A creative writer at heart, Janis was first published at age 11. Most of her poems express core issues of love, loss, trauma, and healing.

Poetry Stirs Deep Within the Poet's Soul

Poetry as Creative Play on Words

Poetry can simply be referred to as a creative play on words. Using the different verse forms gives poetry its structure, rhythm, and appeal.

However, form and structure alone does not the perfect poem make. There is no such thing as perfection in such a subjective art form as poetry, except of course, in the eye of the beholder.

But the one sure thing about poetry is that, for most poets, it is a sacred process out of which poets, and rappers alike, share from the deepest and most intimate places of their souls.

That process is what makes the act of writing poetry and rhyme an extraordinary vehicle whereby the gift of powerful expression is created and shared with others.

In the poem below, "Word Play," the author shares the sacredness of this process, in no particular structure or verse form. It could very well be categorized as inspirational poetry.

A Thoughtful Poet Seeks Inspiration

Word Play Defined

"Wordplay" or "Word play"

• A witty or clever form of verbal expression, meant for fun and amusement
• Commonly used in literature, poetry, spoken word, or hip-hop rap genres
• There are many forms of word play techniques, e.g., pun, spoonerism, slang, acrostic, euphemism, and oxymoron, just to name a few
• Most notable writers of early wordplay: Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, P.G. Wodehouse, and Shakespeare
• Contemporary masters of wordplay: George Carlin, Groucho Marx, Bob Dylan, Big Daddy Kane, Eminem, and Jay-Z

Poetic Performers Are Entertainers

Words Flow Through the Pen

Words Form at the Keyboard

The Sacred Process: A Poem

"Word Play"

Quiet expression in word form

Bursts in living color

No need to say it loudly

As the words speak for themselves

Flowing in from dark places

Illustrated by arrangements

So original in their display

None of which are the same

The light of my keystroke

Ignites one letter at a time

Creating each word play

As verses are formed

Spirited words generate

Moving from pen to paper

Uncontrolled in the moment

A surge begins to gel

Verses come alive with meaning

Expressions of thought and feeling

Infinitely depicts experiences

In descriptive word play

I wait to see what comes

The shape and form it takes

Naturally, without a plan

Each word born out of seed

Seeds planted from lessons

Things seen and heard

Encounters to pull from

People I've met along the way

Life is rich with this soil

Out of which I grow

And capture in verse

Immortalizing word play

Sharing with others in echoes

Bouncing from present to future

Through open eyes and ears

Received by hearts and souls

All Rights Reserved JLE

Words Grow Out of Creativity

Words Play on the Microphone

Wordplay Tutorial for Poets and Rhymers

Words of Poetry

Sources on Word Play

• Wordplay - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  Definition of wordplay from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary with audio pronunciations, thesaurus, Word of the Day, and word games.

© 2013 Janis Leslie Evans

Comments

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on September 05, 2019:

Tim, thank you kindly for your very generous and thoughtful comment. I'm so pleased you liked the poem and the message of the article. I appreciate your taking the time to read it and leave your kind words. Bless you.

Tim Truzy from U.S.A. on September 05, 2019:

Original and you speak to the heart of what I feel about poetry. Shakespeare, not considered poetry in his time. Just as rap was not considered "real music" to many, but wait! Billboard has a hip-hop chart, now!

Langston Hughes. Ashbery. Yes, to name a few, ignored traditional conventions to create their work. Each of these masters know how to write in those traditional styles, but their souls wanted something different as well

You are so true in your poem.

Each soul has a meter by which to measure and time the flow of words and the meaning lies therein. Thank you immensely. Respect and admiration.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on September 26, 2014:

I appreciate your wonderful comments, mabelhenry. Thank you for taking the time to read this poem hub, so glad you loved it. Thank you very much for stopping by and appreciating the art of poetry.

mabelhenry from Harrisburlg, Pennsylvania on September 26, 2014:

This is a great tribute to all forms of poetry and the poets. The poem "Word Play" is amazing, loaded with truth concerning the art of poetry. It is like making a movie or a play, as you wait for the unfolding of what has been captured by your pen transferred to paper. I thank God for this vehicle of expression and I pray that poetry on a whole rises to its special and significant place in the world. It is truly an art.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on February 05, 2014:

I try :-) Thanks for reading and commenting.

LJ Scott from Phoenix, Az. on February 05, 2014:

Absolutely beautiful... quite the poet I see...

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on January 05, 2014:

Wonderful! So glad it hit a note with you. Good to see you, Ryem. Thanks for visiting.

Ryem from Maryland on January 05, 2014:

I really like this hub, Jan. I am able to relate some of the information you shared to my own writing process.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on December 08, 2013:

Thank you, AliciaC. You're a hubber I admire so it means a lot that you like this hub. I've been wanting to contact you for help. I will email you. I appreciate your visit.

Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on December 08, 2013:

I loved reading your thoughts about poetry, janshares. The idea of writing poems from deep within the soul is one that is very meaningful for me. Thank you for creating this lovely hub.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on October 28, 2013:

Thanks, Eric, it is indeed a good thing for me. Voting on hubs becomes a part of how they are evaluated and ranked on the site. I appreciate your coming by to read, vote and comment.

Eric Wayne Flynn from Providence, Rhode Island on October 28, 2013:

Voted up... Not sure what that does, but I'm sure it's a good thing ?

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on August 21, 2013:

You're welcome, thost. Thanks for reading it. I appreciate your visit.

thost from Dublin, Ireland on August 21, 2013:

Very interesting and such a nice Hub. Thank you for sharing.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on August 08, 2013:

Thank you, agilitymach, for dropping by. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate the votes.

Kristin Kaldahl on August 08, 2013:

I dropped by to read some of your poetry verse. I loved this. It so accurately describes how poetry is written. I could just feel the creative process taking place through the words of the poem. Very well done!!! Voted up, interesting, awesome and beautiful as it was very much all three. :)

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on August 02, 2013:

Great, no prob, glad I could be of inspiration. Welcome to HubPages.

Julian Magdaleno from Queens, New York City on August 01, 2013:

Since ripping off is the highest form of flattery- I did one with the informative/ creative format that I think you'll enjoy on the death of dreams. I encourage you (or anyone) to stop by and check it out!

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on August 01, 2013:

Thank you so much for saying that, BigJulesMags. In my time here at HP, I've come to learn you have to bend and step outside of your box of understanding to move toward success. I thought it sacrilegious 6 months ago to add even a link capsule to a poem hub. I'm so over it now. For online writing, we have to learn to blend the creative with the informative.

Julian Magdaleno from Queens, New York City on August 01, 2013:

This is confirmation that I need to write today. I like how you mixed creative and informative- very entrepreneurial. That and I always said Shakespeare was one of the first rappers, so your article is confirmation of that theory. If you like wordplay and music check out Aesop Rock and Pharoahe Monch- two of the more poetic rhymers I know of.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 27, 2013:

Thank you, again, Laurinzo, for that poetic comment. I think inclusion is a wonderful thing. Art is art is art.

LJ Scott from Phoenix, Az. on July 27, 2013:

It is a great tribute to the art of writing and all those who participate in the process of painting pictures with their words Jan

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 27, 2013:

Thanks so much for these comments and your kind words, Faith Reaper. I'm glad you found it informative and enjoyed the poem.

Faith Reaper from southern USA on July 27, 2013:

Interesting article here, Jan. Yes, true poets will pull deep within their souls to pull out those words they so have to get out!

A lot of times when a true poet writes, it is up to anyone's interpretation as there is no way to understand just precisely what the poet's inspiration or deep reflection is really pondering. And that is the beauty of poetry as you state here.

Thanks for the useful information on Word Play and the interesting poem too.

Blessings,

Faith Reaper

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 26, 2013:

Thank you, Laurinzo. Your critique means a lot, I appreciate your visit.

LJ Scott from Phoenix, Az. on July 26, 2013:

Very well done Jan, and your words said it best... I indeed agree with most of what you said, and I can tell you did your homework... Nice!!!

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 24, 2013:

Thanks for those comments, prospectboy. It was my pleasure to recognize all poets. The more I researched word play, the value of the craft became evident across the continuum of poets. I found this hub a lot of fun to make. I'm grateful for your comments, votes and sharing.

Bradrick H. from Texas on July 24, 2013:

Great job on this hub Ms Janis! Wordplay is a term that I hear a lot of emcees and rappers use in their lyrics. I'm really happy to see that you pointed out that rap is a form of poetry as well. Hip hop music often gets a bad rep because of the violence and sometimes hardcore lyrics. However, there are emcees out there who are poets at the rarest form. You broke your points in this hub down very well. Great job again. Voted up, rated awesome, shared, Facebook, Twitter.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 24, 2013:

Hi Kim, so glad you liked it. Thanks for the visit.

ocfireflies on July 24, 2013:

Excellent hub! I read where you said that the "hub started as one thing and morphed into something else" which mirrors the process of writing so perfectly. Voted Up!

Best Always,

ocfireflies aka Kim

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 24, 2013:

Thanks, Eddy. Good to see you.

Eiddwen from Wales on July 24, 2013:

Wonderful I loved it and thank you for sharing.

Eddy.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 23, 2013:

I appreciate that, W1totalk. Thank you for visiting and reading this hub.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 23, 2013:

Thanks so much, DDE. Interesting you say that. It started as a simple poem and became something I did not expect. I enjoyed stretching my boundaries. I am a hip hop lover at heart so I relate to this a lot.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 23, 2013:

Thanks, Mhatter99, so glad you liked it. Love to see you recite!

W1totalk on July 23, 2013:

Beautiful description and tribute to wordplay.

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on July 23, 2013:

Great work here and so well put together, you certainly have away with writing and exploring new avenues.

Martin Kloess from San Francisco on July 23, 2013:

You did an excellent job on this. In fact, I was an orator for the masons.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 22, 2013:

Thank you, Poetic Word Bird, for reading and enjoying this hub. It means a lot to have you stop by.

Malik S Canty from Brooklyn, NY on July 22, 2013:

Very true and informative thoughts...Great insight and I enjoy reading your work.

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 22, 2013:

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it. Your poems are fine, don't be too self-critical. Just double check spelling. I really appreciate your taking the time to read my lastest hub.

Allan Philip from Toronto on July 22, 2013:

Thanks for sharing and what a great job you've done. I love it but now I'm uncertain about my poems meeting this standard. Take a look at my Hub, see if I passed the test. LOL..... http://hub.me/acTQL

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 22, 2013:

Thanks for that billybuc, your support of poets means a lot.

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on July 22, 2013:

Since I can't write poetry wouldn't you know that I admire poets very much. This is the purest form of writing, and in today's writing environment, the one form that has the hardest time being successful...and still poets write. God bless the poets of the world. :)

Janis Leslie Evans (author) from Washington, DC on July 22, 2013:

Hi Kathyrn, you're welcome, glad you liked it. This was a fun hub to make. It started as one thing then morphed into something else. :-) Thanks for stopping by, I'm grateful for the votes and the sharing.

Kathryn from Windsor, Connecticut on July 22, 2013:

I like this! It's a great look at what word play is, and I also really enjoy the actual poem. Even without a certain structure or form, it flows very well, and is still pleasing.

Thanks for sharing this with us, and have a wonderful day!

Voted up and sharing.

~ Kathryn