How do I start writing poetry if I've never written before?

I think the first thing to know is that poetry doesn't require permission or special talent—it requires attention. Start by noticing. Murasaki Shikibu didn't begin with perfect verses; she began by observing the world around her with such care that language itself seemed to bend toward meaning. Pick something small: a moment that caught you, a conversation, the way light fell. Write it down plainly first. Don't worry about sounding like a poet. Then read it back and ask: what did I really feel here? What word could be truer? Poetry grows from the space between what we see and what it means to us. You might write ten things before one feels alive, and that's exactly right. The practice itself—the returning to it, the noticing—that's where the real work happens. Start there, with observation. The poetry will follow.