"Poetry surrounds us everywhere, but putting it on paper is, alas, not so easy as looking at it"

Poetry is not confined to the boundaries of written verses, elegant lines, or carefully crafted forms, rather, it exists intrinsically within the world around us. The colors of a sunset, the movement of clouds, the laughter of children, or the rhythm of daily life all possess a kind of poetry, an innate beauty and emotional resonance that can easily be encountered in ordinary experiences. For one who is sensitive, observant, or artistic, these moments of poetic presence seem almost everywhere, the rustle of leaves, the shimmer of moonlight, the subtle gestures of kindness between strangers. They present themselves naturally and without demand, waiting to be witnessed by those receptive enough to notice.

Translating these fleeting insights or deep feelings into words, however, is an entirely different endeavor. Capturing the essence of such poetry, its vividness, nuance, and emotional depth, demands an immense act of imagination, discipline, and skill. The process is fraught with difficulty because language, though powerful, is clumsy compared to the refinement and immediacy of experience. The mind may perceive beauty effortlessly, yet when the attempt is made to transfer that vision onto paper, clarity may falter, inspiration may wane, and the result may fall short of the original encounter’s magic.

This disparity highlights a universal tension in the creative process: the simple act of seeing is profound, yet representation, giving shape and permanence to what is essentially fleeting, is an arduous labor. Van Gogh, both poet and painter, understood the struggle to do justice to life’s subtle moments. The challenge lies not in perceiving poetry in daily existence, but in honoring and conveying it authentically. The artist’s work, then, becomes an ongoing pursuit of fidelity to those moments, bridging the gap between the beauty that surrounds us and our ability to communicate it.