The First Line Is Heard From Somewhere Else
The first line is heard from somewhere else
The second line builds on it
And the third and those after
Until another stanza begins
That says in an easier and more focused way
What the first stanza struggled for-
The poem ends when it ends
Not knowing always if it has ended-
For the poem must be rewritten line by line once again
And perhaps too within it it will fail in indecision
As the end often does.
The last line is heard from all the other lines
But sometimes I hear too much
And sometimes not enough
And often I do not know
If it is right
But there are times
When the last line brings all the other lines together
And the end is the one end there should be.
poem by Shalom Freedman
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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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
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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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
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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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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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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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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366.in Fifteen Lines
1.when you write
2.a poem
3.in fifteen lines
4.i always look
5.forward
6.to the fifteenth line
7.the best line
8.lies there
9.and it will just be the line
10.i read
11.the last line
12.lasts
13.it is deigned
14.with dignity
15. condescendingly, a respect to the brevity of poetry
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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In Fifteen Lines
1.when you write
2.a poem
3.in fifteen lines
4.i always look
5.forward
6.to the fifteenth line
7.the best line
8.lies there
9.and it will just be the line
10.i read
11.the last line
12.lasts
13.it is deigned
14.with dignity
15. condescendingly, a respect to the brevity of poetry
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Squashing force (Diminished hexaverse poetry)
(A poem containing stanzas of 5 lines, then 4 lines, then 3 lines, then 2 lines, ending with one word. The syllables in each stanza correspond to the number of lines, i.e.5 in each line in the first stanza,4 in the second stanza and so on. This form may contain more than five stanzas.)
Caught in illusion
Left in agony
Being badly hurt
Victim of terror
With contorted face
Depredated
Walls closing in
Screams of anguish
Desperate howls
Squashing force
Frozen tears
Twisting thoughts
Nightmares
Bleeding
Death
poem by Marieta Maglas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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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
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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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
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Secret
Two girls discover
the secret of life
in a sudden line of
poetry.
I who don't know the
secret wrote
the line. They
told me
(through a third person)
they had found it
but not what it was
not even
what line it was. No doubt
by now, more than a week
later, they have forgotten
the secret,
the line, the name of
the poem. I love them
for finding what
I can't find,
and for loving me
for the line I wrote,
and for forgetting it
so that
a thousand times, till death
finds them, they may
discover it again, in other
lines
in other
happenings. And for
wanting to know it,
for
assuming there is
such a secret, yes,
for that
most of all.
poem by Denise Levertov
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Poem I Am Writing Now
The poem I am writing now
does not know if it will be finished
it does not even know if it will be a poem -
it is slowly appearing line by line
and making its own meaning on the page-
Is it worth anything?
will anyone care?
I don't know -
The poem I am writing now
is just these lines
and these lines like all lines
are only small words
in a vast universe
that has long lived
and will probably longer live
without them.
Why then write these words now?
The poem I am writing now is saying,
'I am here now'.
But why should this mean anything to anyone else?
The poem I have written here
is not the poem I would have posted here
It is only the poem I am finishing now
a poem without great love or belief in itself.
The poem I am writing now
is written.
poem by Shalom Freedman
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I Got A Line On You
Yeah.
Oh yeah, come on.
Now, let me take you babe, down to the river bed
Well, I got to tell you something
That'll go right through your head
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah, I got a line on you
[I got a line on you babe]
Come on.
Now, put your arms around me, every little bit of your love
Oh, you know what to do, I'll make love to you
You got the right stuff, and I do too
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah, I got a line on you
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah!
Got my eye on you babe, on your velvet skin
I wanna put my hands were they've never been
Get real hot in the midnight steam
Soaking in the rain of my favorite dream
Your lips are red, the moon is blue
I only ask you once what you want to do
Gonna touch you babe 'til the night is through
Look out honey, got a line on you
Oh yeah.
Oh, now the winter's almost over,
The summer she's coming on strong.
Oh I could love you, love you, love you, love you all year long
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah, I got a line on you
[I got a line on you babe]
Ah yeah!
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
Yeah, I got a line on you
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
I got a line on you babe
[I got a line on you babe]
I got a line on you
I got a line on you babe.
song performed by by Alice Cooper
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Divine Force (terza Rima Sonnet)
Prayer is the answer to a troubled heart,
Challenges meant to be overcome and solved,
Faith in God is the best way to make a start.
Splendour of sunshine around- a ball of gold!
Winds-cool or stormy reach their destination,
Warm sun and wind, engulfing all in their fold.
Water, the elixir makes no distinction,
Energy giver-Fire, also smothers,
Trees do not produce fruits in isolation.
Associations-complex and a bother.
Get caught in the labyrinth, never be freed,
Life’s lessons-through experience can gather.
Getting rid of contempt, prejudice and greed
Accepting Divine Will engenders a new breed.
(The Italian form Diaspora or Terza Rima is a of indefinite length, made up of numbers of three-line stanzas or tercets. The sonnet ends with a couplet linking back to the first stanza. The rhyme scheme is such that line 2 of each stanza rhymes with lines 1 and 3 of the following stanza, creating an interlocking pattern. In the final stanza, both lines rhyme with line 2 of the preceding tercet. The Terza Rima sonnet has the following rhyme scheme, .a.b.a...b.c.b...c.d.c...d.e.d...e.e.)
Hema Ravi,13.08.09
War at Home
Ever since they took him away,
to fight that God forsaken war.
I daydream in our fields all day.
They took the man that I adore.
Gazing across the windswept grass
and waiting for the time to pass.
The memory of times before,
they took the man that I adore.
I know he’ll walk across that field
with battle wounds yet still unhealed.
My broken heart can take no more,
they took the man that I adore.
Ever since they took him away,
they took the man that I adore.
Author Notes:
Kyrielle Sonnet
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 Amera Andersen
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The End Of The Family Line
With no complications
Fifteen generations
(of mine)
All honouring nature
Until i arrive
(with incredible style)
I'm the end of the line
The end of the family line
The end of the line
No baby pulled screaming
Out into this seething whirl
By chance or whim
(or even love ?)
Our family tree hacked into decline
And i'm spared the pain
Of ever saying
("goodbye")
I'm the end of the line
The end of the family line
The end of the line
The decision is mine
The end of the family line
The end of the line
I'm the end of the line
The end of the family line
The end of the ...
song performed by by Morrissey
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Red Pencil
Red Pencil
R ed pencil with magic flair
E nrichment while in school
D ancing red marks are everywhere
Red pencil; teachers’ tool
Red pencil marks, to make it right
I studied hard with all my might
Red pencil marks
Red pencil marks
I passed the test to my delight
P encil red is the teachers’ tool
E dified magic wand
N ebulous to the Golden Rule
C lassroom and teacher bond
I want to teach, want to be free
L ife as a teacher, that’s for me
I want to teach
I want to teach
Some day I’ll teach, Form Poetry
Red pencil, with magic flair
I studied hard in school
I’m now a teacher; answered prayer
Red pencil is my tool
I’m a teacher, I live my dream
Teaching poetry to the extreme
I’m a teacher
I’m a teacher
And my red pencil is supreme
Author Notes:
Acrostic Trijan Refrain
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
source: shadowpoetry.com
poem by Amera Andersen
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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End Of The Line
(graham russell)
This will take some understanding
I believe someone is sending love to us and everyone
Who cares to take a gamble sometimes
Think of me Ive given all I can
Stretched an arm and open hand to you
So never say no
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
You I need, always needed, dont turn back for any reason
First we talk and then we fall headfirst into each others thinking
Please be where Ill always see you, life is short
The twinkle of an eye is all we have until we say
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Take me away, take me away
Take me away
Do you dream fantasy and believe what you see is weird
I need a remedy or a book to get off this fear
All I wanted to know is how do I get the truth from here.
We play so small a part
But we started from somewhere
All the friends that I can think of
Know whats going to happen to them
If they dont think on today and plan ahead for their tomorrow
Here we are just lucky children breaking out of the shell
Ill take your hand today and love you till we reach
The end of the line
Reach the end of the line
Reach the end of the line
Reach the end of the line
Take me away
Take me away
Take me away
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
Thats the end of the line
song performed by by Air Supply
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Im In Line
(d. peterson/v. peterson/s. hoffs)
Debbi
I dont want to wait in line for you
Darling, youll know thats what Ill do
The girls are pretty
The girls are many
Ah, but your heart is empty
No ones filling up for you
Im in line for you, my darling
Yeah, yeah
In the morning when I rise I see
Another girl in line ahead of me
Oh, what advantage with the way you do me
When you walk by abd when you get round to me
Yeah, take a look at me
Im in line for you, my darling
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah, Im in line
I dont want to waste my time
Waiting for some guy to change his mind
You dont ever notice
Standing in the shadows
And I cant tell you why
Im in line for you, my darling
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah, Im in line
Im in line, Im in line
Im in line, Im in line
Im in line, Im in line
Im in line, Im in line
song performed by by Bangles
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Greenhouse Gas (Triolet)
The features of the Triolet are:
· 8 lines.
· Two rhymes.
· 5 of the 8 lines are repeated or refrain lines.
· First line repeats at the 4th and 7th lines.
· Second line repeats at the 8th line.
· Rhyme scheme (where an upper-case letter indicates the appearance of an identical line, while a lower-case letter indicates a rhyme with each line designated by the same lower-case or upper-case letter) :
A
B
a - Rhymes with 1st line.
A - Identical to 1st line.
a - Rhymes with 1st line.
b - Rhymes with 2nd line.
A - Identical to 1st line.
B - Identical to 2nd line.
***********************
Our blue marble is imperiled
Due to excessive CO2
Like being over a barrel.
Our blue marble is imperiled.
Greenhouse gas, it's our funeral
the solutions long overdue.
Our blue marble is imperiled
Due to excessive CO2.
poem by Albert Ahearn
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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