Poet: Part Gift, Part Handicap?

Alright. Well I hope this topic hasn't been brought up tooooo often, and I hope I don't get in trouble if it has. However, at the moment I've found that many people, friends, family and even my boyfriend keep confronting me about why I am constantly keeping to myself. So I had made a post about opening up, on the 'others' forum, and I got the answer I figured I would get. The answer that seems to be the same for anyone who talks about trouble opening up or being anti social (anything along those lines.) The good ol' excuse (or reason -depending on who we are I guess) that this is the poet's curse.
We all know that poets are stereotypically (or theoretically -which ever you prefer, I believe that it is quite right) anti-social, quiet, and as I explained above, closed books. If we do all have trouble opening up, can't help but keep to ourselves and not socializing as much as others, then that - in some way or form - handicaps us. [Perhaps handicap isn't the perfect word, but I'm sure you all know what I mean.]
So who sees their writing skill in poetry as a gift, and who feels that it can also be a handicap? Would you trade in your 'gift' to lift this 'handicap'?

I'm not sure what brought about this question...I guess I'm just curious.

^^^
My dear Mr. Shank. You shouldn't give up such a wonderful gift. Just..Learn to work around it.

Poster--
This is a very interesting question. And I much agree. My own fiancee says I'm more closed than I used to be and that is when I started writing poetry again. I guess our way of letting out emotions is through our writing, thus we do not need to do it verbally or in another physical manner. Does that make sense?

It is a curse...

However, I feel it can certain be 'cured'. If we are aware of this problem, why not fix it? Open up and talk more with others.. Share your poems. Maybe that'll help you open up in some ways. I know sharing my poems with my boyfriend makes him proud of me and it's one way to open up for me.
Whenever something unthinkable happens, we [poets] write about it instead of voicing verbally how we feel. That's why every time I do not know how to express myself, I write, say, an interesting story to my fiancee explaining it.

I'm not sure I would change anything for my gift of writing.... But, I wouldn't give anything up for him, as well..so, frankly, I hope it never comes down to me having to choose.

I hope all that made sense.. It's pretty early here and I'm hurrying to go to school.

xTheEcstasyOfSuicidex

I think both Ecstasy and ...Me... explained it beautifully, and it made perfect sense. I don't think I'd ever give this up. It's me, I feel God created me this way for a certina reason, and I don't plan on changing for anyone anytime soon.

Bob, why would you rob the world of such a remarkable gift? Sure, a lot of people have the gift of poetry, but not all are able to share it. And even if we were, we all have different things to share.