Why Poetry Must Be Read Aloud
Why Poetry Must be Read Aloud
The poet caresses the purity of the
blank white page, seduces it, whispers
to it, teases and cajoles, coaxing
from the emptiness a depth of
solace, the fullness of a lover’s smile.
His words are mined, milled, and
shaped by the hammer and anvil of
his heart. Heated to molten glow by
his passion and his longing to be
enveloped, entrapped, ensnared
in the web of whiteness.
Thus, he pours out his metaphoric
blood, his soul, in words. Words –
words that mar the clarity of the page,
despoil its clinical perfection. Words
torn from love, or pain, or loneliness,
unspoken words yet to feel the breath
of freedom.
So is the secret shared without fervor,
without rage, in lust-less, loveless, agony.
Etched onto the silence of the paper,
hidden in the margins of the white bordered
prison. Waiting – to be given a voice, to
be imbued with the passion found in the
speaker, to echo across a valley, to
be shouted, sung, screamed into the
cooling air of life.
It is not enough to be written,
to fill the emptiness of the page,
for paper has no passion.
John G. Lawless
4/9/2014
Copyright © John Lawless | Year Posted 2014
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment