Login
|
Join PoetrySoup
Home
Submit Poems
Login
Sign Up
Member Home
My Poems
My Quotes
My Profile & Settings
My Inboxes
My Outboxes
Soup Mail
Contest Results/Status
Contests
Poems
Poets
Famous Poems
Famous Poets
Dictionary
Types of Poems
Videos
Resources
Syllable Counter
Articles
Forum
Blogs
Poem of the Day
New Poems
Anthology
Grammar Check
Greeting Card Maker
Classifieds
Quotes
Short Stories
Member Area
Member Home
My Profile and Settings
My Poems
My Quotes
My Short Stories
My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder
Soup Social
Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us
Member Poems
Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Random
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread
Member Poets
Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest
Famous Poems
Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100
Famous Poets
Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War
Poetry Resources
Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Email Poem
Your IP Address: 18.119.172.175
Your Email Address:
Required
Email Address Not Valid.
To Email Address:
Email Address Not Valid.
Required
Subject
Required
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? A flower, white and pure, in a field of debris. The lily maiden, a lotus in the troubled oceans, sprouting and unfolding, emerging amidst glass and iron, not in combat with the world, but in affection of its lone friend. The mild radiance of the lady does not cut through the oppressive grey, but rather quietly calls out, brushing against the coldness softly, a star glimmering in the blackened night— pure, composed, soft shimmers of light, a flickering candle flame— weak, fickle, yet present. Do you hear it? Do you feel its warmth against your skin? Do you wish to hold it? Run your hands through its hair? Keep it close to your heart? This tender thing, a pretty feeling, a sleepy lullaby, soothing troubled corpses, comforting the broken porcelain. And as it worships them, unwavering embrace, kind and selfless, it too fades— the petals fall away. They must. But it’s no less pleasing to see— pieces of snow, pearls on the sand, cotton eyes unblemished. The cascade, one after another in the fall, joining the rest, hand in hand, ready once more for birth and unbirth, spit out of mother’s mouth, then returned to the womb; so it goes. Yet, it does not weep, it does not protest, it does not mourn— small smiles and laughter, understanding, sympathetic to death’s cold touch, pleasantries with the ferryman, taking its murderer into it’s home, a table with it’s family, which is everyone, lays itself before them, an offering, a lamb of self-sacrifice, not in obligation, but because it simply can, and it is the best thing it can imagine— that which makes it happiest is already here. It is satisfied, it does not anger, does not regret, grudgeless and unstubborn. Without resentment, it nuzzles the hand that chokes it, knowing the pain of taking, that harm is done most to the self, kisses the knife that cuts it, cold unfeeling instrument, for it needs nothing in return. Wars, disease, hunger, it has seen it all before, how ugly and flawed you are. It has seen it all, but it does not judge, does not scrutinize; rather, it sees it all, and says, “This, this is good. I like it.” Do you love it? This small flower? Do you cherish it? This small piece of good? What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? What is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?
CAPTCHA Preview
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required