impossible to define what is "great poetry", but you know it when you find it. However, even a mediocre lyric can serve a vital purpose and answer a special need. It can be therapeutic, cathartic, and restorative for the soul. It isn't all love and longing and squishy like whatever that fop in the picture above is working on. Just take a look at the lyrics to "Love Like Crazy" in the review of Chris Rice's Amusing. That lyric poem hits hard with satire and truth together.

Hopefully I have convinced you that writing verse is worthwhile. Now lets consider how it is done. Right here I am going to jump off of the tracks and take this train into uncharted territory. I'm not here to teach method, history, or art appreciation. I just want to help you write right now. So get out a piece of actual paper (yes, that dead tree stuff) and scrounge around for a pencil (one with an eraser, if you can find it) and place the thing in front of you on a hard, flat surface (like a thick magazine or a Cheese Nips box). Now, quickly recall something that recently caused you a bit of stress. Nothing heavy (yet), just something general like the price of gas, or your mother calling to ask when you're going to come for a visit, or a paper you have due tomorrow. Have something? Write it down, top-center of the piece of paper, then underline it. Tada! You have a subject and a title for your first lyric! Too late to quit now.

Now, leave a little space and then state a problem associated with this subject. For instance, if your stresser is that big pile of dirty clothes at the foot of your bed, your title might be "Dirty Clothes" or "Filthy Laundry" or even "Smelly Pile". The first line of your lyric might be, "My entire wardrobe is dirty", which states the problem simply. Line two, now: deepen the problem. Explain how this problem is leading to another. For our example, "I have nothing to wear tomorrow", brings out the fact that this is somewhat serious because it may affect your performance of some responsibility tomorrow. Are you with me so far?

Now take a couple of short lines to go back and explain how we got into this problem. For instance, "cuz I misspent my paycheck, and Pop won't let me borrow", fleshes out the story and sorta rhymes, too. It might not look like much, but you've begun to communicate something. Next you need to make a decision. How do you want the rest of this little story to go? Do you want to solve the problem, fix the blame, or seek some sympathy? These aren't the only choices, but for this first example lets stick to something simple. If I wanted to just solve the problem, I might write, "so I'll look under the cushions, and on floor of my Pontiac, then I'll spend half the night, in the all-night laun-do-mat." Problem solved, lyric completed. Now you try it.

What I've just given you is called a formula. (No, not the lyric. That's just called "doggerel", which is a poor excuse for poetry.) The little rules that I gave you to get you started on your first lyric are a formula that might help you get through the first few tries. It is also a formula that can make this exercise therapeutic as well as communicative. If you will learn to state a problem on paper, explore why you are stressing over the problem, then be honest about how you got into it... dude, you are well on your way to either solving it, seeking forgiveness for it, or seeking a little help in handling it. There is a potential for healing in this type of writing. There is also a potential for connecting with others who may have been in the same jam or felt the same way, either now or in the past. Connecting is communicating.

The first step is to write. The second step is to share what you have written. I wouldn't start you out on step one without giving you a vehicle for step two, would I? Of course not. To see some more examples of amateur lyric verse and find out how you can share yours without fear of harsh criticism, stop by the Write Now section of MDM4M and start communicating on a new level.