Poetry, anyone

[daydream]

Anyone care to share their favourite poems or poets?

One thing that puts me off poetry is that I find it hard to understand the matter under consideration. I even struggle with Shakespeare although I did the 'Merchant of Venice' in my school days. I also had this wonderful trainee teacher who introduced me to the love for poetry. 

Of course it helps that there free Shakespearean plays online during this lockdown period. A great way to come to love the arts and literature. 

 

https://www.theclassroom.com/benefits-reading-poems-11971.html (Updated September 26, 2017)

Benefits of reading poetry

1.  Academic Benefits

 The US undersecretary of education (2012), praised arts education, claiming it teaches critical thinking and innovation, helping students see the big picture. All of these skills, she argues, lead students to be more creative problem-solvers. Just like visual arts or music, reading and writing poetry require concentration, patience and attention to details, skills that can be carried into other areas of study. Further, poetry has been shown to increase reading fluency among young students by teaching them that the placement of words, as well as the words themselves, affects meaning.

2. Intellectual Benefits

.....Additionally, poetry increases verbal intelligence by introducing readers not just to new words, but to different meanings for words they already know

 

3.   Emotional Benefits

Poetry enhances readers’ emotional lives. As reported by the UK's Telegraph Media Group, researchers from the University of Liverpool used brain scans to measure volunteers’ responses to reading.....

 

4.  Empathetic Benefits

Poetry increases readers’ empathy. In 2011, The Guardian News reported on its website that studies from the University at Buffalo indicate readers put themselves in the place of protagonists while reading, making them more sympathetic toward characters.  By stepping into another’s life, readers shared experiences they could not have otherwise and demonstrated greater empathy for characters. These are changes Oatley believes readers carry into everyday life, which could have a profound positive effect on society.

 

 

One of my favourite Poems :-

1.  Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard BY THOMAS GRAY

 

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,

         The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,

The plowman homeward plods his weary way,

         And leaves the world to darkness and to me.

 

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Mclove
added a word

[Tortuga]

Roses are red 

Violets are blue

I can't rhyme

Can you?

[daydream]

https://www.writingforward.com/poetry-writing/the-personal-benefits-of-writing-poetry

 

Emotional and Intellectual Benefits of Writing Poetry

Whether you want to stimulate your intellect or foster emotional health and well-being, poetry writing has many benefits to offer:

 

• Therapeutic: Poetry fosters emotional expression and healing through self-expression and exploration of one’s feelings. It provides a safe way to vent, examine, and understand our feelings.

• Self-awareness: Through raw expression of our thoughts and feelings, poetry can help us become more attuned to what’s going on in our hearts and minds.

• Creative thinking: With its emphasis on symbolism, metaphor, and imagery, poetry writing fosters and promotes creative thinking.

• Connections: Many people write poetry privately, but when poems are shared, they can inspire, move, and honor other people, forging deeper interpersonal connections.

 

• Catharsis: The act of creation — of making something out of nothing — is a cathartic experience.

• Critical thinking: Through the expression of our thoughts and ideas, poetry pushes us to challenge ourselves intellectually.

• Language and speaking: The practice of poetry strengthens language, writing, and speaking skills.

• Developing perspective, empathy, and world views: Writing poetry often prompts us to look at the world from a variety of perspectives, which fosters empathy and expands one’s world view.

• Cognitive function: Whether we’re searching for the perfect word, working out how to articulate a thought, or fine-tuning the rhythm and meter of a poem, the steps involved in crafting poetry strengthen our cognitive processes

Quote

This is just a sampling of the benefits of writing poetry. Can you think of any other ways that poetry writing is beneficial?

 

[daydream]

6 minutes ago, Bro Richard said:

 

Roses are red 

Violets are blue

I can't rhyme

Can you?

Ah, the making of a master. Errr, joker?

[Tortuga]

6 minutes ago, Mclove said:

Ah, the making of a master. Errr, joker?

A master, a poet, a joker or ham..

I am, I am, the man I am...

[daydream]

Ham, definition.

[short for hamfatter, from "The Ham-fat Man," minstrel song]

1. someone who enjoys performing and who tends to behave in an exaggerated or playful way when people are watching
     // A bit of a ham, she's been collecting these one-liners for decades.
         — Elizabeth Rubin

 

Bah, hambug. It's lunchtime (12.38 pm) and I was thinking it was a piece of meat. Ah, glorious hamburger! Yum

 

Here's to the hams of the forum.  May they live on even forever.  🤣

Thanks for the healthy dose of .......

 

[Ludwika]

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting Robin into her nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
Emily Dickinson.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

[daydream]

One person commented on https://www.writingforward.com :

 

"Poetry writing is more than just tossing a few lines on a page.
If you want to write poetry, read poetry: TS Eliot, Anne Sexton, Rodney Merwin, Emily Dickenson, Robert Lowell.

 

"I cut my teeth on Yeats:

Quote

 

 

 

“One had a lovely face

And two or three had charm,

But charm and face were in vain

Because the mountain grass

Cannot but keep the form

Where the mountain hare has lain.”

 

Mastering the poetic line is essential to mastering the prose line."

[Dages]

I like the haikus

I am not talented though

Counting on fingers

 

[daydream]

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43283/when-you-are-old  (with audio  - like wow!)

When You Are Old   BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS

 

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

[daydream]

Thanks Brother David. First time delving into the delights of haiku. 

http://www.haiku-poetry.org/what-is-haiku.html

Haiku is an ancient form of Japanese poetry often containing (in English) a total of 17 syllables shared between three lines that are arranged in a pattern of 5-7-5. The fist line consists of 5 syllables, the second line 7, and the last line contains another 5 syllables.

It is important to note that the original Japanese haiku was measured in sounds, or "breaths," not English syllables

Here is a classic example of haiku poetry from master Murakami Kijo (1865 - 1938):

 

                                    First autumn morning:
                                    the mirror I stare into
                                     shows my father's face.

That's a poem that has everything:

• Two simple subjects
• Separated by puntuation
• It contains a seasonal reference (autumn) that also has double-meaning
• And it provides an interesting and unexpected perspective

[Friends just call me Ross]

I would like to relate to you

About a fitness guru.

One day he ate a raisin

That set his heart a blazin'.

But that was just the first of his ails,

And finally he died of protruding toenails.

 

Should prob'ly have drank my coffee first.  

 

My cognitive skills require caffeine to function.  

 

 

[Tortuga]

1 hour ago, Dages said:

I like the haikus

I am not talented though

Counting on fingers

 

With fingers and toes

You summon all that you know

And create your prose..

[Dages]

Paradise morning

I'm not sure if I'm ready

Millennium's over

 

🤔

[GodlyDevotion]

On 5/28/2020 at 2:08 PM, Bro Richard said:

With fingers and toes

You summon all that you know

And create your prose..

Even despite all woes,

The ideas come in folds. 

And I am right here

Still without the right idea

Oh my! It's a nightmare.

[GodlyDevotion]

It was a beautiful young night.

Basking in favor of the moonlight,

I laid back on the green grass.

Ripples of smiles formed and flushed,

It fluttered into a reckless faced world.

The stare continued to the stars,

I lie in its fondness and close my eyes. 

A crescendo begins . . . 

 

The luminaries does bloom,

Oh heavens, take me with you. 

 

 

[daydream]

Hope is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson - (1830-1886)

 

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

........

https://poets.org/poem/hope-thing-feathers-254

[Leonard Match Valid]

“A day to live”

 

Today I made a coffee.

I sat on the couch with nothing to do.

My mind was emptied,

I wanted to clean up what was left.

 

I turned on the TV to have fun:

So many people suffering, I soon gave up.

Lots of meaningless news,

From a chaotic and wounded world.

  

Another sip of coffee to wake up,

Wondering how you must be.

We get stuck inside that world,

We realize the profound evil.

  

But sad is seeing people without calming down.

Drinking my coffee just reminds me:

Many people who do not want God,

He just wants to know about your rights, the selves.

  

It will all end.

I continue my coffee, calm, without shaking myself.

I read the Word of hope for today:

My smile, my joy, a bittersweet mix.

 

The timing is not so good, I know,

But I do enjoy my coffee, and for a moment I prayed.

Who knows the day is the door,

And be my last comforting coffee.

 

Now I pause:

I remembered the teaching of that false church.

I look outside at the blue sky

And I imagine God taking them out of his hat.

  

Because He suffers with me,

You know what we're feeling.

But I smile for the future,

New world of truth that is already ripe.

  

Yes He is finishing his garden,

With many petals of Jasmin-of-poets.

Because your truth will always blossom,

Recreating love and coloring.

 
I finish my coffee.

I realize that I need more faith.

Let's go through the great tribulation

And I know that love for Jehovah brings salvation.

 

Today I woke up calmer,

I will assert what is written.

I know that soon we will go to Your garden:

Let's get out, let's get away.

 
Imagine:

You and me anyway.

Plant daisies and orchids,

Along with the cherub

And then peacefully sleep.

 
Let's enjoy,

Print out,

Re invest,

And love until the end.

 

Now I'll have to leave,

My coffee has cooled

Another day started.

But I will wholeheartedly thank,

  

Jehovah (my God)

That saved me,

He loved me,

Your Son He gave.

 

_________________________________________

In Portuguese:

 

 

 “Um dia para se viver”– por Leonard Match Valid

 

Hoje fiz um café.

Sentei no sofá sem nada para fazer.

Minha mente se esvaziou,

Quis fazer uma faxina do que ficou.

 

Liguei a TV para me divertir:

Tanta gente sofrendo, logo desisti.

Muitas notícias sem sentido,

De um mundo caótico e ferido.

 

 Mais um gole do café para despertar,

Imaginando como você deve estar.

Ficamos presos dentro desse mundo,

Damo-nos conta do mal profundo.

 

Mas triste é ver gente sem se acalmar.

Tomando meu café só me faz lembrar:

Muita gente que não quer Deus,

Só quer saber de direitos seus, os eus.

 

 Tudo isso vai acabar.

Continuo meu café, tranqüilo, sem me abalar.

Leio a Palavra de esperança para hoje:

Meu sorrir, minha alegria, um misto agridoce.

 

O momento não é tão bom, eu sei,

Mas aprecio meu café e, por um momento orei.

Quem sabe o dia esta a porta,

E seja meu último café que conforta.

 

Agora faço uma pausa:

Lembrei-me do ensino daquela igreja falsa.

Olho lá fora para o azul do céu

E imagino Deus tirando eles do seu chapéu.

 

Porquanto Ele sofre comigo,

Sabe o que estamos sentindo.

Mas sorrio para o futuro,

Novo mundo de verdade que já esta maduro.

 

 Sim Ele esta terminando seu jardim,

Com muitas pétalas de Jasmin-dos-poetas.

Porque sua verdade sempre vai florir,

Recriando o amor e colorir.

 

 

Termino meu café.

Percebo que preciso de mais fé.

Vamos passar pela grande tribulação

E sei que o amor a Jeová traz salvação.

 

Hoje acordei mais tranqüilo,

Vou fazer valer o que esta escrito.

Eu sei que daqui a pouco vamos ao Seu jardim:

Vamos sair, vamos fugir.

 

Imagine:

Você e eu enfim.

Plantar margaridas e orquídeas,

Junto com o querubim

E depois na paz dormir.

 

Vamos curtir,

Imprimir,

Re investir,

E amar até o fim.

 

Agora vou ter que sair,

Meu café esfriou

Mais um dia começou.

Mas vou de coração agradecer,

 

A Jeová (meu Deus)

 

Que me salvou,

me amou,

O seu Filho Ele entregou.

 

 

 

[Ludwika]

I see a light, so I put up a fight.
With hope in my heart I hear the song of the lark.
If Jehovah can make music with a little bird, surely that's so with a prayer that is heard.
As storm winds blow, I pray endurance I faithfully show.


O Jehovah my God, what can I do?
Sometimes I forget to think of you.
When worries take over the cares of the day,
when the hurts of the heart the Joys overlay,
when people I love shed bitter tears,
when I can't find the words to comfort their fears,
then I think of the Psalms, I look up to the sky.
I see the proof of your power shining on high.
Then may reading your word bring my heart ease,
O Jehovah my God, remember me please.

Sent from my SM-T290 using Tapatalk

[Amygdala]

A sister friend in my congregation and I brainstormed, and came up with this poem that we read out to the whole congregation after one meeting. It was a kind of our gift as a service group to all the other groups. The kids held up signs, too. 😍

 

Once upon a time in the year 2020,

came upon the world a nasty virus,

it spread far and near, hitting old and young,

so fast and so callous.

 

It put the world to its knees,

and left us locking down at home.

We couldn't go to work,

and school kids had to learn alone.

 

For shopping, we need mask and cart,

or else we cannot enter,

to keep the distance is an art,

in street, bus, shopping center.

 

We cannot hug or kiss our friends,

and welcome them at kingdom halls,

we cannot even shake their hands

without protective overalls.

 

The Governing Body acted quickly,

and directed us to Zoom.

Worldwide we continue meeting,

but each in his own room.

 

(Name of congregation) was quick to apply,

it took all directions to heart.

Though no longer physically together,

through our meetings not far apart.

 

Remember, how the door-to-door

was something that we cherished?

We cannot do it anymore,

that type of service perished.

 

These problems do not kill our joy,

or stop us from our preaching,

There are some methods we employ,

we call it online teaching.

 

We try to keep our contact close

to our dear loving brothers.

There's no such thing as overdose

from Christian love to others.

 

For example, through a card,

a gift, mask, or a phone call.

When we think of you, dear ones,

we know that nothing's too small.

 

The time will come when all of this

Is gone and all'll be better,

Until that time that we so miss

we pray we stick together.

 

We, that is, group number three

Send you our love and greetings.

It's you, dear ones, we long to see

at our Christian meetings.

[Amygdala]

On 5/28/2020 at 6:18 AM, Mephibosheth said:

A master, a poet, a joker or ham..

I am, I am, the man I am...

 

On 5/28/2020 at 6:55 AM, Mclove said:

Ham, definition.

[short for hamfatter, from "The Ham-fat Man," minstrel song]

1. someone who enjoys performing and who tends to behave in an exaggerated or playful way when people are watching
     // A bit of a ham, she's been collecting these one-liners for decades.
         — Elizabeth Rubin

 

Bah, hambug. It's lunchtime (12.38 pm) and I was thinking it was a piece of meat. Ah, glorious hamburger! Yum

 

Here's to the hams of the forum.  May they live on even forever.  🤣

Thanks for the healthy dose of .......

There's a city here in Germany called "Hamburg." All the citizens of that city in Hamburg are called "Hambürger". "Bürger" in German means citizen. I am not joking! 😆

Edited July 17, 2020 by Lieblingskind

[Leonard Match Valid]

24 minutes ago, Ludwika said:

Eu vejo uma luz, então luto.
Com esperança no coração, ouço a canção da cotovia.
Se Jeová pode fazer música com um passarinho, certamente é assim com uma oração que é ouvida.
Enquanto os ventos da tempestade sopram, rezo para que eu mostre fielmente.


Ó Jeová, meu Deus, o que posso fazer?
Às vezes eu esqueço de pensar em você.
Quando as preocupações tomam conta dos cuidados do dia,
quando as mágoas do coração se sobrepõem,
quando as pessoas que amo derramam lágrimas amargas,
quando não consigo encontrar as palavras para confortar seus medos,
penso nos Salmos. para o céu.
Eu vejo a prova do seu poder brilhando no alto.
Então, ler sua palavra acalma meu coração,
ó Jeová, meu Deus, lembre-se de mim, por favor.

Enviado do meu SM -T290 usando Tapatalk
 

dear ones ... my english is not good ... as more portuguese is spoken here so it is very difficult to understand there ... sorry if sometimes i write wrong ... i see in this poetry the feeling of the last days ... and really we forgot about Jehovah .... I liked the poetry, touching, sincere.

[Leonard Match Valid]

19 minutes ago, Lieblingskind said:

A sister friend in my congregation and I brainstormed, and came up with this poem that we read out to the whole congregation after one meeting. It was a kind of our gift as a service group to all the other groups. The kids held up signs, too. 😍

 

Once upon a time in the year 2020,

came upon the world a nasty virus,

it spread far and near, hitting old and young,

so fast and so callous.

 

It put the world to its knees,

and left us locking down at home.

We couldn't go to work,

and school kids had to learn alone.

 

For shopping, we need mask and cart,

or else we cannot enter,

to keep the distance is an art,

in street, bus, shopping center.

 

We cannot hug or kiss our friends,

and welcome them at kingdom halls,

we cannot even shake their hands

without protective overalls.

 

The Governing Body acted quickly,

and directed us to Zoom.

Worldwide we continue meeting,

but each in his own room.

 

(Name of congregation) was quick to apply,

it took all directions to heart.

Though no longer physically together,

through our meetings not far apart.

 

Remember, how the door-to-door

was something that we cherished?

We cannot do it anymore,

that type of service perished.

 

These problems do not kill our joy,

or stop us from our preaching,

There are some methods we employ,

we call it online teaching.

 

We try to keep our contact close

to our dear loving brothers.

There's no such thing as overdose

from Christian love to others.

 

For example, through a card,

a gift, mask, or a phone call.

When we think of you, dear ones,

we know that nothing's too small.

 

The time will come when all of this

Is gone and all'll be better,

Until that time that we so miss

we pray we stick together.

 

We, that is, group number three

Send you our love and greetings.

It's you, dear ones, we long to see

at our Christian meetings.

Wonderful wow ....
Do you know what is funny ? That when I translate through the google translator it looks like a letter, but when I see it written in English, the poem is made, revealed. Congratulations to the brothers and the children ... One day we will all meet and speak a single language ...

[dove]

23 minutes ago, Leonard Match Valid said:

Wonderful wow ....
Do you know what is funny ? That when I translate through the google translator it looks like a letter, but when I see it written in English, the poem is made, revealed. Congratulations to the brothers and the children ... One day we will all meet and speak a single language ...

I kinda thought it read like a Psalm..☺️

[Ludwika]

For our dear sister Mods. A Poem for My Sisters

(Read it when you have time... but dont forget to read it! )...



I was sitting, on a summer day,
beneath a shady tree,
descending into a slumber,
when a vision came to me.

There was beating of a thousand drums -
the ground was shaking too.
Then over the horizon came
a woman into view.

And then another woman,
with a hundred at her heel.
They multiplied a thousandfold -
the vision was surreal!

Salvation was their helmet,
and solid faith their shield,
With righteousness as breastplates,
their hearts were well concealed.

A mighty sword they all possessed,
held tightly in their palms.
Was this the female army
indicated in the Psalms?

Their eyes were facing forward
as they marched in perfect time.
Then I recognized their faces!
These were sisters - friends of mine!

See there that single sister?
Satan put her to the test!
How she longed to have a husband;
to be loved like all the rest!

And there, that older sister,
though her spouse does not believe,
You'll find her out in service,
every morning, noon, and eve.

Another lost her husband,
yet she marches through her trial.
Says she, "He's on vacation -
merely resting for awhile."

And that one lost her husband
when he simply went AWOL.
He dropped his sword mid-battle,
yet she's marching straight and tall.

Oh yes, and there's my sister
with her young ones - quite a sight.
Her husband is in prison -
he refused to go and fight.

This sister here seems quite content -
her life seems quite ideal,
But what goes on behind closed doors -
she never will reveal.

In spite of all these hardships,
the women march on strong.
The old, the young, the strong, the weak:
they bravely trudge along.

And then, like lightening, one of them
stepped right up to my face.
"How dare you rest!" she said to me.
"There's no time left to waste!"

"Here, take this sword and take this shield,
this breastplate you must wear."
"Don't rest until the Kingdom News
is broadcast everywhere!"

And so I found my place in line,
with no time to debate.
For now I see the urgency -
my sleep will have to wait.

No time for insecurities,
no time for shrinking back.
Just time to get this preaching done,
false doctrines to attack!

So next time you sit down to rest,
or get the urge to snooze,
Or if you start to tire out
while preaching the good news,

Observe this military force,
just see what they can do,
And pray for strength from God on high,
then you can do it too.
______________________________________________

"The women telling the good news are a large army." - Psalm 68:11 -


Sent from my WAS-LX2 using Tapatalk

For our dear sister Mods. A Poem for My Sisters

(Read it when you have time... but dont forget to read it! )...



I was sitting, on a summer day,
beneath a shady tree,
descending into a slumber,
when a vision came to me.

There was beating of a thousand drums -
the ground was shaking too.
Then over the horizon came
a woman into view.

And then another woman,
with a hundred at her heel.
They multiplied a thousandfold -
the vision was surreal!

Salvation was their helmet,
and solid faith their shield,
With righteousness as breastplates,
their hearts were well concealed.

A mighty sword they all possessed,
held tightly in their palms.
Was this the female army
indicated in the Psalms?

Their eyes were facing forward
as they marched in perfect time.
Then I recognized their faces!
These were sisters - friends of mine!

See there that single sister?
Satan put her to the test!
How she longed to have a husband;
to be loved like all the rest!

And there, that older sister,
though her spouse does not believe,
You'll find her out in service,
every morning, noon, and eve.

Another lost her husband,
yet she marches through her trial.
Says she, "He's on vacation -
merely resting for awhile."

And that one lost her husband
when he simply went AWOL.
He dropped his sword mid-battle,
yet she's marching straight and tall.

Oh yes, and there's my sister
with her young ones - quite a sight.
Her husband is in prison -
he refused to go and fight.

This sister here seems quite content -
her life seems quite ideal,
But what goes on behind closed doors -
she never will reveal.

In spite of all these hardships,
the women march on strong.
The old, the young, the strong, the weak:
they bravely trudge along.

And then, like lightening, one of them
stepped right up to my face.
"How dare you rest!" she said to me.
"There's no time left to waste!"

"Here, take this sword and take this shield,
this breastplate you must wear."
"Don't rest until the Kingdom News
is broadcast everywhere!"

And so I found my place in line,
with no time to debate.
For now I see the urgency -
my sleep will have to wait.

No time for insecurities,
no time for shrinking back.
Just time to get this preaching done,
false doctrines to attack!

So next time you sit down to rest,
or get the urge to snooze,
Or if you start to tire out
while preaching the good news,

Observe this military force,
just see what they can do,
And pray for strength from God on high,
then you can do it too.
______________________________________________

"The women telling the good news are a large army." - Psalm 68:11 -


Sent from my WAS-LX2 using Tapatalk

This was Alan's poem.

Sent from my WAS-LX2 using Tapatalk