Everything you need to write a poem (and how it can save a life) | Daniel Tysdal | TEDxUTSC

You're a poet and Daniel Tysdal is about to show it. Daniel will walk you through his writing process to showcase the Power of Poetry to help us remember, grieve and celebrate.

Daniel Tysdal has been a Senior Lecturer in the Department of English at UTSC since 2009. He is the author of three books of poetry and the poetry textbook, The Writing Moment: A Practical Guide to Creating Poems (Oxford University Press 2014). He is the recipient of multiple awards for his work and his research interests include creative writing and poetry.

[Valentina-zjct]

When you already write poetry but you just come here to make you sure you are doing it ok

[JackT]

I remember less each day
Your laugh
Your smile
Your gentle way.
I search my brain
Then entertain
The thought of you
With me again.
And for a while
I wear a smile
But then once more
You start to fade.
I try and try
To only find
That you’re not here
And I remain.

[monkeysfly]

aw look at all these cute poems in the comment section. Follow your heart everyone, and may light shine in the darkest corners of your life. Peace x love

[angelicayeleshwarapu]

the woman I fear to be
is the one I already am
don't want to grow into my misery
but she's the only one who holds my hand

[josephinemateo]

I love how this comment section is full of poetry, as some one who loves poems I often struggle on how to write one.

[fullmetalfoley]

Like a broken record, you just repeat.
Missing lines, skipping beats
Your notes are random
Your meaning blurred
You sing a song to me
But I don’t hear any words.

I've seen your heart, I’ve felt the beat
With each note you play, you draw me in
Enticing strings call my name
Distorted chords you wrote in pain
They harmonize in sweet accord
And combine to form a perfect melody.

The song you sing cries out to me
Distorted chords in harmony
Composed from pain; a melodic sympathy
Perfect symmetry; vivid imagery
Forged in fire; my affinity
You are my song; a beautiful eccentricity

[ngoinam]

When pain is involved,
Poetry is evolved.
~Old Soul~

[DeemyDolly]

I fell in love with you after you died
Into deep brown Mona Lisa eyes
That followed us around the room
From the last taken portrait of you

I held your sister as she cried
Dressed in your favourite clothes
The liveliest of your household now silenced
And drifting through rooms as a ghost

I listened to your mother as she tried
Tried to thank me for coming to - to -
"He would've liked that you're here
I'm sure he really liked you."

I flinched when your father lied
He smiled, said he was fine
He played us your favourite song
But... didn't sing along.

[otelo]

Coconut in my desk
Well you know
Man, i have to rest
Window

[laadidaadidoo]

His eyes were like a kaleidoscope,
Changing colors when he was happy,
Or when he was sad.
Changing colours when he cried,
Or when he smiled.
They danced between shades,
And I could never decide
What colour they really were.
But one day, I found out.
They were blank,
Staring up at the sky
One last time
With nothing left in them.
The sparkle was gone,
And so was he.

[shivalisfoodlab]

Poems come from the the deepest part of our heart
The darkest secrets
The scars and the hurt
The pains we couldn't
Enunciate to no one
We are carrying them
In our bleeding heart

[tpjever]

My first poem ever, ballad, wrote it when i was 13,


Ever since she drew her last breath,
She took away my soul.
And forgot to gave me back my heart,
And parts of me she stole.

I asked her just the day before,
Am i forgiven yet?
With makeup running down her eyes,
I just cannot forget.

I should've begged,
I should've cried,
Shouldn't have let her go,
Without atleast, a goodbye hug.
I was as cold as snow.

How dare you leave me all alone?
How dare you walk away?
I lost my excuse for living,
Congrats, you made me pay.

[trobinsond]

I pushed a cat:

I pushed a cat
That was bad
I pushed a cat
The cat is mad
I pushed a cat
He bit me
That hurt
Now I'm sad
The end.
**many snaps**

[Friendly_Boo]

Don’t want to go
Don’t want to stay
But here I am
Wasting away

[kalvincarld]

Leonora

I remember the way
The sun lights up your eyes
As we laugh, cry, listen
Sigh under summer skies
You make my day.
The light breeze breathes
Upon your hair
And your fair face.

Now I lay down
On the meadow
Smiling, laughing
Crying and sighing
But all alone
You are just another memory
Just another rose
But alas, the rose is plucked
And laid on a stone.

[Franksocoo]

I'm a poet who's lost motivation due to recent events in my life. But watching this just gave me a much needed spark! Thank you for sharing!

[Username-wwcd]

This is my first poem, I’m 14 and only wrote it the other day- I’m becoming interested in poetry:

Every night I lay in bed,
A storm begins to grow inside my head,
Crashing against the walls of my brain,
My thoughts are the thunder and life is the rain.

The illusion of time decides to pass,
as lightning strikes my world: from the sky to the grass,
starting destructive yet beautiful fires of anger and sadness,
I realise that again I am alone with my mind and its madness.

Every single water droplet becomes heavier,
as I reflect over the terrible day that has come to an end,
I think about the people who have agrivated me and stirred up my hate,
the storm is becoming devastating- suffocating the animals that represent my hope

Is it really worth it?
Why do I bother?
Why do I get up and deal with the pain of life,
When I could stay here,
In a world of my own.

[neko]

Here is my amateur poetry even if this video is years old

You call yourself useless
Not needed in a world like this
you just never really listened
To the people who're glad you exist
You dont know their perspective
Of how you saved their life
That in their room of darkness
You came by and stayed as light
You came to their wasteland
and made flowers grow and bloom
You never really knew
Their world needed someone like you

[ethinke]

The shadow behind
The bright and light outside
The clinching and grinding inside
The scratching and the binding
The tears and wears
But left with a happy smile and despairs

(My first attempt at poems)

[faithmeek]

Never started crying in under 5 minutes while eating cookies before.... What an amazing talk