Poetry Forum

Bahku - all messages by user

12/9/2016 12:05:35 PM
Getting to know everyone- New Member! :)	Hi! I am very new here, but excited to be a premium member, and I've been posting my poems. I've really only written poetry "seriously" for the past few months, but I was editor for a sports blog and a writer for ESPN for a number of years. I have to genralize my poems under broad category, as I'm just plain ignorant when it comes to the different forms and what they're all called. I am a songwriter/recording artist under a pseudonym, working on a new CD to be released on Hollywood Records, but also a pharmacist, diamontologist, and an envoy for the Emir of Dubai. From Maine originally, but I call Dubai home at present, when not on a private jet, (where I spend most of my time). I am working on my memoirs and a sci-fi novel, and have written some novellas that are unpublished as yet, (haven't tried submitting yet). I wrote a lot of poetry before I started sharing, as it was just not of a quality I felt was worthwhile ... I have since decided that ALL poetry is worthwhile, whether "quality" or not, and all of it worth sharing. I'd love to know more about the site, how to get my poems more exposure, etc., contests, active forums, and the like if anyone would like to suggest, and if one of my poems is more of a particular form that what it's listed under, please educate me! Also - I have a few very good poems that are more than 6K words, and wondering if I should post in two parts (Part 1 & 2), or if there's a place for poems over 6K words. I hope I can be of some positive benefit to the community here, and I look forward to getting to know the folks and my way around. Blessings all!
12/9/2016 12:08:04 PM
Getting to know everyone- New Member! :)	Oh, I have written lyrics for many years, (for my own songs), so not completely new to this, and I am a Walt Whitman freak, of sorts, lol - I love many poets, but Walt is my favorite human of all-time, and I have studied both him and his work extensively. Thanks!
1/6/2017 11:10:16 PM
Somebody changed my photo ...	I posted a poem yesterday with a very nice photo - today it had a different picture - not pornographic but not nice, and drug related, (and NO ONE has read it since yesterday, even though it's my newest). I have deleted both poem and picture. WHO has the ability to do this to my poems?!? I have changed my password, but I'm 99% sure that's not the issue. This is very disturbing. Thank you for your assistance.
1/7/2017 4:36:24 AM
Somebody changed my photo ...	Thanks so much, Doug, and you're right about deleting it, (which hit me about two minutes later, lol - as usual). I'm going to check my other posts, too, but so far I haven't noticed other changes. I will send a note to the contact address. Thanks again, my friend!
1/8/2017 4:10:39 PM
First Submission - "Quis Sum?"	Thank you very much, Doug - your opinion is highly considered, and greatly appreciated! I'm new to both poetry AND The Soup, so still trying to navigate, and any kind of road map is greatly welcomed.
1/8/2017 4:39:14 PM
"Belleza Maldita"	Literal translation is "Damned Beauty" but in this context is more like "Beautiful Evil" or "Dark Beauty", though as you'll see, it's NOT about a woman. This is a very dark piece, but a subject that needs to be addressed much more often than it IS, in my humble opinion, and it was taken from a very bad period from my life. It's very tough sometimes to visit the places we HAVE to in order to write such poetry, but I have found personally that those pieces are often the ones that take us through the greatest catharsis, and bring the most healing. This was something I desperately needed to write, and though it was very painful to do so, I am VERY glad that I did. BELLEZA MALDITA Dark, deep, warm-black arms Of an endless night wrap me ... Head thrown back in abdication, Arms spread wide in surrender, Falling backward, back, back, Onto a hard dogwood blackness. Nails of my own stark weakness Fasten my hands to a weighty Tree of terrifying introspection ... A poison saturates my blood, Courses with its curses through The very vessel my soul inhabits, Dictates to me by the minutes The movements of my muscles, States of my vapid organs, thus, Responses and emotions, true, Like the visceral, mighty hand Of some morbidly jealous god, Squeezing the true and the good From every last cell of my being, The strength and health built by A lifetime of good habit and task, Torn asunder by a guileful beast, A duplicitous, faceless monster That I invited in from wintertide Like some pitiful, starving fawn. Oh, it IS pitiful in its treachery, And it starves, oh yes, it starves, With a hunger for souls and lives And accomplishments and truth, And it eats them ALL with a lust Unending, and a ravenous fury, Laughing at you with a Cheshire Grin, your own warm, crimson blood On its shining, chiseled teeth. And while you tremble in horror at Its stark visage, while you stare Transfixed into lifeless black eyes, The face changes, the abomination Transforms into a beauty so pure And compelling, that your only Thought and desire and compulsion Is to drink it in with a kiss as deep As the Universe itself .. to pour Yourself into it with every passion And emotion you can scrape from The ice-flaked walls of your conscience, To merge with it, join with it in all Abandon and care and affliction, And give yourself whole to the dim, Shadowy vehemence complete, While the deafening roar of your Own screams and scratchings, Plays a somber requiem, finale, A sickly sweet song of obliteration.
1/10/2017 8:35:30 AM
"Belleza Maldita"	Thank you for your notes, GD, it is about drug addiction, opiates, to be exact, though it would fit just about any type of substance abuse. The Love/Hate relationship is just more drastic and pronounced with opiates, in my opinion, but that's just from my perspective. I think this may be one of those poems whose subject matter is clearer to those who have been there, but I kept it rather obscure for that reason. Thanks again - much appreciated!
1/10/2017 8:43:29 AM
The Cost of Education	Yeah - love the way it flows and rolls, especially being satirical social statement of sorts, (and not an easy subject to get into) - some of my favorite forests to roam in, though I rarely make them my OWN stomping grounds, (I may remedy that). Well-said and crafted - enjoyed it very much!
1/10/2017 8:51:16 AM
Canis Lupus	CANIS LUPUS I entered your world in quietude, Slipping through the granular, soft. Long slats to feet parting the frozen. Cold of a previously unknown extreme Nipping sharp the epidermis with ardor. A Mid-May akin to February, homeward, First warning of extrinsic ire, ignored. Hours of similar (sobering) revelations ensued, Supplanted by days, weeks, moons ... Reality - icebound and born of abiding trial. The basic elements staggering, Swallowed by the providence around me. A vastness beyond vast afar ... Crushing cold of limitless value, Each sunrise a new contingency For measure of my insignificance. How I adored you for your beauty - Such reward for the naked eye, There among a denuded struggle. Shaped by eons of selection Into a creation of perfect form and ease, As at home amidst desolation As I at a warm hearth and aliment. Moving sprite through your environs, All senses attuned to the mind's axis ... At once knowing and known, Master of a savage domain. Every dynamism a fluid dance, Every steamed exhalation A waif of delicacy bespoken. Do not gods aspire to such? If there were deities afforded Such barren and bleak scapes, It would be none other than you - As exquisitely magnificent and divine As the forbidding but breathtaking Element around you, my brother. I fear I have doomed you, for others will follow ... Others who find no such elegance In anything but graft and greed. By the simple act of watching I may have sealed your fate firm. I will not turn to admire you as I leave ... But keep you forever as a phantom In my mind and heart and longings - To devour my spirit and join with you, Ever after straining to hear The echo of your lonely, distant howl, The one that so often haunts my dreams, Dark and cold in the arctic night ... Dark and cold in the willows ... Deep and frozen and dreaming ... Of your keen and breathless beauty. If but mine to touch ... Forgive me and farewell ... Brother wolf. edited by Bahku on 1/10/2017
1/17/2017 6:19:06 AM
Canis Lupus	Very pleased to say that this has been purchased by my boss, the Emir of Dubai, and will soon be put to calligraphy and hung on the wall in the Maktoum Hall of Arts in the palace ... I am at once very humbled and very proud. Shukran lak, Sire ... As-salamu 'alaykum. Enshallah. edited by Bahku on 1/17/2017
2/24/2017 10:35:40 PM
Thank You!	Hello, Good Folk - I'm fairly new to Poetry Soup, so if this is the wrong thread for what follows, please forgive me and kindly let me know ... I just wanted to say thank you for my first contest win, (Your Best Free Verse Love Poem - John Hamilton), to those who read my poem, (like or not), any who took the time to comment and critique, those who have been kind enough and patient enough to befriend me in my poetic "infancy", and especially judge John Hamilton for my first 1st place nod ... It means much more than I can say, and while it may seem a small thing to some, it was a wonderful ray of sunshine on an otherwise dark day, and I am altogether honored, very thankful, and humbled at the same time. My elderly mom is very sick, so this brightened my heart in a very special way, and was very good timing. My business and music keeps me extraordinarily busy, but I hope to give more time to the other great poets here at PS in the not-too-distant future, and become more a part of the "encouragement" aspect of this wonderful site, as well as get to know the good folks here on a more personal basis. This is such a great place, and I hope I can add something of worth and substance to the community here on a consistent basis. Thanks again and blessings to you all! - Greg Barden
2/25/2017 5:43:31 PM
Thank You!	bluebunn84ppg wrote: You got a first-placer on your first contest? I've entered so many and my best was 2nd... No hard feelings, though. I wish you luck in your next contest. Remember to write. ~Blue Thank you so much JA - I entered two other contests but got #2 on one, and didn't even place in another - this is my first #1 ... I'm honored that ANYone would even stop to read one of my poems, so it's all good, and anything beyond that is icing on the cake. This is such a nurturing place for new poets and "vets" alike, and I am humbled by the good folks here and how kind you've all been to me. The quality and character of work here is astounding, yours included, and I am so thankful to be learning in this wonderful community! Blessings to you! edited by Bahku on 2/25/2017 edited by Bahku on 2/25/2017
5/15/2017 4:27:07 PM
"Love At First Sight"	(d/fl)yingsquirrel wrote: I'm not sure. I'd like to believe that there is a "jolt" we get the first time that we see someone, and I wish I could accept the idea of soulmates, but it seems a bit farfetched. I do believe in love, as difficult as it is for me to understand what, exactly, love is, but instantaneous love? I'm not sure. If I ever experience it, I'll be sure to review my opinion on the matter.
5/15/2017 4:29:40 PM
"Love At First Sight"	I not only believe in love at first sight, (though I believe it's rare in a romantic perspective, I have experienced it), I believe there are different TYPES ... if you don't believe in love at first sight, just wait until your first child is born, and you will absolutely believe in it from that point on. If it can happen in that aspect, it can happen in others! :-)
12/17/2017 4:06:34 AM
What color do you see?	I actually SAW purple ... red in the center, one block of baby blue just to the right of the red circle.
12/17/2017 4:17:10 AM
Oh, Christmas Tree	OH, CHRISTMAS TREE Oh, how beautiful you are ... I have given many hours to your veneration ... A quiet and reverent offering to your affect on my heart. Your magic, planted in my child's heart long ago, And blooming over the years in careful contemplation Of all that you mean and represent. My earliest memories are of you ... The thoughtful application of colorful lights, Tinsel and garland gently dangled from your boughs, Hand-blown glass ornaments, each with a wonder all its own, Hooked tenderly to the tips of your branches, And a shining star to crest your divine adornment, Speaking to me of that star of ages hence, Placed atop a glorious, glistening "tree" of light and love, An uncommon star sent to shine upon a miracle ... A precious gift of grace and salvation, Placed lovingly beneath its splendor, As gifts are now placed below yours. Yet I can't help but consider, in honesty ... That ALL my efforts over the years to dress you in color, All the lights and baubles and shimmering bits, Can't approach the grandeur of your creation, And the raw, natural elegance of YOU ... Standing strong and noble in the forest, A garland of snow gracing your limbs ... An ornamental dance of pine cones and creatures, And the grandest star - a brilliant sun - at your top ... Crowning the majesty of your magnificence, And the breathtaking beauty of ALL God's providence ... That it shines upon. edited by Bahku on 12/17/2017
12/17/2017 5:51:55 PM
Oh, Christmas Tree	This poem did not place in a recent contest, and I'm wondering how folks feel I might improve it to make it worthy of placement, or where I went wrong. Thanks so much!
1/1/2018 8:43:27 PM
Oh, Christmas Tree	Fairy Fey wrote: Beautiful words and memories shared. The magic of it is the appreciation you have as a grown up of a living tree, not just as decoration. Your awareness has grown as you have matured. Thank you so much, FF, I greatly appreciate the kind words ... that's what I was hoping to get across. :-)
1/1/2018 8:48:20 PM
Oh, Christmas Tree	Stephen Wilson-Flo wrote: This is a poem to be appreciated with friends and family. There is nothing wrong with that. For a wider audience, I would generalize less and show more. Dylan Thomas wrote "A Child's Christmas In Wales" that is incredibly specific and for that very engaging. Now, none of us are Dylan Thomas, but a quick read through would give some idea about showing not telling. Let the reader take the journey with you! Best wishes! Thanks so much, Stephen - much appreciated, my friend! The thrust of this was the progression of maturity and appreciation, and relating those impressions and memories of childhood to learning the wealth of trees, (and nature in general), in their living, natural state, and perhaps learning to appreciate other humans and empathy, by looking beyond the trappings of clothes and society. Blessings to you! :-)
7/16/2018 12:55:18 AM
Hypocricy	Goodness, no, (would be my reply) ... poetry, like Art, Music, etc., is a CREATIVE endeavor, and as such is completely up to the wit and whimsy of the writer. I have only been writing two years, but I write sci-fi, dark, sensual, joyous, spiritual, political, societal, personal experience, and much more, but IMAGINATION is always a key element, as I like to use words and phrases in new ways, (that still make sense). It has never even occurred to me that I should only write factual-based content, as most of the great poets that came before us did NOT do so. Most of the greats used personal experience and wisdom to temper and color their writing, but most of what they wrote was either fiction or highly "colored" by their imagination. I love to write with layers and ambiguity, and while I generally intimate if something is factual to ME, it's up to the reader to take whatever they wish or feel or see from the piece presented. This poetry thing, for me, is about EMOTION, and if I only wrote about completely factual things, well, what good is that?? I'd run out of things to write about very quickly, and the elements of imagination, mystery, ambiguity, interpretation, feelings, perspective, and just the plain artistry of poems, would all be lost. Take poetry for how it HITS you - how it makes you FEEL, not what you THINK the poet meant, or whether or not it's all facts. That is putting boundaries and constraints on Art, and I see little good in that. One guy's humble opinion, and I hope my work speaks for me in this regard. Blessings! :-)
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