I heard a thousand blended notes While in a grove I sat reclined In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts Bring sad thoughts to the mind
To her fair works did nature link The human soul that through me ran And much it grieved my heart to think What man has made of man
Through primrose tufts in that green bower The periwinkle trailed its wreathes And 'tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes
The birds around me hopped and played Their thoughts I cannot measure But the least motion which they made It seemed a thrill of pleasure
The budding twigs spread out their fan To catch the breezy air And I must think, do all I can That there was pleasure there
If this belief from heaven be sent If such be nature's holy plan Have I not reason to lament What man has made of man
NECROMANCER RISING
I'm digging up old graves To find new insight that maybe buried in decay.
I'm sweeping old wooden floors To build new muscle to use on fertile clay.
Why is it such a pain to clean one's own myocyte Only to have others throw their pain at you with kindness?
I'm digging through old graves To view the chards from stories once lived To somehow behold the scents of spirits still living their essence, Still whistling epithets in silence.
I'm cleaning old wooden floors To clear the dust layering acres of pain To hopefully caption a whistling epithet or two among spirits Stretching fertile muscle on febrile clay.
Is it not a glorious pain to clean one's own myocyte And feel the electricity of pained kindness fluttering ... While you behold your new insight And muscle? @Bles 11/15/2019
OMGOSH @Sideon this IS lovely!!! I had to repost this Shakespeare one..... sigh---- the power of words. @biancalovecraft hahahha this was a fabulous idea!!! 💕😍💖
Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou see'st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon it must expire, Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by. This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou see'st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed whereon it must expire, Consum'd with that which it was nourish'd by. This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long.
This is untitled, but I wrote this before my grandmother passed a month ago.
What happens if you leave me here when all of me is you? When everything I know and love always leads back to you? Souls eternally intertwined, who am I but you? There’s no place for me on this plane if I don’t have you A fast-paced world so colorful, now has a tinge of grey My thoughts flood with prayer and worry, my food has no taste. If there is a God, and if that God can hear me pray Please don’t take my air, my heart, my soulmate, away I’m not ready I’m not ready I’m not ready
👏👏👏👏👏 to All of You!
I started reading through these earlier and I just love the range and there's lots of Poe ~ Yay!!
Two of my most favorite poems ever were supposedly written for children, and are by the late, Shel Silverstein
Hug O' War
I will not play at tug o' war
I'd rather play at hug o' war,
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug,
Where everyone kisses
And everyone grins
And everyone cuddles
And everyone wins.
◇◇◇◇ and ◇◇◇◇
NOBODY
Nobody loves me, nobody cares, Nobody picks me peaches and pears. Nobody offers me candy and Cokes, Nobody listens and laughs at me jokes. Nobody helps when I get into a fight, Nobody does all my homework at night. Nobody misses me, Nobody cries, Nobody thinks I'm a wonderful guy. So, if you ask me who's my best friend, in a whiz, I'll stand up and tell you NOBODY is! But yesterday night I got quite a scare I woke up and Nobody just WASN'T there! I called out and reached for Nobody's hand, In the darkness where Nobody usually stands, Then I poked through the house, in each cranny and nook, But I found SOMEBODY each place that I looked. I seached till I'm tired, and now with the dawn, There's no doubt about it- NOBODY'S GONE!!
~ I think both are from, "Where the Sidewalk Ends" but one might be from, "A Light in the Attic"
@RaeLew ~ That's beautiful and wrenching. The date that marks my mom's passing is fast approaching and I'm still not ready. (((Hugs))) to you... 🫂🫂🫂
@RaeLew - I like that. I think it expresses a lot of what we feel when we lose someone close to us.
I haven't written much poetry, but sometimes I like to write silly off-the-wall stuff (haikus and limericks & stuff). A couple of mine (and variants exist):
Much to my surprise, my lunch was a pork sandwich with a side of fries.
Time to eat some tea, ski across the street, and then barbecue some pants.
I love this thread. Such inspiration, talent, and beauty from all these poems.
@quixotic_life I'm sorry about your mom. But I bet she's somewhere looking down on you smiling. I'm still processing because my granny was a huge part of my life and who I am today. Sending you all the loves and hugs
@FlyingToaster It does. This is the first really close person I've lost. Whew this poem doesn't even do my feelings justice, but it came to me all in one go and I wrote it out.
Here's 2 other poems I've written ^_^
Addictive Personality I am in every text you look for but don’t receive I am the chaser behind every shot you take I am behind the eyes of every guy you set your sights on When hunger doesn’t pang you, I am laced in every bite of food you intake I am in every minute you spend on social media In every swipe you make on tinder, I am there as well Every choice you make that is against your better judgment is because of me I am every time you choose to turn away from what you’re afraid to see I am the clouds in the sky of every internal movie you yearn to happen I am perched on the back of every person who walks away I lay in the arms of the person they are walking toward I watch you behind your eyelids as you fall asleep at night At the bottom of every bottle is another reason you should reconsider loving me
Untitled I sunk into a big blue velvety couch and closed my eyes. “Tell me about the man who admired your petals and proceeded to pluck them one by one.” my therapist said. “Well,” I started, opening my eyes to find myself alone in my bed. I got up and walked to my balcony. The sun shone bright in the sky on a desolate world of dehydrated earth and dead trees. I blew a breath and there was a breeze. I picked up my ukulele and plucked at it’s strings. It sang to me the story of the man who admired my petals and proceeded to pluck them one by one. A tear caressed my cheek as the sky began to cry. The dehydrated earth sighed in relief and released steam. Back inside I went to rummage through my cabinets. I steeped a bag of tea and dressed myself. Washed my teeth and brushed my face. My teacup was fully flowered when I came back. I sipped my tea and smelled the flowers. A field of sunflowers awaited me outside my home. I traveled on foot to the middle of the field and fell backward. Green shot up into many suns above my face. I smiled and grabbed the nearest sunflower. I admired it’s petals. Then I proceeded to pluck them one by one.
@RaeLew ~ Nice!
¤ W. H. Auden ¤
Leap Before You Look
The sense of danger must not disappear: The way is certainly both short and steep, However gradual it looks from here; Look if you like, but you will have to leap.
Tough-minded men get mushy in their sleep And break the by-laws any fool can keep; It is not the convention but the fear That has a tendency to disappear.
The worried efforts of the busy heap, The dirt, the imprecision, and the beer Produce a few smart wisecracks every year; Laugh if you can, but you will have to leap.
The clothes that are considered right to wear Will not be either sensible or cheap, So long as we consent to live like sheep And never mention those who disappear.
Much can be said for social savoir-faire, But to rejoice when no one else is there Is even harder than it is to weep; No one is watching, but you have to leap.
A solitude ten thousand fathoms deep Sustains the bed on which we lie, my dear: Although I love you, you will have to leap; Our dream of safety has to disappear.
~ December 1940
I am staying up Very late, eating the whole Refrigerator.
😂 A haiku by me.
@mia1593 snaps fingers Yes!
One fine day, in the middle of the night Two dead men got up to fight Back to back they faced each other Drew their swords and shot each other
This Hour and What is Dead, from the book of poems "this city in which i love you" by li-young lee
Tonight my brother, in heavy boots, is walking through bare rooms over my head, opening and closing doors. What could he be looking for in an empty house? What could he possibly need there in heaven? Does he remember his earth, his birthplace set to torches? His love for me feels like spilled water running back to its vessel.
At this hour, what is dead is restless and what is living is burning.
Someone tell him he should sleep now.
My father keeps a light on by our bed and readies for our journey. He mends ten holes in the knees of five pairs of boy's pants. His love for me is like his sewing: various colors and too much thread, the stitching uneven. But the needle pierces clean through with each stroke of his hand.
At this hour, what is dead is worried and what is living is fugitive.
God, that old furnace, keeps talking with his mouth of teeth, a beard stained at feasts, and his breath of gasoline, airplane, human ash. His love for me feels like fire, feels like doves, feels like river-water.
At this hour, what is dead is helpless, kind and helpless. While the Lord lives.
Someone tell the Lord to leave me alone. I've had enough of his love that feels like burning and flight and running away.
I like cheese because its good I like cheese because it comes from milk I like cheese because it's real good I like cheese because it comes from cows
Omgosh @RaeLew i have tears. 😞 when there are lovely people in our lives it is a challenge for that space to ever fill up again. Thank you for being such a beautiful part of this community!!!
@quixotic_life hug-o-war and Nobody!!!! I love them!!!! ♥️💜🧡
@RaeLew Thank you, thank you (bows)
Haikus are my favorite.
I also indulge in the occasional acrostic poem.
Are poetic quotes okay? Hope so, because I love this one...
"Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little coarse and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice? Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
@quixotic_life The first scratch or dent on a new car is good, because it makes you far less worried about getting the next one.
The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Sara Teasdale ³ ~
◇¤◇¤◇¤◇¤◇
Message
I heard a cry in the night, A thousand miles it came, Sharp as a flash of light, My name, my name!
It was your voice I heard, You waked and loved me so -- I send you back this word, I know, I know!
◇¤◇¤◇ ◇¤◇¤◇
Enough
It is enough for me by day To walk the same bright earth with him; Enough that over us by night The same great roof of stars is dim.
I do not hope to bind the wind Or set a fetter on the sea -- It is enough to feel his love Blow by like music over me.
Wisdom
When I have ceased to break my wings Against the faultiness of things, And learned that compromises wait Behind each hardly opened gate, When I can look Life in the eyes, Grown calm and very coldly wise, Life will have given me the Truth, And taken in exchange -- my youth.
What life is this, if full of care We have no time, to stand and stare
Omgosh. These are all so lovely. It’s like being at the library opening a myriad of different books!! 😊
@mia1593 you're so cute!!! Love your profile.
I COMPLETELY agree!!! Talk about missing half of your life!! The no dancing thing is a complete bummer. You sound like a doll. I live your side of the world!!
I was a little sad when I saw the rest of this poem so I left it OUT!!!
Black is the raven Black is the crow Where I am going I do not know I can’t go back I can’t go ahead But here in the darkness I have nothing to dread. By @verona
Fire and Ice
BY Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.
Lost Opportunities
By Edgar Albert Guest
"When I am rich," he used to say, "A thousand joys I'll give away; I'll walk among the poor I find And unto one and all be kind. I'll place a wreath of roses red Upon the bier of all my dead; I'll help the struggling youth to climb; In doing good I'll spend my time; To all in need I'll friendly be The day that fortune smiles on me."
He never guessed that being kind Depends upon the heart and mind And not upon the purse at all; That poor men's gifts, however small, Make light some weary traveler's load And smooth for him his troubled road. He never knew or understood The fellowship of doing good. Because he had not much to spare He thought it vain to give his share.
Yet many passed him, day by day, He might have helped along the way. He fancied kindness something which Belongs entirely to the rich. And so he lived and toiled for gold, Unsympathetic, harsh and cold, Intending all the time to share The burdens that his brothers bear When he possessed great wealth, and he Could well afford a friend to be.
His fortune came, but, oh, too late; The poor about him could not wait. They never guessed and never knew The things that he had meant to do. Few knew how much he'd planned to give If God had only let him live. And when at last his form was cold, All that he'd left on earth was gold. A kindly name is something which A man must earn before he's rich.
Dreams
By Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening BY ROBERT FROST
Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
Ok since this thread says share poetry, here is Cher poetry:
TAKE IT LIKE A MAN By Cher
Boy, if you want my heart You gotta take it like a man Before you fight for us You gotta show me that you can They say it's better to love and to lose it all I didn't learn how to fly without a heavy fall I went from A to Z, blew off reality So if my love is a game then you should learn the rules You take it on if you're leaving wonder why you lose It takes a wiser man to figure out my head I've been in love, went to the other side I've seen the other side I'm not about to fall into another tonight So get it right Boy, if you want my heart You gotta take it like a man Before you fight for us You gotta show me that you can So when the lights go dark I wanna know you understand That if you want my heart You gotta take it like a man I've seen and done it all I've been misunderstood But tell me what could be bad about feeling good It's all or nothing now 'Cause fate don't wait around I've been in love, went to the other side I've seen the other side I'm not about to fall into another tonight So get it right Boy, if you want my heart You gotta take it like a man Before you fight for us You gotta show me that you can So when the lights go dark I wanna know you understand That if you want my heart You gotta take it like a man Sometimes it feels Like we've got everything to prove We make believe But we rise again to face the truth On and on, on and on we're going On and on, on and on it's growing On and on, on and on only the real Know the deal Boy, if you want my heart You gotta take it like a man Before you fight for us You gotta show me that you can So when the lights go dark I wanna know you understand That if you want my heart You gotta take it like a man How does it feel? We do it better! So get the love that's in your heart How does it feel? We do it better! We do it better! How does it feel? We do it better! So get the love that's in your heart How does it feel? We do it better! We do it better! How does it feel? We do it better! So get the love that's in your heart How does it feel? We do it better...