We don't know it all
But we can never be late
We don't have it all
But we can never be liabilities
Because we believe in our agility
Showcasing our abilities
Paving ways for possibilities.
We're not the most powerful
But we're not preys
We live with humility
Doesn't mean we're timid
We show love
Doesn't mean we're fearful.
We're silent
Doesn't mean we're weak
We're generous
Doesn't mean we're foolish
But we always expect anything to happen
Due to our uniqueness
You're not responsible for people's actions and more.
Poets are the ones who began the conversation, their word paving the way for philosophy,
Parmenides, with his poetry, laid the foundation of thought, bringing philosophy into the light of consciousness,
But then the paths diverged, poets continuing to reveal truth through metaphors and rhythms,
Memory and nostalgia woven into verses, in enjambments that flow continuously,
While philosophy created metaphysical narratives, unraveling with each deep introspection.
Plato banned poets from his Republic, creating a chasm between word and thought,
But it was a short-lived rift, for people prefer the simplicity of poetry,
Over the philosopher's monologue, which stretches like an endless shadow,
Even philosophers saw through the veil of complex jargon,
A language game so esoteric that no one could fully decipher it.
But not the poets, they continued to forge ahead, showing us the liminality of truth,
And we continue to do so, for poetry is breathed and felt,
Like an eagle sensing the weight of the air it never sees,
Only through the delicate dance between clouds and leaves, where truth reveals itself in silence.
A poem a day helps pave the way
For feeling I’ve succeeded
In keeping apathy at bay,
A nourishment I’ve needed.
Since most of us have such a crutch,
(It needn’t feature writing)
We might agree that just a touch
Of habit keeps us fighting.
We don’t need others to approve,
For they can never measure
The joy our choices do behoove
To bring us daily pleasure.
Only a compassionate heart may help pave the way toward heavenly bliss.
© Demetrios Trifiatis
19 May 2022
When he entered college that fall,
The light of knowledge cast its ray.
He learned how to stand proud and tall,
As he began paving his way.
The light of knowledge cast its ray
Over his young mind as he grew.
He worked throughout the night and day
To make sure that his dreams came true.
He learned how to stand proud and tall
In his time of graduation.
He then carried a mighty haul
Without any hesitation.
As he began paving his way,
He kept on running at full speed.
He continued to work and play,
And still helped those who were in need.
© 2021
Big yellow taxi
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot
And all I got
Was this tie died t.shirt
My washing machine cleansed
And a 2nd hand scratched record
On which a needle jumps
To the beat of a Trump oval office
West Wing
Whitehouse
Partitioned
Behind a Wall
When we come to the point in Life where the number of days behind us far out-number the reasonably expected days ahead, then the wisdom we’ve accrued should be useful to others who follow. One of the challenges will be in finding the tools through which to impart and relay what we’ve learned, in some useful array. One possible avenue is: Rhyming poetry.
We who are in the process of counting those remaining days don’t have all the answers, to be sure, but we may have one or two which might “pave over” some rough spots for others – which we, years before, passed across.
No man stands alone, neither as an island nor an all-knowing wizard. It is our duty, simply because we at one time drew breath, to put as many stones in the roadway mankind has continued to construct, as is our ability to do. No payment or recompense is sought or expected. Rewards come at the very end of each individual journey: Someone else may use the roadway we helped, in some small, humbling part, to construct.
The paving stone sits like a stone
Alone at the side of the street
It has no eyes, no ears to hear
It cannot feel the passing feet
Tears and fears and threats and conversational discourse
Cannot move the slab that submits to only force
Too heavy to ride the tide of human emotion
It lies on the bed of the social ocean
Has no fears about pollution
Doesn't care for revolution
Doesn't mind
Unaware,
Blind.
And every day,
The planet spins
For they who lose
And those who win
And the paving stone.
Shattered shards of glass
Scattered around the blacktop
Fields of long ago
Positioning yourself to travel the path
of a vision that's larger than you,
Overwhelmed with the task,
yet prepared to accept the challenges
of something new.
Appreciating your persistence and dedication
but most of all your will,
Willing to step out on faith
believing that dreams become real.
Encouraging others to make that stand,
by refusing the thought to fail.
Allowing confidence to hide in your heart.
You now have a story to tell.
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.