why poetry?

It's been said that poetry has made a comeback.

But did it ever leave?

I turn to poetry when speaking feels like too much

and silence feels heavier.

Poetry is the language of love and life.

It holds what I can't say long enough for me to breathe.

Why do I write poetry you ask?

I write poetry to return to my source—where fear and ego fade and the inner voice stirs. This is where vulnerability becomes language.

Poetry
 

“The writer who will not dig deep within their wells of pain for inspiration will never stir the passions of their readers .”

— unknown

I remember the first time I read this quote.
It felt like remembering—something my body knew before my mind did, as if it had been waiting.
My truest work has always been born there, where authenticity breathes and depth has a pulse.
The shadow and I know each other well. I have walked its fog-laden passages, guided more by instinct than sight.
These wells of inspiration do not answer easily.
They reveal themselves in initiations—
especially during seasons of un-becoming, when the self dissolves, and the soul learns its name again.

“The ideas

brewing in my head

erupted like a volcano,

spilling words in an avalanche across the blank page.”

— Dina Marie Courtney

More poetry.

More stories.

Works in progress….

  • Erotica Poetry Compilation

    In the eighties, my poetry lived in the realm of crushes and teenage longing. I was feeling my way forward, writing as a means of discovery—learning how emotion moved through me, learning how to listen.

    By the early nineties, my work began to shift. I found myself drawn toward erotic poetry, inspired in large part by Prince and Madonna—provocateurs, visionaries, icons of unapologetic expression. Through their influence, I found the courage to question my own desires and to explore the mysteries that reside within us all.

    My first erotic poem, The Seducer, unfolded across three pages. The second, written in 1991, grew to six pages and was titled An Erotic Affair. Both found an eager audience at poetry readings, their reception confirming something I felt but had not yet named.

    Whether rooted in personal experience or born from the fertile ground of imagination, writing erotica revealed itself as deeply liberating. It was never just about sex. It was about passion and presence—about intimacy, energy, expression, and connection.

    In 2022, I returned to my earlier work with new eyes, choosing to revise and curate select pieces. I am now shaping a collection of poetry, alongside a second, more intimate project—one I plan to reveal later this year.

  • Un mare di baci ( A sea of kisses)

    A young woman embarks on a four-week adventure to Italy, drawn by curiosity and a connection formed on social media with an Italian man. While staying at a romantic Tuscan villa, her journey takes an unexpected turn—unfolding into a roller-coaster of passion, discovery, and transformation she will never forget.

    by Dina Marie Courtney

    Stay tuned for more info about the story and its release date.

  • Tethered: 4-Story Series

    This four-part series is still in its early stages. While much remains to be revealed, I’ll leave you with the following excerpt…

    “So now the table has turned. And although she seems to want him more and more, the timing is not right. Her battle is won for now but his soul lives on.

    He resides dormant inside of her but safe from anyone else. Question is, is she safe from him? It could only be a matter of time before he has absorbed within her and then what……….

    She must find a way to cast him out before it’s too late.”

    by Dina Marie Courtney