I
A shaded lamp ¦¦¦ a waving blind,
¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ beat of a clock from a ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ floor:
¦¦¦ this scene ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ horned, and spined -
¦¦¦ longlegs, ¦¦¦ moth, and ¦¦¦ dumbledore;
¦¦¦¦¦ 'mid ¦¦¦ page there idly stands
A ¦¦¦¦¦¦ fly, ¦¦¦¦ rubs its hands . . .
II
¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ we five, in this ¦¦¦¦¦ place,
At this ¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦ time, ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ in space.
- ¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ my new-penned ink,
¦¦¦ bang ¦¦¦ the lamp-glass, ¦¦¦¦¦¦ and sink.
¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦ I muse. ¦¦¦ why?
They know Earth-secrets ¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦ not I.
(Blackout of An August Midnight by Thomas Hardy)
Emergency waiting area.
Someone in pain.
Someone in anguish.
Someone goes over and gently rubs their back.
Someone not long for this world calls me darling.
Kindness.
Your dog bed is empty, so I should know you're gone.
All our favorite places are now too spacious—
The couch, the patio, and the rug that we’d nap on
Feel cold and lonely, as I become the one and only.
Just last week, you were anything but gone.
Together we stayed, all over we played,
Burying bones and patrolling the lawn.
Now, the squirrels can't believe their sudden reprieve.
You’re not with me, so I should know you’re gone.
At first I didn’t fret; you’d only been taken to the vet.
And now here I am, watching a new dawn
Without my best pal to boost my morale.
These days feel dark, so I should know you’re gone.
No more silly drama, no more bark-o-rama.
Under a silent burden, the house feels withdrawn;
Without you, our big bone just isn’t fun to chew.
Every day, I must face the truth that you’re gone.
Our human's attention is the sole prevention
From dismissing each day with a yawn . . .
Receiving belly rubs and comforting hugs
Is the glimmer of light helping me see
How there still is a purpose for me.
As a young child my mind goes back to Tom,
a pure dark gray old tom cat.
We went visiting in the town next door,
when Tom took up with me.
The neighbors said,
they had never seen him before.
We took him home,
giving him a bath then food and milk.
I dressed him up in my doll clothes,
then gave him a baby bottle of cold milk.
Tom was my real baby doll disguised as a cat,
and he loved it.
We both had many wonderful hours of fun,
as Tom got extra rubs with cold milk.
insufferable people
it’s city life
like the train bum
We see him way too much
once a week anyway - he's notorious.
you can’t just loom over someone
stand too close
I can smell him, gross
get out of my space
get out of my face
stay an arm’s length away
He makes me miss covid isolation
There’s vulnerability in human interaction
Charles asks me with his eyes
I look away - which says ‘no,’
but I’ll let you know.
As we slide into the station
I step back
and Charles steps between us
my exit, now behind Charles, is blocked from view
and Charles pivots to subtly block his exit
until the doors close and Charles steps out.
In football that would be a ‘pic’
in basketball a ‘rub’
but there are no flags here
no fouls or whistles
we’ve practiced this for years
sheering away, steering away
misguided messieurs
.
.
A song for this:
Cannock Chase by Labi Siffre
Listen girl to what I say
You're the one I love and you're my bae
There is no reason that I should cheat
And I tell that to them girls I meet
They still gon try and do what they can
And all they want is to take yo man
So I tell them chill - there is no way
For with my lady is where I'll stay
So don't worry over things that you didn't see
And don't listen to lies, cause it wasn't me
So what at times I don't answer my phone
You know one thing, I'm coming home
You're the one who is always there
To love me and show me that you care
You are the one who rubs my feet
Now put some clothes on and let's go eat
Frantic meows and urgent leading
show me the way to the food container
"Meow, meow, meow" translates as
"Feed me, feed me, NOW!"
So, I do and give him a few head rubs
as he devours the food and begs for more
My ears ring as I sit in the loft
and the sun shines through haze.
It rained last night and I know
it will rain again. I’ve already
checked through my emails
embracing my ritual to start the day.
The house cat rubs against my leg
until I allow it onto my lap.
I visited a friend yesterday
and we sat outside
while he talked about his ailments.
I mentioned the one I lost
and the break-up that haunts me.
He asked if I’d love again.
Heck no, I said,
but then again, maybe.
We both agreed
that we bear our ages
and that’s better
than the other choice.
Today I go for a drive
taking in the scenes
I’ve grown to love.
As I hold the steering wheel
they whisper by the passenger window.
Just past a line of trees
The Mississippi stirs, an endless flow
as it streams through my life.
humor smooth and soft
gently rubs the hot conflict,
preventing friction.
Feeling nostalgic
for the simplicity
of childhood;
before innocence rubs off
and defines us.
Brackish lichen forms a raft upon the pond,
a low haze floats like a moored airship.
Small frogs chirrup sotto-voce
as if they were
dreaming sparrows.
Water birds dabble in their sleep.
Soon the sun
will dash across a drop of dew
bursting dams of light.
A fisherman in his truck
drinks his coffee,
rubs his eyes and smacks his lips.
He grabs rod and tackle,
hopes fat fish are lazily
rising.
Feathers shake off waterlogged shadows,
wings slap the groggy face of the pond,
ripples splash up
to rinse the air.
Coots and Plover call
until the water
awakes.
They're knocking at me door
In the middle of the night
They're knocking at me door
Giving me an awful fright.
They taking me
To a camp where
Ashes fall like black snow.
I'll not be overjoyed
By goose-stepping boys
With boots to their knees, oh hey,
And brown shirts and billy clubs
Cheese grater belly rubs
Coming to take me away.
as though endless life
ants and anthills rise and fall ---
midst snake intrusions
The waves&her
Along the waves she ambles
Prevailing the ocean elysian
The longing feel of a hiraeth
Sensual, her cheeks aflush; An inamorata.
She gently rubs her eyes and sees-
the bewitching phosphenes:
Ludic, And apricate.
Among the waves she stood, in-stillness.
The aurora reflecting on her eyes.
In werifesterias, she questions and halts,
The alexithymia she relishes
Then she ruminates with a glee.
The ocean flows mellifluous-
Dulcet. So orphic.
Away from the waves she walks,
Ephemeral, on the way to her metanoia
Absquatulate.
Light throbbing in the heart of darkness
Shakes its density and solidity
Dawn lengthening towards morning
Mops up darkness slowly
Shadows vanish
In its brightness
It rubs them off the bodies
Of men and furniture
Lion, camel, orangutan and tiger;
Light focused on cave
Clears the obscurities
Light of reason removes
The stumbling blocks of superstition
Light of knowledge conquers ignorance
Light of conscience deals with narrowness
Pushing it towards broadness and righteousness
Light broadens the narrow space of the heart
Leads it towards benevolence
Pride and prejudice, niggardliness vanish
With the white purity
Of the effulgent Divine light
The light of lights!
It hovers round us
Flashes with higher consciousness
In search of us groping in the dark
Near us comes it giving chance to embrace
Sure it is that we move pulled towards it
Let that light grace us towards fulfillment.
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.