What Is Dark Poetry?

"A Sanctuary from the So-Called Normal World." That's a phrase that our old council member Grandaddy came up with more than a decade ago. It's a bit of a koan; it isn't easy to pin down exactly what it means or should mean, but it does describe the place pretty well.

In more concrete terms: DarkPoetry is a friendly place where you can have your written works read and commented on by thousands of potential fans.

Dark Poetry?

If you've stumbled across this site looking for poetry, you probably already understand a little of this magic. You can read a skillfully crafted poem and come to know the mind of someone else in a way that you never could by conventional communication.

The “Dark” part of Dark Poetry comes from our member's tendency to reveal things that they would not ordinarily share in everyday life. There are soldiers talking about war and consequences, there are young people who are trying to work out who they want to be, professionals with an artistic talents that need to be expressed, and even a few aspiring professional writers. What they all have in common is the benefit and comfort of sharing these intimacies with non-judgmental friends.

Curative Effects

The psychological benefits of writing Dark Poetry are substantial. The fact that you can share a little piece of your soul with another person just by writing is miraculous. Even the simple act of describing something that is bothering you in a new way can give you a whole new perspective, and help you find new ways to handle it. Above all, having someone else actually understand you at such a deep level makes you realize you're not so alone in the world after all.

Using this community for the sharing of your poetry can help connect you to other people in new ways. In fact, thousands of friendships, hundreds of romantic relationships, and even a number of marriages have resulted from the meeting of poets on DarkPoetry! These connections didn't happen entirely by fate: the members sought out those who they really could understand, and worked to create these new, deep relationships.

Becoming A Successful Dark Poet

To get the most out of your experience here, you should not just write poems and post them, but you should spend at least an equal amount of time trying to find poems by other people that you can really connect with, and leave them insightful comments about how you reacted to their work.

When you find a poet who you understand well, or a poem, make use of the bookmarking features (favorites if you will) so that you don't lose track of them.

While you may not end up with a new spouse, you probably will evoke some feedback from like-minded fellow members. Strike up a real friendship with these people, the rewards of which can continue for the rest of your life. It's hard to be depressed when you have others who really understand how you feel and can be there for you.

If you find that you like it here, please be a good friend to DarkPoetry too. Your membership not only gives you more connections with others, it also is a way to pay back the creator of DarkPoetry for the huge amount of time and money invested in this wonderful community in advance.

Happy scribbling!