Poetry
Poetry reveals, enlightens, consoles
Holding reflecting mirrors up to our souls,
Showing what we might not otherwise see
Suggests how our lives might better be
Poetry instructs, refreshes, and amuses,
Often fascinates; sometimes confuses.
Poetry blends the colors of our experiences
Breaks down walls, erects dividing fences,
Permits perilous flights into magical fantasy
Unravels the mysteries of life’s intricacy,
Regales with tales of mystical adventures,
Prompts us to embark upon new ventures.
Poetry can salvage the wounded spirit
Sing harmony for those who will hear it,
Filling bland, boring, monotonous pages
With soft, sweet whispers or violent rages,
Sometimes it reveals an innermost secret
Or shares the truth of an unexpected visit.
Poetry speaks to the innermost presence
Voices reality or delves into the essence,
Leaves much room for interpretations,
Sometimes making astounding revelations
Predicting the future in rhyming couplets,
Or separating into parts like small drupelets.
Poetry relives the epic stories of the Norse
And, always, there is Shakespeare, of course
Occasionally putting down the modern idiom
While revering the archaic, somber requiem
Libraries hold sacred the ancient poetic tomes
Lines of fairies, gargoyles, and gnarled gnomes.
Poetry demands respect of roaming muses
Who spark far-flung ideas the poet uses
Harnessing fleeting glimpses of the mind
Poetry—literature of its own creative kind
From sonnets to haiku to nursery rhymes
Penned for people of all climes…and all times.
[A modified Sestina sans envoi]
written August 26, 2021
Copyright © L Milton Hankins | Year Posted 2021
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