“My judgment, now clouded, imagination: reckless.”
For Nathan Martin, these lines reflect the moments when thoughts become difficult to organize and even harder to say out loud.
“Through poetry, those moments can be shaped into something meaningful,” he said.
Lamar University’s Poetic Souls student group provides a place where students can share their experiences, through poetry. They hold events such as Midnight Poetry, held every month in the Quad outside the Setzer Student Center.
Poetic Souls was created to provide students a chance to speak out, Poetic Souls president Teralyn Ricks said.
“Poetic Souls is a space to be able to express creativity and even learn new ways to be creative,” Ricks said.
The Midnight Poetry event allows students to perform poetry to a live audience, including spoken word and storytelling which represent the writer’s experiences.
“Poetry means finding ways to express your innermost feelings,” Ricks said. “Poetry is important because it allows you to sit with your thoughts, senses and emotions,” she said. “It gives students the chance to write their own stories, both said and unsaid.”
Martin said he was drawn to the organization because of the environment it creates for students.
“I loved the space that it gave students to be both creative and vulnerable,” he said. “Especially in the Black community, we aren’t given that opportunity too often.”
Poetry allows Martin to look at emotions from another perspective and makes them easier for him to handle, he said.
One of his poems, “Artist’s Block,” reflects his process:
Brilliant ideas: soiled, like a rusted gold necklace
Saturation in the negatives
Vibrant colors fade to grey
I graze the peak of something magical
With something malicious in the way
The poem shows how it feels when ideas are there but hard to put together, Martin said.
Martin recalled Poetic Souls’ “Freedom Writers” event, where students were encouraged to take the stage and express themselves along with discussing their feelings.
“It was very vulnerable and honest,” Martin said. “I was really surprised with how much people were willing to share about their lives when given the freedom to do it. Experiences like that create opportunities for connection beyond the event itself.”
Martin said poetry continues to influence his work as an artist, shaping the way he approaches creativity in other ways, including painting.
“At the end of the day, a poet’s job is to paint pictures using words,” he said.
Presenting one’s poetry in front of others is not easy for most students, Martin said.
“Most of the time people aren’t afraid of saying words in front of people, but being vulnerable in front of people,” he said. “But not being ready to share everything doesn’t make you any less of a poet.
“Sometimes, taking that chance and doing the scary thing of being vulnerable with someone is more freeing than we think.”
Ricks said Poetic Souls that during National Poetry Month in April, the organization focuses on the role poetry plays in our lives.
“We take a moment to reflect on what it means to be a poet and appreciate those who have opened up at our events,” she said.
Ricks said she hopes the organization will continue to provide a place where students feel supported.
“I hope future generations understand that they have somewhere to go and be heard,” she said. “Creativity isn’t limited to one thing — it can be many things.”
For more information, visit @lu_poeticsouls on Instagram.