Poems

[Kinsao]

I used to love reading poems, when I was at college. :)
In fact, I had to read them, for my English Literature class (of course!). I like poetry! (At that time, just a few times I had a go at writing ones of my own too, but that was 10 years ago... >_<)

Yesterday I had the idea I ought to read poetry again, since I neglected it so long, and I was reading in "The Nation's Favourite 20th Century Poems".

Anyway that reminded me of the existence of poetry (lol) and today I found this site, which I thought I'd share, as a nice place to browse around sometimes.
Poemhunter
You can browse by author, themes, etc. :)

Ok, I'll also post a link to one of my favourite poems
Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou.

I keep meaning to try and write something again, but it seems way too pretentious for me to attempt it...

[Ma Cherie]

Well, I'm not real big on poetry because it's too vague at times and I don't understand what alot of poets are saying.

I do like the poem "The Wasteland" by T.S. Elliot.

[misa.j]

I keep meaning to try and write something again, but it seems way too pretentious for me to attempt it...

Yeah, there seem to be many poets with a self-interest who write mostly about themselves. Some of them are really good, though.

Charles Bukowski, my favorite poet, was such a lousy alcoholic, and all he wrote was his encounters with women who he slept with, but his words and style are so genuine and raw that you don't get uncomfortable like you do when you read poems that are too ambiguous or too pretty.

[alvil]

Poetry. I write a lot of poetry. Sometimes I compose music for them. Im my country somebody know me as singer song writer. I play guitar. I have attended some contest for song writer and literary man ( I'm graduate in history and literature). So my favourite poets are Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.

[Kinsao]

^ that's cool, Alvil! I admire anyone who is good at writing poetry or lyrics. Me, I haven't got enough courage to do it.

@ Misa : I'll have to check out his work! *interested*
I agree, a lot of great poems have been written out of 'self-absorption' if you like; the only trouble is, I have enough introspection but not the writing skills!

[Miki78]

Kinsao you really should try to write poetry

It's not that hard becouse true poetry and lyrics come from two things the Heart and obsivation

It is true that poetry is based upon your self oftain

your tragedy your joy

Or the world in the way you see it

so poetry and lyrics are self absorbed i think all work artistic work is like that

I write poetry a lot and have won minor awards for it

I love poetry

My fav poets are Heym and Byron ^^

[Kinsao]

Wow, you've won awards?! You should definitely post some of your poems!

Another poem I like: an early one of Wilfred Owen's poems:
Storm

[Yorkie]

I admire the poetry of Baudelaire, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Keats and John Clare. I particularly enjoy John Clare, who was a Northamptonshire agricultural labourer of the 19th century in tandem with being a prolific poet. He is now included in the 'canon' of English Romantic poetry alongside Wordsworth and Keats, whereas 30 years previously he was often patronisingly regarded as a token, unsophisticated rustic writing in peasant language. His poems arguably provide a more accurate insight into the lives of 'ordinary', rural English people than does the more sanitised, 'from a distance', middle-class approach of Wordsworth.

[Carlitos]

I love the poetry, not all of course, among my favorite poets are: Lorca, Juan Ram�n Jim�nez, Benedetti, Gioconda Belli, Gloria Fuertes.

[hope]

Whilst I like several poets the one I read almost daily and have always loved is Philip Larkin. I love how he uses plain speech and transforms it into something so vivid . Cannot give a favourite by Larkin but would say "The Building" and " Church Going" would probably be high in my favourite list. Also a complete opposite to Larkin that I like is John Donne. Of course "The Flea" has to be listed as a favourite and also "Song". John Donne has a beautiful rhythm in his verses and they flow in such a perfect manner.

[Riki]

Forbela Espanca Poem.

MY PRIDE

I recall what I used to be before. I whish
Do not remember! In painful afternoons
I recall I was a spring
That, in old walls, made be born the roses!

My hands, once tender,
Used to hover as doves do… Who could know
Why everything is gone and was a chimera,
And why don't old walls give roses!?

There are, always, the ones I recall those who forget me…
But I say to myself: "They don't deserve me…"
And I don’t remain that abandoned anymore!

I feel I worth more, being poorer:
For is also pride to be lonely,
And is also nobility do not have a thing!

[Riki]

Alexandre Manuel Vahia de Castro O'Neill de Bulhões

PASSING THROUGH


I


Go away go away
you who walk like a blind man pretending to be a seer
you who leave adolescents marvelled
with your gestures of Ambassador of the Invisible
of Holy Man of Murmur
of generous Giver of the Blood of Vertigo
go away
and may the women who sometimes served you as mothers
take you back in and cover you with rags of tenderness
with lice of tenderness
with chancres
snot
manure of tenderness
and then undress you the way they do old men and children
and take years removing from your pained body
the scabs they placed on it by tenderness
years and years on the doorsteps
ridding you of the lice of the thousands of lice
that suck your idiot head


And when you can revolt
take the Path-of-All-Surprises
the path you ran backwards
in inhuman forbidden direction
fight the dream vagabonds you meet
and exterminate them
they are your old presence in this world of men
are what you thought you had of most human
fight them and move on
push your new being forth
run ahead of him
ignore the screaming and praying
the letters of the women you left behind
walk always walk
you begin looking like any one of us
and your laughter is already human


II


And you too o one with the gestures of cosmic hammer
you too false stirrup of pride
vanity spied in shop windows
where luxury shows its teeth to the rabble
you indeed
splendid misery of these streets
complicated dream of impossible grandeurs
pale swan of cynicism
blue burp
borrowed blood
lapel of small virtues of the small myths
that sustain you still o dead man of long ago
disappear you too in the large sewer
that does justice for all
don't resign yourself to waiting
here you're just grotesque
only that moonlight that illusion of life
that you steal from the quotidian
that megalomaniac rapture
daily curse of fear
little mirror hourly interrogated


Disappear now that no one notices you
now that the cosmic hammers
sleep the sleep of eternal rust
somewhere in the already dead sky

[Michel Gilson]

I tend to be somewhat partial to the Romantics, though many lived such tortured lives(hence the inspiration for much great poetry).My favorite of all the poets would have to be Edgar Allen Poe. Though not sharing a real interest in the macabre,he was the master craftsman when it came to writing poetry.

[albanopolis]

The great English physicist Dirac disliked other scientists who were reading poetry. Poets he said are making simple things hard. Scientists on the other hand try hard to make hard things simple. So poetry is waste of time. Its out of fashion nowadays.

[Michel Gilson]

Poetry speaks the language of love. It is never a waste of time nor ever out of fashion.

[albanopolis]

Poetry speaks the language of love. It is never a waste of time nor ever out of fashion.

Unless one is an English major at school, or Language major in general, yes they are forced to read poetry. General public is indifferent about it, and a large majority do not understand poetry.

[LeBrok]

Although we enjoy poetry in songs every day.

[hope]

For some, it can be a therapy such as painting etc..a way to express themselves and put emotion onto paper.

[Michel Gilson]

Good point Lebrok, we do listen to poetry in songs on a daily basis. Perhaps the music makes it palatable to the masses.

[Michel Gilson]

Yes Hope poetry can be a great therapy. It gives people a way of expressing themselves or a chance to relate to someone(the poet) who may have experienced similar circumstances.

[ACV]

My favorite poetry is French modern poetry. G. Apollinaire because his work relates heavily to the art of his contemporaries like Picasso- while a painting can speak volumes so can poetry express feelings in such a way... but really I’m always moved by Baudelaire, especially Fluers du mail... his work is honest and brazen, sultry and heart breaking. Plus French poetry doesn’t seem to be as straightforward as American which makes it kind of interesting to me. Le sigh...