Quantifying Poetry
Poetry is idoneous – the perfect fit!
We feel the beating heart of an emotion,
absorb or express that feeling
in a nuanced format of language
that can offer a profound satisfaction.
You watch, you listen, you learn
filtering creative thoughts into a structure
that is conceived in a framework on the page.
Gradually there is removal of scaffolding
and a brevity, clarity in word distillation;
the losing of the loose change.
You continually reach for best words, best order
until you have poetic form that offers
an edifice that is poignant, elegant or humorous
while dancing to the rhythm of the words.
A sense you have drawn up an emotion
from the expansive well of language
that is encapsulated in a poem
and, hopefully, one that is truly felt.
It doesn’t take a week to read a poem
but it can take a week, or a lifetime,
to appreciate and savour it.
Poetry allows us to speak;
occasionally it empowers us to fly.
I don't know what I mean to say.
I sit; confused by no one and nothing.
Mind wonders unprovoked by the world or even by a neighbor.
No one hears what I mean to say. Im processing, im certain of it!
Staring straight ahead. Head slightly tilted in unknowing, but somehow,
for some strange reason,
thoughtful?
Ah thoughtful;
That's it, I quit! Not thinking of course. Thoughts never seem to quit. I haven't been thoughtful all day I say;
Im going to wrest my brain. I can't think of much more right now. My mind is full for some unknown, but thoughtful reason.
Im convinced of it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a paper square holds
more than just ink on its face~
a bridge built of thought,
kindness sent, a gentle hand
reaching out across the miles
Oh Moses, part my red sea; let us go...
Far away from home; where is thy straight rod?
Don't just roam around the shore with ego,
Slam the sea with pleasing anger, don't nod.
I prefer a painful freedom for real
Yes, more than a pleasurable bondage-
Like a citizen by birth without meal;
Quiet in pain than a daring slave in cage.
Part it, walk on its dry land oh Moses,
Bathe your rod's joy though, forget not Aaron...
Teach him to your best knowledge the basis;
Feel free, cross to other side cum charon...
Even when Aaron leads on to the land,
I won't forget the rod to part firsthand.
If I count the cost, I must first look to the cross, carried to a hill of death so that a life anew may begin.
I must look at His feet, the spikes driven deep, his hands bearing the weight of our brokenness and his broken body.
I must look at his thorny crown, blood streaming down, staining the temple of the cornerstone whom we rejected.
I must look to his back, staining rough hewn wood black, flayed and betrayed by those whom he came to save.
I must look to his side, the gaping hole spread wide, blood and living water flowing in rivulets for an unworthy world
I must look to his words, grace in the face of hate, love in spite of scorn, and forgiveness that tore the temple curtain and the victory away from death.
He paid my debts, but this path is not without cost. For if I truly follow Him, I must take up my cross.
"It's all going to be okay" he would say,
with no scent of doubt in his breath,
even as its aroma reeked from mine,
as I'd blurt out "how can you be so sure?"
I never figured out what made my dad so positive in life,
though I'm positively sure his life wasn't free from trial
and the upsetting detours that can uproot our foundations
and upend the tables of tradition we depended on.
On and on life goes like this,
until it ends.
I wonder
What traditions did my father depend on
and, lay to rest,
for something, better?
What pressures pressed him so thin
that he'd give up those things
he once loved so dearly?
Is that what transformed him
into the appreciative, hopeful, happy guy
we laid to rest?
He watches, observes and loves with all his heart
Reservedly waiting to see reciprocation or active participation
Thinking, offering ideas for all to embrace,
Satisfaction to behold and a joy that floods his young face.
Considering others in wake of their pain
He goes the extra mile to ensure protection and such detailed accomplishment
While allowing others to make their own mistakes,
He reflects a sweet combo of trust and consideration.
Whose heart skips among the silences
Of spaces in between
The wind's due diligence
In gusts against the eaves?
A soul in sovereign solitude
Sifting through the pages
For life's sweet beatitudes
And lessons for the ages.
A spine within a heart
My heart aches within
Something pushing and poking in
Poking out
Knowing out
Trapped in
Happiness is within trying to seep out
Through the little cracks of grey, it seems
Gold elixir fading away
Into the grey clouds, we know today
Pouring with pins and needles
That just pins you and kneads you
Intoa paste that washes away
To come back
Better grown and better known
Better thoughts and better knots
New things this time around
A spine
A spine within my heart
Better prongs to use
And a lot of power to abuse
I thought it came better
Yet so it came back worse
Worse than the grey clouds and the muddy paste
Where do I go from here on out
A spine within me
I know the pain I can endure
The pain it could cause
But yet
I stay doing what I've done before
Will the spine get sharper until it burdens too much within myself
Or does death come upon me before the end
A Spine within a Heart
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by
the seeds that you plant. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
When sowing in a fallow field
A bumper crop you'll hope to yield
For many folks, do a good deed
Think of others when planting seed
Share your harvest and you will find
Daily blessings for being kind
Don't desire avarice or greed
Think of others when planting seed
Do not have a bad attitude
For everything show gratitude
Tomorrow you just might succeed
Think of others when planting seed
May your garden be filled with sprouts
And your days not be plagued by doubts
Do not allow contempt to breed
Think of others when planting seed
Your days will bear sweet ripened fruit
And grow when love has taken root
Keep your field free of tangled weeds
Think of others when planting seeds
Thoughtful but seldom happy
Feigned by concerns and craving
Reigned by dishonor and shame
Ridden with regret and remorse
Seething with paucity and pain
Battered by unreturned hard work
Helplessness writ large
O poor! sorrow and slight
Are your destiny.
But, be straight and upright
You are not alone
Those calling themselves affluent
Confined in their ivory towers
Depressed, jealous and worried
Riddled with insecurity and mistrust
With chronic illnesses
Counting their days
Are million times unhappy
CHANGE
Change can be good or change can be bad
It can be the best experience you ever had
It can be in the way you think about it
Try something new and try not to doubt it
You could change your job or you could change your hair
Just go ahead and do what you dare
Change can be scary but you have to be brave
Change something small in the way you behave
Change can be as good as a holiday
Change can be as different as night and day
You can change your decision, you can change your mind
Just try to leave your cares behind
Go out there and do something bold, go out there and break the mould
Do something that you wouldn’t normally do
Try something completely new
Get off the lounge and just start slow
Where you might go nobody knows
At first you may feel trepidation
That could grow into inspiration
Change could turn into something good
Thoughts of could not might change into could.
Being thoughtful is being aware, Recognizing the world beyond our stare. It's understanding, with empathy and care, That what we see might not always be fair.
Being aware is being in sight, Perceiving the struggles, both dark and light. It's opening our hearts, removing the blight, And embracing differences, day and night.
Being in sight is being in mind, Acknowledging perspectives, diverse and kind. It's seeking understanding, taking the time, To listen and learn, leaving judgment behind.
For many, out of sight is out of mind, But let's break those barriers that bind. Let's extend our thoughts to all humankind, Embracing unity, leaving no one behind.
Remember, in this world, we're all intertwined, So let's be thoughtful, aware, and always kind.
"my thoughts take me back to my sorrows- and I face each and let each go"
Love Poems
Out for Chinese food.
"A full wife is satisfied."
Good fortune, cookie.
Pulling warm sugar.
Our love is like sweet taffy.
It is worth the work.
Your hand is in mine.
We dine together tonight.
Romance lights the stars.
Too old for tender.
Our bodies are frail from age.
Gazing, we still bathe.
From a distant view,
you shadow the kitchen drapes,
as I mow our lawn.
Never did we fight.
Forgiveness is something learned,
when love reigns supreme.
Under warm blankets,
my primrose closes at dusk.
She blooms around dawn.
by Martin Braun
August 30, 2023
Dedicated to my lovely wife, who leaves me searching for words to describe the many ways I love her and the many ways she fills my life with joy.
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.