poetry thread

[DevilsOwn]

your own or someone else's, doesn't matter

and since I don't have a knack for rhyme (heck, I'm never even sure I spell it right) I'll start off with someone else's



He drew a circle that shut me out
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took him in.


Edwin Markham

[Uriah Heep]

I am *certainly* no poet
But I always liked this little bit, yall figure out where from

Breathe deep the gathering gloom
Watch lights fade from every room
Bed sitter people look back and lament
Another day's useless energy is spent
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one
Lonely man cries for love and has none
New mother picks up and suckles her son
Senior citizens wish they were young
Cold-hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colors from our sight
Red is grey and yellow white
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion


be interesting to see who gets it

[DevilsOwn]

dang, I can hear the voice, and the music in the background....

I'll think of it around 2am.... nite everyone

[Admin]

Longfellow?
...just a guess

[DevilsOwn]

took a while, cause I always connect this with "Nights in White Satin", and for a very long time when hearing it would wonder why they didn't play the rest of the song. But the real title of it, which I just looked up having remembered the "Nights in White Satin" bit, is "Late Lament" and was written by a member of the Moody Blues, Graeme Edge and spoken by another member for the recording

[Penderrin]

ok sorry this is a bit long...
I read this one in HS and liked it so much I actually stole the book from the library. That is the only thing I can remember ever stealing, what an odd choice of treasure to covet so. I still have it right here, library stamps and all. Of course I had to find it on the internet to C&P, was to long to retype.

William Cullen Bryant

Thanatopsis

TO HIM who in the love of Nature holds
Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
A various language; for his gayer hours
She has a voice of gladness, and a smile
And eloquence of beauty, and she glides 5
Into his darker musings, with a mild
And healing sympathy, that steals away
Their sharpness, ere he is aware. When thoughts
Of the last bitter hour come like a blight
Over thy spirit, and sad images 10
Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall,
And breathless darkness, and the narrow house,
Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart;—
Go forth under the open sky, and list
To Nature's teachings, while from all around— 15
Earth and her waters, and the depths of air—
Comes a still voice—Yet a few days, and thee
The all-beholding sun shall see no more
In all his course; nor yet in the cold ground,
Where thy pale form was laid, with many tears, 20
Nor in the embrace of ocean, shall exist
Thy image. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim
Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again,
And, lost each human trace, surrendering up
Thine individual being, shalt thou go 25
To mix forever with the elements;
To be a brother to the insensible rock,
And to the sluggish clod, which the rude swain
Turns with his share, and treads upon. The oak
Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mould. 30
Yet not to thine eternal resting-place
Shalt thou retire alone, nor couldst thou wish
Couch more magnificent. Thou shalt lie down
With patriarchs of the infant world,—with kings,
The powerful of the earth,—the wise, the good, 35
Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past,
All in one mighty sepulchre. The hills
Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun; the vales
Stretching in pensive quietness between;
The venerable woods—rivers that move 40
In majesty, and the complaining brooks
That make the meadows green; and, poured round all,
Old Ocean's gray and melancholy waste,—
Are but the solemn decorations all
Of the great tomb of man! The golden sun, 45
The planets, all the infinite host of heaven,
Are shining on the sad abodes of death,
Through the still lapse of ages. All that tread
The globe are but a handful to the tribes
That slumber in its bosom.—Take the wings 50
Of morning, pierce the Barcan wilderness,
Or lose thyself in the continuous woods
Where rolls the Oregon, and hears no sound,
Save his own dashings,—yet the dead are there:
And millions in those solitudes, since first 55
The flight of years began, have laid them down
In their last sleep—the dead reign there alone.
So shalt thou rest; and what if thou withdraw
In silence from the living, and no friend
Take note of thy departure? All that breathe 60
Will share thy destiny. The gay will laugh
When thou art gone, the solemn brood of care
Plod on, and each one as before will chase
His favorite phantom; yet all these shall leave
Their mirth and their employments, and shall come 65
And make their bed with thee. As the long train
Of ages glide away, the sons of men,
The youth in life's green spring, and he who goes
In the full strength of years, matron and maid,
The speechless babe, and the gray-headed man— 70
Shall one by one be gathered to thy side
By those, who in their turn shall follow them.

So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan which moves
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take 75
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 80
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.

[Uriah Heep]

Knew someone would get that

And wow, Pen, Good one for sure! Altho I probably wouldnt have ripped off the book, just tore the pertinant pages out *grins*

So who's next? lol

[Uriah Heep]

OMG Had to memorize this one to pass an English class...4 DECADES AGO!!!!!11!!!!1!1!
geeez, I'm valuable, I'm an antique

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron (1809–92)


HALF a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade! 5
Charge for the guns!” he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismay’d? 10
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die: 15
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them 20
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell 25
Rode the six hundred.

Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while 30
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the sabre-stroke 35
Shatter’d and sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them, 40
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well 45
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade? 50
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred

[Synclaire]

I know a lil song
it aint very long
deedalum
deedalum
now its all gone.

[Uriah Heep]

LOL@Syn

[Uriah Heep]

I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars
that shine and twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
in such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
what wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

[Admin]

Timely Uriah. It brings us back to center in this hectic season. Thanks : )

[Uriah Heep]

Got out of town on a boat
Goin' to Southern islands.
Sailing a reach
Before a followin' sea.
She was makin' for the trades
On the outside,
And the downhill run
To Papeete.
Off the wind on this heading
Lie the Marquesas.
We got eighty feet of the waterline.
Nicely making way.
In a noisy bar in Avalon
I tried to call you.
But on a midnight watch I realized
Why twice you ran away.
Chorus
Think about how many times
I have fallen
Spirits are using me
larger voices callin'.
What heaven brought you and me
Cannot be forgotten.
I have been around the world,
Lookin' for that woman/girl,
Who knows love can endure.
And you know it will.
And you know it will.
When you see the Southern Cross
For the first time
You understand now
Why you came this way
'Cause the truth you might be runnin' from
Is so small.
But it's as big as the promise
The promise of a comin' day.
So I'm sailing for tomorrow
My dreams are a dyin'.
And my love is an anchor tied to you
Tied with a silver chain.
I have my ship
And all her flags are a flyin'
She is all that I have left
And music is her name.
Chorus
Think about how many times
I have fallen
Spirits are using me
larger voices callin'.
What heaven brought you and me
Cannot be forgotten.
I have been around the world,
Lookin' for that woma/girl,
Who knows love can endure.
And you know it will.
And you know it will.
So we cheated and we lied
And we tested
And we never failed to fail
It was the easiest thing to do.
You will survive being bested.
Somebody fine
Will come along
Make me forget about loving you.
At the Southern Cross.

[Danse]

I Dream

I dream of whites, blacks, sorrels, paints
Riding Pegasus' back
I dream of dapples, bays, grays
Soaring over the ground
Head thrown back, breathing in the scent
Of new grass, sweating horse!
Oh! I dream!
In my mind, I am winning the Derby!
Placing First in my first ever show.
Oh, yes, I dream.
With four feet I dance, spin and
Trot back to reality...

(Written after a barn fire, in memory of a great bay...)

Kinda childish, but it is mine, from the heart.

[Admin]

Beautiful Danse..I will definitely point that out to Nog, she will love it.

[DevilsOwn]

knew we had a poetry thread somewhere, just had to dig to find it....

went shopping today (hush Uriah) and stopped by the Vermont Country Store (online, Cru, didn't drive by you again)... the man that owns that place is named Lyman Orton, and he recently led a movement in that state to deny neighborhood 'improvement' groups and town fathers the ability to say 'you cannot hang clothes out to dry'... you can read all about it here, but wanted to post here the little poem about clotheslines they have there

THE CLOTHESLINE

A clothesline was a news forecast
to strangers passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
when clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link
as neighbors always knew
if company had stopped on by
to spend a night or two.

It's then you'd find the fancy sheets
and towels on the line,
along with linen tablecloths
of intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth
to folks who lived inside
when brand new infant clothes were hung
so carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could
so readily be known.
By watching how the sizes changed
you'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck
as extra sheets were hung.
Then nightclothes and a bathrobe, too,
haphazardly were strung.

It said Gone on vacation now!
when lines hung limp and bare.
It told We're back! when full lines sagged
without an inch to spare.

New folks in town were scorned upon
if wash was dingy gray
as neighbors raised their brows and looked
disgustedly away.

But clotheslines now are of the past
for dryers make work less.
Now what goes on inside a home
is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign
when neighbors knew each other best
by what hung on the line!

-By MARILYN K. WALKER

[Uriah Heep]

LOL so very true!!!

And another bit of the old lifestyle bites the dust...

(altho I really don't miss the outhouses! )

[aoLOLita]

A love poem I wrote years ago...

Whispers In the Night ...

When I am with you,
I am with YOU -
not someone from before .
For both fondness and lust
I have showered on others -
but only one captures my heart -
makes me want to whisper:

I love you ...


But "I love you"
Is a phrase that
has become banal
from over use
and under meaning -
so instead I whisper

"Je t'aime" -

a foreign phrase
from My lips,
yet one backed up
with much meaning ...

You ask,
why do I but whisper
My love to you ?
Why do I not shout
it from the rooftops?
Why not climb atop a soapbox
and proclaim My love ??

Because My dear,
Our love is intimate -
shared with those
we are close to -
but not with strangers
nor passers-by ...

And I whisper so that
the fickle gods
do not overhear -
so that we are not
the target of their
oh so human like
envy or jealousy ...
for Ours is a Love,
A Passion that is
Olympic in its scope -
and thus one that the
cruel Fates would deem
unworthy for mere mortals !

And so,
as you drift off to sleep
in My arms ...
I do not sing a love song
to the heavens -
but rather I croon
a soft lullaby,
for your sweet ears only -
its refrain being,
Je t'aime ...
Je t'aime ....

[Sponsored content]