OUR ORIGINAL POETRY: Share It Here
Hello there everyone!
If you're reading this it means that you probably are quite fond of poetry and writing it to. This is a thread to post all and any poetry that you may have, be it happy, sad, angry or just silly. All styles are welcome (free verse, couplets, slam) and it would be great to have at least one poem up a day for all of us to enjoy together!!
@inventiveHouse2965
Oh, im so sorry! Thank you for telling me- I hope the change now has made it more readable? Still on the lighter side, but in bold :) xx
I wrote this one a while ago, I haven't been able to write poetry or lyrics for a long time.
Oakland
Dirty sidewalks, papers blowing
Streetlight changed but no one's slowing
Broken lights are gently glowing
And smoke starts rising
Lovers talk but no one listens
Elvish runes from snail lines glisten
Friends are gone, but they're not missin'
And embers softly glow
All is quiet; dogs start barking
A slow white ship looks for parking
And graffiti artists halt their marking
As flames start to flicker
Empty bedrooms solemn yearning
Schoolrooms fill, but rare the learning
Broken wheels keep on turning
And the crackling grows louder
Morning light and bells are ringing
Radios cackle with tuneless singing
Playground swings with no one swinging
And the roaring comes to life
Noontime darkness, ashes falling
Children crying, women calling
Tempers flashing, cars are stalling
The inferno rages on
Quiet morning, no birds chatter
Silent hopes, like windows, shatter
And all is gone that once did matter
Dust and ashes and tears.
@Offmytrack, what an amazing compilation of images and interesting sounds in the word combinations!
@Annie I thank you with all my heart. The poem was kind of written about the big fire in Oakland some years ago, and partly from a great, burned out place in my heart. It is wonderful for me when someone appreciates my little bits of art.
Cold wind stings on my face
Black is all there is to see
Does anyone remember me?
My legs hurt with every step
I move carefully yet carelessly
Does anyone remember me?
Dreams, once so dear and daring, are now gone
Along with trust, hope and glee
Can anyone remember me?
I'm but a ghost now,
Wandering through nameless paths,
Free from every shackle, every rope,
As I move further away from my past.
Days come and go so fast,
I'm but a nameless spirit, at last,
Waiting for the day I will leave this flesh,
As I move further away from my past.
I'm a child of duality,
I'm neither A nor Z,
I can't ever know me,
I'm untamed, I'm free.
I'm a child of duality,
I always and never agree,
Is it too much or too little I see?
It is a curse to live like me.
I'm a child of duality,
Confused by normality,
Like you, I can never be,
I trust no reality.
I'm a child of duality,
Complex or absent personality,
At will, I morph what I see,
To fit the eyes of who's with me.
I'm a child of duality,
I'm always who I want to be,
And yet, I'm nobody,
On a quest to find what's missing inside me.
Dear @WhiteWolf96, this poem made me think and re-read. The repetition adds a haunting note . . . .
Home is Where the Heart is
He came to town in the summer, when the ice is supposed to melt
The coldest summer anybody here had ever felt
He entertained us nightly with his stories and his songs
Mostly sang of happy times when he could do no wrong
The bar wasn't much, and the regular crowd
Drank and talked quietly, they seldom got loud
He always kept our spirits up, just the smile on his face
Could warm you like a roaring fire in the old stone fireplace
Seems that he had played for years with a traveling country band
And all he wanted when he died was a guitar in his hand
But he always played a solo, not even a duet
And I wondered if his playing was some kind of private debt.
And I asked him why he came here, why he'd left the sun
He said "Home is where the heart is, and mine has come undone"
I never asked him more than that, but a troubled look appeared
It was three good songs and a pint of beer before it disappeared
He left a few days later, said he heard a wandering call
And he thanked us for the tips we left, the food and drink and all
He said he thought it would be best to leave before the rain
And promised that, if we were good, wed hear from him again
Winter came with spring behindThis last verse written by Iola S. Dunkle, my mother., and summer before long
But no one had the faintest clue of where he might have gone
Gone without a trace, they said, probably gone back home
Somewhere where the sun shines bright, nevermore to roam
But I dont think thats where he is; Id bet my stake on that
And if hes in a place called home Ill gladly eat my hat
For I hear his gentle playing in the sighing of the trees
His lonesome voice is singing in every autumn breeze
His eyes are clearly shining in the crystal skies at night
And though they think Im crazy, Im pretty sure Im right
That he has found another town far from the burning sun
For home is where his heart is, although its come undone.
@Offmytrack I loved how it tells a story. Read it once, it makes less sense :') Read it again and again, it starts making more sense :')
@Pureriver55 Thank you. It kinda popped into my head one night. Played with it ever since.
@Offmytrack I got goosebumps through the last two paragraphs... wow.
Ghost
I thought I saw a ghost last night
Flicker out like candle light
Then softly glow behind a tree
And reaching out, it beckoned me.
I felt a tugging at my heart
And soon my world came apart
Like spider webs on rainy days
And tattered clouds o'er windy bays.
And as I watched the eerie glow
I thought of things I used to know
Like friends once close that now have gone
Or words to ancient, nameless songs.
But when I tried to walk that way
The light grew dim and could not stay
Attached to common earthly things,
And flew away on angel wings.
Written on Oct 31, 1994
@Offmytrack Or words to the ancient, nameless song My mind is lingering over and over again around that line. And seems like you have written it quite a long ago. I am glad u kept it safe and we got to read it
@Pureriver55 Yeah, I haven't been able to write poetry or song lyrics since my wife passed in 2010, I am very good about keeping things like that available. Thank you for your kind words.
The Name of the Muse
I chatted with my muse today
She's quite upset, with much to say.
"You always ask for songs of love;
The earth below, the skies above.
You ask for songs of sailing ships
And villains vile, and lovers lips.
You ask for tales of Yukon gold
And people freezing in the cold
And stories set in tropic isles
With gentle natives beaming smiles
You ask for paintings of beauty rare
With ruby lips and auburn hair
Or quiet glades with autumn trees
And butterflies and bumblebees
And I have given every one
But rare the thanks when I am done
Your name goes on, but never mine
And you all think that this is fine.
But this is not my preference
I don't always make such sense
I'd rather that my damsels fair
Were caught at henna-ing their hair.
I much prefer to tell a joke
That makes the proper people choke
A ribald song, perhaps quite smutty
Or silly verse, completely nutty
An Escher house, with floors on high
And fishies swimming in the sky
And make up tunes that make you laugh
While other people think you daft
That is what I'd rather do
Than to tell you how much she loves you
I'm much more fond of the trivial
My name, you see, is Doggerel.
@Annie Thank you so much. I love to write poetry, wish I could write more.
@Offmytrack maybe you should write more. You could put together a compilation of your best works, or by subject matter... You are quite talented from the work i read.
Ghost
I thought I saw a ghost last night
Flicker out like candle light
Then softly glow behind a tree
And reaching out, it beckoned me.
I felt a tugging at my heart
And soon my world came apart
Like spider webs on rainy days
And tattered clouds o'er windy bays.
And as I watched the eerie glow
I thought of things I used to know
Like friends once close that now have gone
Or words to ancient, nameless songs.
But when I tried to walk that way
The light grew dim and could not stay
Attached to common earthly things,
And flew away on angel wings.
Sunshine
by Nyaga Roxas
[Trigger warning: suicide mentioned]
It's night,
I'm up, on a building:
I'm about
to jump, then fall down.
They think
that I am just kidding,
but I think
"Who would save me now?".
Like an angel,
she stopped and brought me down.
She said: "Hey,
what did you want to do?
You're special,
but you still don't know how:
I can't imagine
how the world would be without you!".
She believed in me, she told me I was special.
In the dark of the night, suddenly I found...
A little bit of sunshine,
even when it's dark around me.
A little bit of sunshine,
Even when I cry, hopelessly.
When it's dark,
and the night is surrounding you,
when there's no
sun to light up your day,
when you think
nothing's gonna save you,
hear me,
I know you'll find your way!
Now I believe in me, now I know that I am special.
In the dark of the night I know that I will find...
A little bit of sunshine,
even when it's dark around me.
A little bit of sunshine,
even when I cry, hopelessly.
Behind every cloud there is always the sun,
never lose your hope, even you think you're done...
Now I believe in me, now I know how I am special.
In the dark of the night I know that I will find...
A little bit of sunshine,
even when it's dark around me.
A little bit of sunshine,
even when I cry, hopelessly.
I had never seen her in my entire life
Yet I knew her for sure
We stared at each other
Her eyes talked to me in a language I didnt know
Yet I fully understood
And she told me she knew me too
We told each other all our secrets
And poured our hearts out
She missed me as much as I missed her
And she looked away
Ending that second
Of complicity
@mercurialcreature, youve described so exactly the connection that happens sometimes ....
The ending is enigmatic, yes. But I believe that, even when the connection doesnt last forever, it still has much value. ❤️
If friends were life, I'd already be dead;
If friends were blood, I'd never be red!
If friends were fields, I'd be barren land,
If friends were sea, I'd see just sand!
If friends were warmth, I'd be frozen!
If friends were bright, my world would darken!
If friends were stars, I'd be a pebble;
If friends were omnipotent, would I ever be able?
If only friends were some air, I'd be limitless sky.
If only friends were a pair of wings, I'd be able to fly.
Yes...I would.
I wrote this a while back.
@NotFrostButAPoet
Thank you for sharing your poem. I especially like how the repetition creates a rhythmic flow to the words.
The literary term for the use of opposites and contrasts to create interest and emphasis is, I think, called antithesis.
But regardless of terminology, I like the use of contrasts in this poem. 😊
Kind of silly, but I like it.
Wishful Thinking
Don't you think it would be grand
To own a little plot of land
And thereupon to build a home
With gardens in the sandy loam
And lots of trees, and good sharp axes
And someone else to pay the taxes!
@Annie Thank you, it always makes me happy when someone reads my poetry and comments on it. You are very kind.
The 2018 7 Cups Writing Competition has been announced!
Deadline is April 24. Share your work!
@Offmytrack
This was really cool and interesting to read. I really like the structure and what you've done with the three parts. Thank you for sharing :) ❤️
@peppermintlove Thank you so much for your kind words. There is nothing a poet appreciates more than a person who like the poetry.
what to share
shall I more
they say you are
like poetry
wind is blowing
sun is shining
oh mine
it feels fine
seem soon salvasion
left of toxication
@conscientiousPineapple1782
I really like this ❤️ I think it's especially pretty
i am broken
I came here whole
now I cant find my pieces
Ive been brutally shredded
Scattered through time
These bits of my soul
are gone now, forget it
Im gone
Im useless
Talentless ugly fat failure
I hate my very being
I hate my body
My soul
My mind
My heart
If I wasnt me Id kill whoever was
Out of anger
Out of pity
Out of mercy
Out of justice
youve stolen my innocence
You taken my life
Youve tarnished my eternity
Youve made me into this
This attention whore
This display of weakness
This runt of the species
I am weak
I am frail and afraid
I am smaller inside than you will ever be
I like the feeling of skin parting
I love the taste of blood
Somebody somewhere kill me please
I have rabies
I am a disease
I infect others
You need to cure others
And eradicate me
You dont take mercy on the virus
You destroy it
Do your job
@RaspberryRiver
Wow, this is amazing :O I love the perspective that you've written it from and it was wonderfully crafted ❤️
So this was a poem I wrote when I was going through a dark time, and I just wanted to share it with you guys... kinda like opening up my heart a little...
I Know I Knew
There's a girl that I knew
Who sits in the hall each day
And always says hello
If someone goes her way
There's a girl that I knew
With a smile that glows bright
And laughs like no tomorrow
She stays up 'till midnight
There's a girl that I know
Fading before my eyes
And her laughs no longer show
How happe she is inside
There's a girl that I know
Who wears long sleeves
And keeps her head down low
Because she no longer believes
There's a girl that I know
Whose soul is dying
Guilty to be alive
Tired of trying
I don't know how to help
This girl that I see
Because how can I help her
When this girl is me?
@PianoWhisper
thank you so much for sharing this ❤️ it must mean a lot to you and I feel like a lot of people will appreciate this. it really touched me