I Do Not Know You

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This poem does not fit the theme "perfectly".  It is an expression of my experiences here at PoetrySoup.  The talent, imagination, and writing of the PoetrySoup community are a reflection of the beauty, depth, and turmoil of poetry.  

I Do Not Know You

I do not know them.
Yet I have glimpsed their souls,
felt the heat of their passion,
plunged deeply in their despair,
basked laughingly in their humor,
held back tears in their shared pain.

I see their Avatars.
Faces that tell me only
who they were, who they
may have been in the process
of becoming who they are;
those who share themselves
in avatar anonymity.

Enmeshed in this cauldron of creativity,
this poetically bubbling soup
of ideas, thoughts, challenges,
enticements, coming to know
the poets - and the poetry
of their lives.

We pass each day, never making eye contact,
sharing stories, memories, doubts, fears,
reaching with our words to comfort,
to inspire, to soothe, to support,
to read, to write, to participate 
in the poetry of living.

I do not know you.
Yet I have glimpsed your soul.


John G. Lawless
1/31/2015
Submitted to – Write a Poem – Poetry Contest
Sponsor – Judy Konos

Copyright © | Year Posted 2015



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Date: 4/5/2015 4:08:00 PM
HI JOHN, Dropped by to say hi and congratulate you on having your poem selected by Soup's Administration. This is a wonderful poem to have featured on the homepage. Have yourself a Happy Easter ~Always & Forever~ LINDA
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Date: 2/15/2015 11:35:00 PM
John, CONGRATS on your win ~ SKAT ~
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Date: 2/13/2015 12:27:00 AM
wow, this one is DEEP and pertains to everyone. GREAT IDEA you flew with!!! Congrats.
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Date: 2/12/2015 9:52:00 PM
Congratulations John on your beautiful win. Verlena
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Date: 2/12/2015 9:07:00 PM
Congratulations, a wonderful take on the prompt. For the most part, we are all in the same boat - with many superficial relationships here with so much depth. Great piece, John.
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Date: 2/12/2015 5:09:00 PM
Back to congratulate you on your wonderfully written poem of all your soup friends. Blessings eve
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Date: 2/12/2015 11:56:00 AM
this one is wonderful...you have written a special piece and congrats. BG
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Date: 2/11/2015 9:57:00 PM
Very cool, nice write :)
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Date: 2/11/2015 6:22:00 PM
A wonderful tribute to all at soup John Many congrats on your win:-) Hugs Jan x
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Date: 1/31/2015 1:39:00 PM
Wonderful tribute to all the poets here, John. We do get to feel close with each other in sharing our hearts and souls in "this poetically bubbling soup of ideas" as you say. It is a blessing that perhaps only poets can experience with people they don't really know. Best wishes for the contest. Sandra
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Lawless Avatar
John Lawless
Date: 1/31/2015 4:38:00 PM
It would seem that every poet offers their unique flavor to the soup, thus increasing the subtle nuances of its bouquet. Thanks for your support.
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