AS WE EMBARK ON THIS JOURNEY CALLED LIFE, A COMMON QUESTION ALWAYS SUFFACES. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
FOR SOME, SEEKING HAPPINESS AND FULFILLMENT, FOR OTHERS, IT'S CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS, AND FOR SOME, IT'S CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIETY OR TO THE WORLD IN SOME SHAPE OR FORM.
FOR ME, IT'S CAPTURING THOSE MEANINGFUL MOMENTS THAT DEFINE YOUR LIFE. ALL THE SMILES AND TEARS AND WINS AND LOSSES, ACHIEVEMENTS AND REGRETS AND DISSAPOINTMENTS. IT INCLUDES ENDURING STORMS AND DROUGHTS, CREATING NEW LIFE AND SAYING OUR GOODBYES.
EACH EXPERIENCE IS SOMETHING THAT SHAPES US AND DEFINES OUR EXISTENCE.
Into the patterned tile and out the swirl,
So does my conviction spiral,
Towards the sun-twinkled edge,
Warmer and warmer do the eyes burn,
Where I can't trace with the tongue.
From behind to beside to opposite you,
So is the path of my conviction,
As you evolve only in perspective,
It is still you I am fixated on,
But your stasis deems me strange.
Away from the center, towards the edge,
There is the dome of my conviction,
The wind on your shawl waves me away,
And when I reach for it's familiar fringe,
My hands come away bloodied.
ANOTHER NAVIGATING DAY
I have no idea
When sleep came down upon me;
Just that of sunrise:-
Praise God for another day
To be in His Love’s labors:-
Smoke until my eyes burn
Unforeseen circumstances occur
Forget to eat forget to sleep
Remind my heart to beat
Magical flaws in fountains
Rules of strength flaunted
Breathtakingly steep, so steep
Conjuring colorful plumes
Thought-provoking imagery
How can I create it
Yet I cannot feel a thing
Is there a tangible difference
There are days when the water exhales softly,
its glass surface holding the light like a promise,
and my boat -
once battered and splintered -
glides steady,
sails catching the wind
at just the moment I need them to.
The storms don’t forget me.
They linger at the edges of the horizon,
a dark smudge
where sky and sea bleed into each other.
I’ve stopped cursing their coming.
The waves still have teeth -
they gnaw at my bow,
leave me clinging to salt-soaked wood,
the tremor of survival
shaking through my hands.
But the wind -
I trust it now.
The calm was never meant to stay.
The storm will rise again,
roaring through me,
dragging me beneath its weight.
But I’ve learned to sail through it,
tilting my sails just so,
carrying the strain, not fighting it -
cutting through the water’s fury,
and moving forward,
even when it’s just an inch at a time.
The sea is vast, endless,
its horizon unwritten.
But for now,
the calm is enough.
And when the storm returns,
I will sail through that, too.
Winter’s captain, pompously struts his stuff, then
breaking tempo, alters the autumn rhythm;
slower pace is dominant, leaf dance dwindles;
nature's in rest mode.
Trees and bushes blanketed white by snowfall,
caps and gloves with heavier coats required now,
cabin fever, fidgety boredom, proves our
need of the sun's heat.
Shov’ling driveways, icicles dripping vex us,
tempers rise, thermometers plummet; hope says
spring is under climate’s control, so learn to
navigate winter.
During the stillness of the night I lay awake
Gripped by a blend of fear and unease.
The future, an unexplored sea
Leaves me pondering in uncertainty what will it be?
The shadows cast by tomorrow seem vast and daunting
Each step forward feels like an uncertain venture.
An orchestra of worries a tempests roar
I cannot simply dismiss the fear of what lies
Amidst the darkness a glimmering ray of hope emerges,
A guiding star that calms my apprehensions.
For, within the depths of my soul, courage resides,
Empowering me to confront the unknown and find wholeness.
Uncertainty may resemble stormy tides
It is, within these challenges that I refuse to hide.
I shall navigate through crashing waves finding my path
With resilience and strength observing everything anew.
Though fear, anxiety and uncertainty may endure,
With each sunrise, I shall endure well.
On the canvas of tomorrow's possibilities,
I will paint my way,
With hope and determination, come what may.
In the sanctuary of Religion,
the choices are usually clearly
drawn relative to good and evil.
It is up to us to choose.
In the area of Business, especially when
our demands are crucial, the choices
can sometimes be shady and scamming.
Sometimes, regardless, we have to choose.
In the arena of Politics, there may or may
not be choices of good and evil. Both may be
evil, and we do not have the option to bow out.
We only have the obligation to make our choices.
062424PS
His world is a rose garden, I nurture and grow
A place where emotions bloom, and feelings show
His heart is a river, flowing free
Stillness as a lake, and heals all aches
But my world...
my world is a maze, I even get lost in the haze
A language I Can't speak, a code hog-tied to crack
my thoughts are like a storm, I keep searching for calm
my walks like thunder, I keep searching for an acupuncture
But when the both worlds collide, there's a common ground
In the quiet, we hear each other's sound
We take a course navigating in the maze and the storm
And locate love that blooms, in a shared form
Emptying heart of seeking and desire,
no thoughts arise and therefore ego dies,
whence presence, now an ethereal fire,
in the void of no-thingness, wingless flies.
The primal celestial music within,
reverberates with omnipotent force
deep in cave of heart, so we go therein,
becoming the flame, changing our life course.
Time and space dissolved, as we vaporise,
transformed as that, we had set out to seek,
feeling breath by breath, rapture within rise,
soul imbibes grace of which we may not speak.
The pathless path we have thus set upon,
finds us in each moment of time reborn.
In life's uncertain journey, where paths diverge,
Some will stay, some will emerge.
Amidst the flux, where trust is tried,
We learn to navigate the changing tide.
With every disappointment, walls may rise,
As faith in others slowly dies.
Yet in our own integrity, we find,
The strength to weather storms unkind.
But some, they build their walls too high,
Afraid to trust, afraid to try.
Alone they stand, with hearts grown cold,
Their fears a story yet untold.
For expectations, silent and sly,
Can shatter dreams and make us cry.
In placing hopes on others' shoulders,
We find ourselves growing bolder.
With each setback, a lesson learned,
In boundaries set, resilience earned.
So let us walk with hearts both brave and true,
Embracing life's uncertain hue.
For though the road ahead is unclear,
In being ourselves, we find what's dear.
So let us hold our standards high,
And let our fears and doubts pass by.
By: Innantia Magcanya
Embrace your insecurities with grace,
Yet, don't let them dictate your pace.
They're shadows that may come and go,
But never allow them to diminish your glow.
It's fine not always to be on the peak,
Cool and collected, a demeanor unique.
Value the journey, not just the goal,
Secure your insecurities, make them your soul.
Blaming won't lead to growth,
Own them, let that be an oath.
Insecurity is a part of the ride,
But don't let it steal away, your pride.
Be comfortable with the Sway and flow,
Learn to let your inner strength grow.
In this dance of life, play your tune,
Embrace your insecurities beneath the moon.
Given that spirit can assume any form,
the manifestations that in dreams appear,
may conceal intent, appearing to be warm,
revealing their true colours, as they draw near,
so be it a placid lake or a dark storm,
if our eye be single and heart free from fear,
God in us embraces, God in shape beheld,
that so emoting love, darkness is dispelled.
Forced diversity has led to a compacted social sedimentation.
Another flavor of oppression...for everybody... this time around.
There's a heavy undercurrent of resentment and hatefulness.
Tugging souls down to where there's no air-no light -no honor.
A few well-intended veins are attempting to traverse the compaction.
But they're thin- fragile- guilt-ridden- unsustainable.
Destined to a slow wither or quickly bleed out.
If compacted for a prolonged period
There'll be a blending, but only via explosion.
Make no mistake:
This movement isn't about unity, equality, or putting balm to a wound.
It's about resentment, entitlement, and payback.
Choking people out with their mental scar tissue.
A challenge so bold,
A journey so long,
A story untold.
The wind and the rain,
The thunder and the hail,
The darkness of night,
The fear that will prevail.
But courage will rise,
And strength will be found,
A light will appear,
To guide us around
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.