The Next Poem
How much better it seems now
than when it is finally done–
the unforgettable first line,
the cunning way the stanzas run.
The rhymes soft-spoken and suggestive
are barely audible at first,
an appetite not yet acknowledged
like the inkling of a thirst.
While gradually the form appears
as each line is coaxed aloud–
the architecture of a room
seen from the middle of a crowd.
The music that of common speech
but slanted so that each detail
sounds unexpected as a sharp
inserted in a simple scale.
No jumble box of imagery
dumped glumly in the reader's lap
or elegantly packaged junk
the unsuspecting must unwrap.
But words that could direct a friend
precisely to an unknown place,
those few unshakeable details
that no confusion can erase.
And the real subject left unspoken
but unmistakable to those
who don't expect a jungle parrot
in the black and white of prose.
How much better it seems now
than when it is finally written.
How hungrily one waits to feel
the bright lure seized, the old hook bitten.
poem by Dana Gioia

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Related quotes
She Sobbed.
He wept.
Finally, he left.
She couldn't believer it.
She had doubts.
And her doubts finally devoured her.
Hook, line and sinker.
She is gone too.
But i finally hear the sobs.
On air. There is no one there. It seems.
But i know. It is her.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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Can You Hear Me?
Inspired by inspiration
A pen bleeds emotions ink
Saturating page in prose
As a parched palate, in need, have drink
Fluent, fluid, a liquid thought
Invisible until written free
Exposing itself in lettered form
Each line molding, what's soon to be?
Words oozing with vivid imagery
Capturing reader within its clasp
Eyes hearing, ears capturing site
A shared experience within words grasp
Inspired by Inspiration
A pen bleeds emotions ink
Drizzling, doodling, dripping
Ideas, can you hear me think?
poem by Wendy Bureau

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You ask me to leave (Pantoum poetry)
The “pantun” is a Malaysian poetic form that was introduced to the West by French novelist, essayist, and poet, Victor Hugo (1802-1885) , hence the French spelling, “pantoum.” Westerners have taken creative liberties with the Malaysian form, which tends to follow a standard rhyme form of ABAB, where multiple, rather than single subjects, are introduced. While pantoums can have unlimited stanzas, you might want to begin with a 3-stanza poem until you get the hang of it:
Stanza 1: Line 1/Line 2/Line 3/Line 4
Stanza 2: Line 5 (repeat of line 2 in stanza 1) /Line 6 (new line) /Line 7 (repeat of line 4 in stanza 1) /
Line 8 (new line)
Stanza 3/Last Stanza (This is the format for the last stanza regardless of how many preceding stanzas exist) : Line 9 (line 2 of the previous stanza) /Line 10 (line 3 of the first stanza) /Line 11 (line 4 of the previous stanza) /Line 12 (line 1 of the first stanza)
And you ask me to leave all behind
Now when our moment in time is done
Going nowhere with nothing in mind
'Cause you're my world and my special one
Now when our moment in time is done
I love you like there's no end in sight
'Cause you're my world and my special one
You're still on my mind all day and night.
I love you like there's no end in sight
You're inside me filling my soul's space
You're still on my mind all day and night.
I feel still cuddled in your embrace
You're inside me filling my soul's space
Going nowhere with nothing in mind
I feel still cuddled in your embrace
And you ask me to leave it all behind
poem by Marieta Maglas

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Layin It On The Line
You see it every day in every way
We all hear the same routines
They all say that its okay
Just let us take care of everything
So we lay it on the line
Layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, right on the line
Just layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, were livin on the front line
I can see it in the faces
We got trouble in the streets tonight
And power keeps us in our places
And it doesnt matter if youre left or right
You lay it on the line
Layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Just layin it all, right on the line
Layin it on the line, (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, right on the line
Take it to the wilderness
Into the jungle sun
Lookin for the voice of reason
Inside this babylon
Got u.s. boys on foreign soil
Spillin their blood to keep the peace
Cities will vanish in turmoil
While the sheiks lay sleepin on the beach
We lay it on the line
Layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, right on the line
Just layin it on the line (layin it on the line)
Layin it all, right on the line
Layin it on the line
Just layin it all
Layin it on the line
Just layin it all
song performed by by Jefferson Starship

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Layin It On The Line
You see it every day in every way
We all hear the same routines
They all say that its okay
Just let us take care of everything
So we lay it on the line
Chorus:
Layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, right on the line
Just layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, were livin on the front line
I can see it in the faces
We got trouble in the streets tonight
And power keeps us in our places
And it doesnt matter if youre left or right
You lay it on the line
Layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Just layin it all, right on the line
Layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, right on the line
Take it to the wilderness
Into the jungle sun
Lookin for the voice of reason
Inside this babylon
(guitar solo)
Got u.s. boys on foreign soil
Spillin their blood to keep the peace
Cities will vanish in turmoil
While the sheiks lay sleepin on the beach
We lay it on the line
Layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, right on the line
Just layin it on the line, layin it on the line
Layin it all, right on the line
Layin it on the line
Just layin it all
Layin it on the line
Just layin it all
song performed by by Starship

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Giving You The Scenario
i am the culprit who gives you the scenario of his
driving alone on one stormy night
the white bridge taken away by the strong river
where there is no more connection, and you write me hoping that this
cannot be true, because you always believe what i write and because i always
assure you that everything is true, oh my, oh my,
the storm is true, and the river and the bridge too, and its color and its rage
but oh my, oh my,
the one who is driving
the one who was lost and stopped by the side of the road and wished
that the tree above him may fall on his car and damage it and even
kill him inside the confines of his anxieties
need not be me,
he could be someone else, a neigbor, a friend, an acquaintance of the mind, a character of his short story,
or the mad man in his poem
or it could even be you
in some figures of speech
yes, everything are possibilities,
and oh my, oh my,
yes, i finally agree,
on that stormy night with all the details in tact
trees bending, leaves blown away, rain as thick as walls,
rivers raging like a revolution
darkness as black as ink
howling sounds like dogs seeing the bad spirits
oh my, oh my with all the stark detail they are so real
so real that i know how it feels like i am touching the flame itself
from the dirty kitchen,
well, you are right
he could be me, how can i now disown who i am and what i have seen?
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

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The Poem Comes Unexpected
THE POEM COMES UNEXPECTED
The Poem comes unexpected
When I have been waiting for it.
It writes itself
And then demands correction.
It is gone over and over again
Until it sounds right
It is read finally
As something complete
Its final line redeeming its first.
The Poem is what it
Here it is
Now.
poem by Shalom Freedman

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Unexpected
I was talking to you on the phone for very long on, which makes me happy because
It been two years since I heard your voice
It's not same without you here
You are living in Orlando to go college
I can't wait to see you soon when you come done for Thanksgiving break
Unexpected
I change to a bad girl by sneaking out of house after you text that you want to see me
I have so much mixed emotions, and I don't know how I feel right now
As I was walking down the street in the middle of the night, you call me and my heart start beating fast
You stop your car right in front of me, so you can come out to hug me and it all feels so right
You sitting in your car, holding my hand, smiling way you do, and looking me in my eyes as we talk
I forget how mad I was
When we talk and catch up about our life, it makes me realized how much you have change
I feel like nothing could go wrong
Then we drove around to have time of our life
I rather be there with you and no one else
We did crazy things in the car and act like no one else is around
We finally park somewhere quiet and ten minutes later we have fight about stupid stuff
That made me walks away from you in the first place
You drove me home and few words were spoken
Unexpected
You said wait when I about to leave because you want a hug and I was confused
It's really over or it wasn't?
The next day, I talk to my friend who I haven't heard in awhile
She found out that you were lying to me
You are back with your ex and cheating on her with me
I can't believe you lied to me
How can I ever trust you again?
Tell me that you never cheat and is your friend's cousin who does it
You will never change
You always be that guy who breaks my heart
I never want to speak to you or never ever want to see you again
I though give you a second change means that everything will be different this time
It wasn't and always going be way I left
I am one putting all the effort to give us another try, but
Unexpected
You won't do the same and said you want to, and lied again
I am being strong and not crying for someone who doesn't care for me
I have to go and get off your train
All I have left of you is smell you left on my clothes when you hug me
Unexpected
poem by Christina Phan

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Transistors and Tubes
now women are like transistors
and men are just like tubes
and women can be like sisters
and men will act like boobs
men are simple, women complex
women see men as big red necks
men are simple
men are simple
men see women as sex objects
so now women are transistors
girls are multitasking
being smarter than the misters
thank you just for asking
women are true and love their man
loving him, as much as she can
women are true
women are true
it’s been this way since time began
here’s the reason, men are like tubes
they will forget her mind
talk to her heart but watch her boobs
thinking of her behind
men can’t devote their heart to one
they’ll run around and just have fun
men can’t devote
men can’t devote
I still love that son of a gun
Author notes
Trijan Refrain
The Trijan Refrain, created by Jan Turner, consists of three 9-line stanzas, for a total of 27 lines. Line 1 is the same in all three stanzas, although a variation of the form is not to repeat the same line at the beginning of each stanza. In other words, the beginning line of each stanza can be different. The first four syllables of line 5 in each stanza are repeated as the double-refrain for lines 7 and 8. The Trijan Refrain is a rhyming poem with a set meter and rhyme scheme as follows:
Rhyme scheme: a/b/a/b/c/c/d, d refrain of first 4 syllables of line five /c
poem by Amera Andersen

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Can't be undone
The truth remains same and can't be undone
The past and by gone may remain always bygone
The God has given you beautiful mind to inscribe on paper
It is how you feel and ink it on the subject matter
It does not remain then poetry
They are hidden words and not mystery
Every kind heart might have felt its impact
Let us make it as unforgettable holy act
Some one may see it as real art
Some words may be inserted as skillful craft
What actually you are doing with words?
Making it sharper than even swords?
Mind may read several things and store
It may add little or even more
The imagery may not remain ever confined
The feeling may come out and stay as defined
Poetry is reflection of clear mind
Many ideas may find mention and find
The safe refuge to come out at free will
It has to reside there and wait for still
It is like holy temple, mosque or church
You can create space, place and make search
It will create perfect environment with recognition
Only it will need proper key for ignition
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal

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Black & White
I am one with the world tonight
I am proud to be this far from you
You say that you have no regrets
But I know that you do
You told me someone stole the eye
I know him too
Ive come to the conclusion - yes, I know
That between black and white, there is no room for two
The scale might be wide, but there's no need to be blind
Cause between black and white, there is no room for two
I leave all of the grey behind
I see clear, I know that Ill find
You claim that you are innocent
But tell me who isnt
You think that youre going to be saved
Theres no such thing as a saint
Ive come to the conclusion - yes, I know
That between black and white, there is no room for two
The scale might be wide, but there is no need to be blind
Cause between black and white, there is no room for two
I've come to the conclusion - yes I know
That between black and white, there is no room for two
The scale might be wide, but there is no need to be blind
Cause between black and white, there is no room for two
song performed by by In Flames

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Prime Time
Cavalier roses, but the thorns got in my soul
Chocolate box intention, but a bitter taste left me cold
Take a little something, a present clouds the past
Traded our emotions, it couldnt last, wouldnt last at all
And though you didnt say
I knew youd swim away
Fine time for hook and line
And though whats done is done, yeah
I know my right from wrong
Prime time to cast me down!
Bitter suite decision, sofa so good the day we met
Eye for eye collision, pillow talking, only pillow talking
Matinee romancing, the bait is set, the net is cast
Cheated our emotions, it couldnt last
Wouldnt last at all
Although you didnt say
I knew youd swim away
Prime time for hook and line
And though whats done is done
I know my right from wrong
Prime time to cast me down!
And words are words thats all
Im going to stand or fall
Prime time for hook and line
Dont you swim away...
Prime time for the hook and line
Prime time for the hook and line
For the hook, the hook and line
Although you didnt say, yeah
I knew youd swim away
Prime time for hook and line
And though whats done is done, yeah
I know my right from wrong
Prime time to cast me down
Line by line adventure
A prime time for the hook and line
Castaway in pleasure
A prime time
Curtain razor tension
A prime time for the hook and line
Wasted our emotions
A prime time
song performed by by Haircut 100

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Loves On The Line
Tell me baby
Have we lost everything that we had before
What do you do in the day
When I walk out the door
I can see you made up your mind
And I know our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
With each passing day
I gotta watch more and more what I say to you
I can feel your eyes looking through me
As I sit at the table at dinnertime
I can feel our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
I watch our kids
Growin up, going to school
Is there anything else for us now
Are we both just fools
Wasting our precious time
At night we lay in bed
But its like youre not even there
Theres something real bad
Going wrong somewhere
Last night I heard you cry
And I know our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line, our loves on the line
Loves on the line
song performed by by Bruce Springsteen

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Poet's Thirst
Why do I thirst to pen a verse?
Would prose not do as well?
The rhyme is music to my ears
and the lyrical swell
can never be found in prose
and so I say to those.
'Write your story in novel form
or fictionalize your book.
I will pen my verse instead
and capture you with my hook.'
poem by Edwina Reizer

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An Apology To The Reader Who Has Written Me A Message I Have Not Answered
AN APOLOGY TO THE READER WHO HAS WRITTEN A MESSAGE TO ME I HAVE NOT ANSWERED
The real apology is not this poem
It is one by one
Reader by reader
Answering each one
Who has ever written me.
It is reading all the poems of others
I do not want to say
A ‘real no’ or a ‘false yes’ to.
It is opening myself
To perhaps a true friend
To perhaps one whose writing
I see better than my own.
The real apology
Is in opening up to the poems of the many unknown others.
Will I do this
Will I give it the time
When I already am guilty
Of not using my limited time
To correct my past work?
Dear Reader,
I apologize, I do not know.
poem by Shalom Freedman

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4th Dimension
i tried and tried
finally i realized
why she left this 3d world behind
go!
she got tired of the same old story
she had a mind that would not quit
she'd insist a plot must exist
with an ending that she could not guess
she tried hard to convince me
then she took off like a bright idea
she believed there just had to be
a movie that she'd never seen
i watched as her fingers drew
a perfect line in space
i watched as she looked on through
into another place
she found out what she'd been missing
she decided she could change her luck
she was right life's not black and white
it's something more than meets the eye
i watched as her fingers drew
a perfect line in space
i watched as she walked straight through
into another place
she parted with convention
now she's living in the 4th dimension
without me
i tried and tried
and still i don't know why
she left me no address
or a way to guess
now she's somewhere in the 4th dimension
she's living in 4d
she found herself a new direction there
she's living without me
song performed by by Devo

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I'm no longer blind (Quatern poetry)
(A Quatern is a sixteen line French form composed of four quatrains. It is
similar to the Kyrielle and the Retourne. It has a refrain that is in a
different place in each quatrain. The first line of stanza one is the second
line of stanza two, third line of stanza three, and fouth line of stanza four.
A quatern has eight syllables per line. It does not have to be iambic or follow
a set rhyme scheme. line 1 line 2 line 3 line 4 line 5 line 6 (line 1) line 7
line 8 line 9 line 10 line 11 (line 1) line 12 line 13 line 14 line 15 line 16
(line 1)
Dear Lord, please have mercy on me,
You're always near my painful soul,
You are my focus and my goal,
In the falling rain I'm your tree.
Help me for I am a sinner.
Dear Lord, please have mercy on me.
'Cause I'm Your humble devotee,
Asking Christ to come for dinner.
Guard Thou with light this pain of mine.
I'm no longer blind I can see.
Dear Lord, please have mercy on me.
Your words through me will always shine.
Save me by Your grace, set me free.
Keep my way, truth and life in Christ.
And so I'll know that Thou exist.
Dear Lord, please have mercy on me.
poem by Marieta Maglas

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My poems is not Poetry
My Poems are not Poetry
Poetry rhythm is essential part
Communicative act of rhythms
Where words created music
An effect on the reader’s and listener
Words beginning with the same letter
And achieve a poetically effect.
My Poems has no rhythms
For the first time I don’t know
What to say and how to show.
Many words is not my style
Let me say, I like your smile
I don’t think I should like you,
Unfortunately I do.
I'm not sure now how to write
I lost my idea how, where words
Are used in away similar
Creating Music, where you find
Languages of rhymes
I write Prose but not Poetry
Using a regular rhythm
Where vast majority
Of languages spoken and written.
I try to be a barn, the muses were believed and inspire
I try to hard without success,
you already know, I guess.
Anyhow, it doesn’t matter
Usually I do not write
Things like this, I never tried,
for the first time I don’t know
what these lines should say or show.
Allegory, metaphor equated
Meaning lie outside the narrative
Acrostic phase when read together
Alliteration words same letter for poetical effect
Satire is a form of humour
Limerick is a short humorous poem.
And Honestly, I don’t regret
Things I did and words I said.
7. January 2008
poem by Mary Wismer

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This Day What Future Will It Bring (Kyrielle Sonnet)
This day what future will it bring.
What songs will we finally sing?
Snow quietly gracing the ground.
There will then come a silent sound.
We will be skating on the pond
And ev'ry one will form a bond.
By crackling fire we'll gather round.
There will then be a silent sound.
No recipe will we follow
Flitting the night with the swallows.
We'll form a ring around, around.
There will then come a silent sound.
This day what future will it bring.
There will then come a silent sound.
- Ben Gieske, March 5,2008
*
A Kyrielle Sonnet consists of 14 lines (three rhyming quatrain stanzas and a non-rhyming couplet) . Just like the traditional Kyrielle poem, the Kyrielle Sonnet also has a repeating line or phrase as a refrain (usually appearing as the last line of each stanza) . Each line within the Kyrielle Sonnet consists of only eight syllables. French poetry forms have a tendency to link back to the beginning of the poem, so common practice is to use the first and last line of the first quatrain as the ending couplet. This would also re-enforce the refrain within the poem. Therefore, a good rhyming scheme for a Kyrielle Sonnet would be: AabB, ccbB, ddbB, AB -or- AbaB, cbcB, dbdB, AB.
poem by Ben Gieske

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Magic Locket
There's a wood nymph in my pocket
I keep her close to me
Around her neck a golden locket
For everyone to see
I know magic; and so does she
She stays close and watches me
I know magic
I know magic
The golden locket has a key
There's a wood nymph in my pocket
I only show a few
When the key goes in the sprocket
Just watch what it can do
I turn the key when it goes in
And then the room will start to spin
I turn the key
I turn the key
The magic starts and then I grin
There's a wood nymph in my pocket
She’ll never fly away
But she’s quick, just like a rocket
I saw her fly one day
The magic key will make me strong
I’ll rule the world, it won’t be long
The magic key
The magic key
So won’t you come and sing my song?
Author notes:
Trijan Refrain
The Trijan Refrain, created by Jan Turner, consists of three 9-line stanzas, for a total of 27 lines. Line 1 is the same in all three stanzas, although a variation of the form is not to repeat the same line at the beginning of each stanza. In other words, the beginning line of each stanza can be different. The first four syllables of line 5 in each stanza are repeated as the double-refrain for lines 7 and 8. The Trijan Refrain is a rhyming poem with a set meter and rhyme scheme as follows:
Rhyme scheme: a/b/a/b/c/c/d, d refrain of first 4 words of line five /c
Meter: 8/6/8/6/8/8/4,4 refrain/8
poem by Amera Andersen

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