Learn well the rules of thy game,
but know when and how
to break them.
Be thou a lion untame;
be king...never bow
before them.
Cast off candles void of flame.
Thy light, on the prow
shall guide them.
Wisdom, ‘fore fortune and fame:
a fat golden cow
won’t save them.
Unearth gifts buried in shame
and seal with thy vow
to hone them.
Who but thee thy thoughts can claim?
Who thy words endow?
So write them.
06/12/15
Submission for Contest: Advice for New Writers: Words of Wisdom
Host: Tyshawn Knight
As the air gently blow it whistle,
Thoughts are swirling slowly in brain;
Jaunt to the fingers slowly
As a crawling centipede, nurture it and let
It spirit drop in to your pen like some
Water spills on the floor and spread.
After it's being written,
Make a review to avoid mistake.
Post it on soup, be expecting variety
Of comments because your aim to join soup is to
Know more about poetry.
Some comments may
Be harsh or kind,lodged in the heart
Like a heavy stone or lodged in the in the heart like a
Strand of a cluster of cotton wool.
My advise to new writers.
Anyone which comes your way absorb and digest it,
Make use of what is yours in it and
Make no allay of yourself.
Some personal issues may also stand as an obstacle,
Make no allay of yourself.
But people here on soup are generous
They always give their support.
As a new writers we need your help,
You that have much knowledge of poetry than we do.
Any mistake or misused of words in our poem,
Please do notify us we count on you.
22/May/2015.
Contest: Advice for new writers.
Sponsor: Tyshawn Knight.
Dear Future Poets:
The best advice I have for you is this:
Read! Read! Read!
Read the old Masters and read the new.
They will implant their wisdom in you.
And the insights that you receive
from the poems that you read,
will water your soul, like rain on seed.
How does poetry taste?
Have you ever eaten a poem?
Have you ever had ink ooze out of your mouth?
The poet, Mark Strand has.
In his poem EATING POETRY
Things are happening at the local library.
What? Well, you'll have to read his poem to find that out.
Mark uses intriguing titles and strong images to draw the reader in.
You, too, can learn to write poem titles that attract readers.
You'll also learn writing techniques from "How to" books.
Then, perhaps, practice your writing by bubbling spring brooks.
As a writer, you'll want to stock your
mental tool chest with poems that inspire.
Now, Write! Write! Write!
to your heart's desire.
One last thought: "Wonder is the beginning of wisdom" A Greek Proverb.
For Tyshawn Knight: Contest
It influenced the style of Bruce Lee
It intrigued the mind of Tolkien
It inspires us to be free
Often it encourages me
It lurks in the dark
It has no end but must start
It hides in our minds
Slumbers within our hearts
And often pleases the eyes
It remedies the broken
It goes deeper than the sea
It is the stem of our dreams
It's anything you want it to be
Search the depths of your minds
Can you find,
What lurks in the dark?
My friend, its Art
Forever I shall create
Forever I shall paint
Forever I will not await,
Nor contain,
What I must and will create
My Art
Poems written part by part
Ideas flowing from the very heart
I will not deny,
Nor will I depart
From my passionate lover-My Art
Don't lie to yourself
Search your heart
And find your Art
For contest- Advice for new writers: Words of wisdom in verse, sponsor, Tyshawn Knight
A Prophecy
John Grisham was rejected by 28 publishers
Before he sold “A Time to Kill”
But because he didn’t say “What the hell”
His books have sold over 275 mil.
Maya Angelou was once a whore
But she wanted to write and sing
When haters were speaking she wasn’t listening
And in 1993 she sang before a king.
Paul Laurence Dunbar was the son of a slave
Wrote his brilliant masterpieces at the elevator door
Determined not to listen to the white man because he wanted more
Now he is an example of greatness for the writing poor.
Tyshawn Nicole Knight was once a mental case
She wrote poetry on the floors in the psych ward
But, she never gave up, she struggled and worked hard
Now she is a publisher and her writers have gone far.
Don’t Fight It – Write It
When the urge to write – speaks
listen…don’t fight it… write it.
When the canoe tips over
don’t fight it….right it.
When the winds of praise
fill your billowing sails,
beware the capes of hope
where all wind fails.
Allow the “Muse” free rein
but never rule
for she may quell the pen
as you play writing’s fool.
Write with passion
of your pain,
soothing lovers
walking through the rain.
Grant unspoken truth
a voice to speak
lend the power of your pen
to those once weak.
Embrace the subtle shiftings
in your style
resisting them is
writing’s last denial.
Write within your soul’s
unblinking sight
for you - are you - and know
that you must write.
John G. Lawless
5/15/2015
submitted to – Advice for New Writers: words of Wisdom in Verse
sponsor – Tyshawn Knight
The Simple Pen
I am but a simple man with pen in hand
To cut open a slice of universe with verse
And with the ink
Let it bleed not red
It flows instead with mortal colors
Over a life well spent
What is left over
We drink this in a cup
Pour more to fill it up
But little at a time
Too much reality can cloud your mind
Said the simple man with bleeding pen
Entered in Tyshawn Knight's - "Advice for New Writers: Words of Wisdom in Verse" Poetry Contest on 6/02/15