User Poetry

[badgoodDeb]

wow!! Heavy, man. Good stuff.

[GeoffC]

The Word Artist...

Words do fail me;
How can that be.
Short words, long words, and those in-between.
Big words, little words, please help me to see.

Splice words with images;
Word-craft in stages.
Short words, long words, and all those between.
Big words, little words, not trapped in those cages.

Open the stage;
Fill up the page.
Short words, long words, and those in-between.
Big words, little words, temper with sage.

Chisel the sentence;
Careful with senses.
Short words, long words, and those in-between.
Big words, little words, open those fences.

Words that do rhyme
Those full of time.
Salute those who fight
To get those right.
Short words, long words, and those in-between.
Take all those characters and set up a scene.

Write in full vigour
Infuse with due power.
Short words, long words, and those in-between.
Big words, little words.
Bring right unto flower.

[GeoffC]

Snakes of Pain

Spirits in the rainbow,
tears in the rain.
How can thee not know
the joys of love,
the Snakes of Pain?

Brave chariot of Helios,
flying overhead
the unruly chaos.
How dost thou see,
the Waste of Dead?

Cold hearted Selene,
you rule at night.
Bleeding them clean
in endless battles,
But is it right?

Spirits in the rainbow,
tears in the rain.
How can thee not know
the joys of love,
and Snakes of Pain?

[GeoffC]

Come on Up

Does the rain wash away
the colours from the rainbow?
Do the clouds cry out
as the rain drains away?
Can we see teardrops on the mountain
and the fire-flies in the day?
Is there a golden heaven up there
just waiting, high above?

Do the snowflakes dance
to a tune in the wind?
Does the sky up above hold on
to its daydreams?
Can we see the deep drifts, up there in the valleys,
the edelweiss out, in bloom?
Is it a heaven up there,
just waiting to be claimed?

Does the high wind scream
as it drives through the ether?
Do the bright lights of night
scintillate through our dreams?
Is there a heaven up above
or an elusive crock of gold?.

The rain does wash
away all the troubles,
and the clouds,
they do scream
as the fireflies burn.
The snow covers the mountain
To hide all its sins.
And the sky gazes by
in a drunken obscurity
Whilst high up above,
the blooms they are precious.
Tthe tempest so strong
there’s no place for a heaven.
Does the rain wash away
the colours from the rainbow?
Do the snowflakes dance
to a tune in the wind?
Can we talk of the moonbeams
as it drives away the colours?
Is there a heaven up above?
Come on up, or wait and see.

[badgoodDeb]

Wow ........ :awestruck:

[ahi]

Can I join? Something serious yet whimsical and short for my first:

untitled

Them that profess knowledge of mysteries
know least of all.

As one who knows the meaning of life,
and the answer to the question, "Why?",
I am certain of that.

-- A. H. István

I will add one or two longer (and possibly more meritorious) ones from home. (I do not have most of my poems memorized.)

[badgoodDeb]

Everyone is welcome to contribute! Thanks!

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by ahi

Can I join? Something serious yet whimsical and short for my first:

untitled

Them that profess knowledge of mysteries,
know least of all.

As one who knows the meaning of life,
and the answer to the question, "Why?"
I am certain of that.

-- A. H. István

I will add one or two longer (and possibly more meritorious) ones from home. (I do not have most of my poems memorized.)

hee ! i like that one. thank you for sharing it with us. looking forward to more.

[ahi]

Thanks, Zelda. Three more...


untitled

Seagulls shit upon me--merciless.
Winds howl at me--torturous.
Waves beat upon me--without cease.
God himself breaks me--with mighty ease.

And I must bear all--without protest;
for today I am an island,
today I am No Man.

-- A. H. István


Left Without Words

I am left without words!
They fled into darkness—
Traitors to the cause,
They betrayed me;
And now, I am alone,
Surrounded by shadows
As evil approaches.

Though I am not yet fallen,
Victory is already lost to me.
And I am left without words
On a night, when even the moon
Casts only shadows.

-- A. H. István


Pettiest Theft

I thou thee, thou thouable thief*!
Sit thou calmly, sit thou sweetly;
Time for my vengeance will one day come.
Then thou, not I, shall be the one,
mourning thy letter brought to ruminate upon,
in the timeless hours ahead.

-- A. H. István

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou#Use_as_a_verb

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by ahi

Thanks, Zelda. Three more...

Pettiest Theft

I thou thee, thou thouable thief*!
Sit thou calmly, sit thou sweetly;
Time for my vengeance will one day come.
Then thou, not I, shall be the one,
mourning thy letter brought to ruminate upon,
in the timeless hours ahead.

-- A. H. István

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thou#Use_as_a_verb

i liked all of those but the last was my favorite, for its intrinsic merits but also for teaching me the use of "thou" as a verb and because i am (rather lazily) campaigning to bring back the use of 2 distinct forms of "you" in english (singular / informal vs. plural / formal).

[ahi]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i liked all of those but the last was my favorite, for its intrinsic merits but also for teaching me the use of "thou" as a verb and because i am (rather lazily) campaigning to bring back the use of 2 distinct forms of "you" in english (singular / informal vs. plural / formal).

I penned that one in a frenzy, Zelda. I was called in as an interpreter for a Refugee Determination Hearing, and my case was cancelled. The way things work meant that I would still get paid... assuming I sat around doing nothing for 4 hours.

Just for such an eventuality I had brought a recent letter from a friend to read, reread, and possible answer. But, I seem to have temporarily misplaced the paper, and it seemed to me this other interpreter used it as scrap paper to write a phone number and walked off with it.

Amusingly enough though, after eyeing this "thouable thief" of mine for 10-15 minutes, somebody found the paper for me--it had just fallen down on the ground by the phone I had been using.

She was innocent! But grand for this little poem.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i am (rather lazily) campaigning to bring back the use of 2 distinct forms of "you" in english (singular / informal vs. plural / formal).

Sorry, this will be .

You know the big issue with that. I am pretty sure that to most native speakers of English "thou" sounds formal, whereas the (historically formal) "you" is the more colloquial one.

A reversal I believe due to the fact that "thou" died out on account of having become nothing short of thoroughly offensive. So, with few exceptions, our main surviving examples of English that uses "thou" is from previous to that period, and we therefore associate "thou" with a sense of archaism (and make the leap therefrom to formality).

I think.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by ahi

I penned that one in a frenzy, Zelda. I was called in as an interpreter for a Refugee Determination Hearing, and my case was cancelled. The way things work meant that I would still get paid... assuming I sat around doing nothing for 4 hours.

Just for such an eventuality I had brought a recent letter from a friend to read, reread, and possible answer. But, I seem to have temporarily misplaced the paper, and it seemed to me this other interpreter used it as scrap paper to write a phone number and walked off with it.

Amusingly enough though, after eyeing this "thouable thief" of mine for 10-15 minutes, somebody found the paper for me--it had just fallen down on the ground by the phone I had been using.

She was innocent! But grand for this little poem.

the poem is even better when you know the story behind it !

Originally Posted by ahi

Sorry, this will be .

You know the big issue with that. I am pretty sure that to most native speakers of English "thou" sounds formal, whereas the (historically formal) "you" is the more colloquial one.

A reversal I believe due to the fact that "thou" died out on account of having become nothing short of thoroughly offensive. So, with few exceptions, our main surviving examples of English that uses "thou" is from previous to that period, and we therefore associate "thou" with a sense of archaism (and make the leap therefrom to formality).

I think.

yes, i believe you are right about that (i read an article about thou a long time ago on an etymologist's blog, i've forgotten most of the details but i remember the basic evolution).

i should have said perhaps "campaigning (rather facetiously)" since i don't seriously intend / expect to reintroduce the use of thou in english, i just like the idea very much. i do like the southern american word "y'all" though for the plural form, it's a funny word but very useful too.

[griffonwing]

I just found this thread. I've been so long in News and Commentary (which I have bookmarked, I never saw this one.

I mostly write structured verse. I've dabbled in free verse, but I write better with structure.

This first one here was inspired by Lord Byron's She Walks In Beauty. I challenged myself to use the same rhyme scheme and meter as his. I had done a reading of She Walks in college, and totally fell in love with the work.

----EYES TOWARD HEAVEN-----

I see thine eyes of ocean bleu,
A mellow yearning calling me;
For my heart will I give to you,
And scale the mount and swim the sea.
But, nay. See I thine soul yearn, too.
But for another's company.

Can I not dream, and can't I gaze
Upon thy gracious angel's wings;
To picture myself in your praise,
And wearing one anthers rings;
To listen through an unseen haze
Onto the notes of love thou sings.

When I float down from clouds surround,
And am on pedestal no more,
I plant my feet firm on the ground
And unlock gates of heaven's door.
Oh, then perhaps I will have found
My angel, then I'll search no more.

=============================
This last one pays homage to the odes of long ago. I chose to put the old style into the 21st century by basing the theme on the Civil War.

-----ODE TO A BATTLE LOST IN TIME-----

Yon hill ahead, deserted of its fame,
xxxxHolds memories of heaven and of hell.
For it was here two thousand soldiers came,
xxxxAnd here only a few would live to tell.
With bayonets and smoke, and gunfire blazed,
xxxxAnd men's lives lost whose life had just begun,
xxxxxxxxThe blood that spilled and filled o're crimson pools,
Along the ruined land that they had razed.
xxxxThe acts occured that day can't be undone,
xxxxxxxxNor make, again, of stones and bones, grand jewels.

The smoking guns, the choking of the throats,
xxxxThe calvary, a-stand from row to row,
And firing in the midst of dark blue coats,
xxxxStart felling brothers down, injustice show.
Among the haze of battle left and right,
xxxxGreat screams are heard from friends and comrades near.
xxxxxxxxWhat horror must be eating them inside?
What ghastly manner urging them to fight?
xxxxWhat strength had them to manage 'gainst their fear?
xxxxxxxxNo answer can there be except for pride.

A country split asunder, halved in two.
xxxxTheir pride allowing them to lose control.
A bitter choice, but no-one really knew
xxxxThe conflict would end in so great a toll.
But hist'ry has a way of echoing,
xxxxA way of duplicating past events.
xxxxxxxxI hope that we, the lesson learned, entomb,
Our brothers, those who fought and died that spring.
xxxxAnd giving thought, I feel we've come far, since
xxxxxxxxOn that hill, now, a garden grows full bloom.

[griffonwing]

GeoffC - Great writing! I love your different rhyme schemes. AAB-CCB-DDB. Very nice. Have you ever tried your hand at a villanelle?

PS, I see ye are from Scotland. Have ye ever, by chanced, met the Poet McTeagle?
"Oh gi'e to me a shillin' for some fags and I'll pay ye back on Thursday, but if you wait till Saturday I'm expecting a divvy from the Harpenden Building Society"