I was the sunshine that cradled your day
that tried to push the clouds away
I was the sand that ran between your toes
when you were four years old
that soon became the rain you danced in
from seven to eleven
And I watched you grow in the glow
of a moon that beamed
when you turned thirteen
How unfair you thought I’d become
when you turned twenty-one
because you lost a few dreams
But I stayed awake when you were out late
I was the stars ’till you turned twenty-eight
And when you found your love
“the one”
I was glimmer in the eye, the blue sky, the sun
Then you turned thirty-one
I became cloud, thunder and shower
there weren’t enough minutes to put in your hour
You forgot how to dance in the rain
’till you turned forty all you did was complain
Then you took off your shoes
and went back to the sand
I was now the warmth of your child’s hand
At forty-three
you spent more time with me
You began
to understand
And when you stood fifty years old
you stayed warm to me even though
at times I was cold
How close we grew
when you turned sixty-two
The breeze was I
that hung your grandchild’s kite in the sky
And I’m sorry I made you sad
when I took “the one” away
But I was proud
when you pushed aside that cloud
and cradled ‘me’ in the sun
for the remainder of our day
Mar
15Alphabet Soup - Alphabet Poetry Form Variations
Tagged Under : alphabet, beginners, how-to, poem, poems, poems for kids, poetry, poetry form, writing poetry
A - B - C - D - E - F - G ~ gee, are these poetry form variations easy - or are they only deceptively simple?
~A~
The simplest variation of alphabet poetry consists of creating a twenty-six line poem using the alphabet, with lines beginning with consecutive letters of the alphabet from A to Z. If you decide to live a bit more dangerously, you could write a twenty-six line poem and begin your lines from Z to A.
Mar
11The Art Of Performance Poetry
Tagged Under : literary, literature, performance, poetry, reading, writing
Think “performance poetry” and what comes to mind? Avant garde smoky cafes late at night with beret wearing, goateed youths with black turtlenecks spouting random inchoate messages while throwing about seemingly unrelated objects? Or perhaps you imagine the “slam,” a group of fast talking, finger popping, coffee guzzling competitions where the contestants throw words at each other in a series of poorly written one-upmanship rhymes? Or maybe you imagine an insecure whispering geek who is unable to do more than stare at his feet while he mumbles his way through work that would be a lot more powerful if you could concentrate on anything other than his bad skin and shy execution? Well think again. Although the term may conjure up images which are relatively modern, the performance of poetry is about as old as language itself. Think Euripides, Aeschylus and Homer, with its strophe and antistrophe, its grand characters like Medea, Odysseus, Oedipus and Elektra. Poetry, with its emphasis on the perfectly chosen word; the instant hit of meaning, works well in the grand performance theatre. A well spoken poet can set the pace, the emphasis, and often can bring to life poetry in a way which will reach audiences with the shortest attention spans.
Mar
07The Platform A Poem, And Commentary On Notes And Poetry
Tagged Under : poetry
The Platform
And there on the platform, in the faint afternoon
my pulse throbs in the warm sun; I know why I am a poet
of the time of Robert Bly, and Hall;
in this impatient city, Huancayo, I look for quant places
with other tepid things…
I’m no longer a dreamer, nor wish to deceive,
but only to be average and myself—and see, I mean
really, really, really see—see beyond my knees.
The afternoon becomes a faded blue and late—thin.
And the words in my book stop humming in my head.
In less than an hour this mysterious restlessness will descend,
twilight will turn into night, and I will write again, when
I get home, perhaps, or at the platform, tomorrow, perhaps.
I get tired. I get blind. I get lost, but I don’t stop! Never stop!…
Mar
05Our Actual History
Tagged Under : Art, classical music, culture, gay, Handel, history, lesbian, Michelangelo, poetry, Sappho
I took my bike during 2007 Rainbow Festival in Malmö, Sweden, to go to an evening of queer poetry with Jan Hammarlund. Jan is the first openly gay artist who was played in Swedish radio in the 70s, that way he himself is a part of our LGBT heritage. The program read: 2000 years of queer poetry round the Mediterranean sea. Sappho, Catullus, Kavafi. In some way I could feel it was interconnected with my own recital, performed the day before - Music from the closet.
Mar
01When you decide to write poetry you have at least some things to take into account. These things often will get you either praise or criticism, firstly, you write what you want to project to your audience. Secondly you search the universe for the ideas that Our Creator, GOD has for us to help others and ourselves thereby. It’s of the essence to reach the mind, the body, and the senses when writing poetry. Thirdly but not last, you need to remember to touch the emotions deeply, stirring up the seriousness so that the readers will also love poetry as avidly as the novels and educational segments of books.
Feb
19When you decide to write poetry you have at least some things to take into account. These things often will get you either praise or criticism, firstly, you write what you want to project to your audience. Secondly you search the universe for the ideas that Our Creator, GOD has for us to help others and ourselves thereby. It’s of the essence to reach the mind, the body, and the senses when writing poetry. Thirdly but not last, you need to remember to touch the emotions deeply, stirring up the seriousness so that the readers will also love poetry as avidly as the novels and educational segments of books.
Feb
12In a previous article, “A Perfect English Writing Lesson”, we looked at writing exercises which promoted production of authentic language in English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. An alternate writing exercise consisting of writing a poem about the city, region or country where the learner lives was also broached.
The following poem was an example.
“The Feria de Cali”
Waves of December heat
are here to meet and greet
those “Gringos” who dare
our Feria to share,
while dancing to a Salsa beat.
Parades of slender, bronzed beauties abound,
Feb
081—It should be noted, Cesar Vallejo was 45-years old when he died, and Juan Parra del Riego was 31; Vallejo born 1893, died 1938, and Riego born 1894, died 1925, both were friends. One year apart in age. ´Both Great poets, but for my money would take Juan Parra before Vallejo; he is the greatest modern poet in Uruguay, and not quite that well known in Peru, although Huancayo, where he was born he is clearly a name recognized.
Feb
02In a previous article, “A Perfect English Writing Lesson”, we looked at writing exercises which promoted production of authentic language in English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. An alternate writing exercise consisting of writing a poem about the city, region or country where the learner lives was also broached.
The following poem was an example.
“The Feria de Cali”
Waves of December heat
are here to meet and greet
those “Gringos” who dare
our Feria to share,
while dancing to a Salsa beat.
Parades of slender, bronzed beauties abound,
