Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts

12.03.2011

happy saturday.




i'm sitting in my room with nothing but a lamp on.  it's dark outside and the wind is shaking the world around me.  yes, you've got it right.  it's finally poetry weather. so go grab a cup of cocoa and read my favorite poem in the whole wide world. (it's also exactly how i'm feeling. go figure.)

a valediction: forbidding mourning.
by: john donne

as virtuous men pass mildly away,
and whisper to their souls to go,
whilst some of their sad friends do say,
"now his breath goes," and some say, "no."

so let us melt, and make no noise,
no tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;
'twere profanation of our joys
to tell the laity our love.

moving of th' earth brings harms and fears;
men reckon what it did, and meant;
but trepidation of the spheres,
though greater far, is innocent.

dull sublunary lovers' love
-whose soul is sense- cannot admit
of absence, 'cause it doth remove
the thing which elemented it.

but we by a love so much refined,
that ourselves know not what it is,
inter-assured of the mind,
care less eyes, lips, and hands to miss.

our two souls therefore, which are one,
though i must go, endure not yet
a breach, but an expansion,
like gold to aery thinness beat.

if they be two, they are two so
as stiff twin compasses are two;
thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show
to move, but doth, if th' other do.

and though it in the centre sit,
yet, when the other far doth roam,
it leans, and hearkens after it,
and grows erect, as that comes home.

such wilt thou be to me, who must,
like th' other foot, obliquely run;
thy firmness makes my circle just,
and makes me end where i begun.

b.

8.08.2011

mosquito bite.




last night i fell asleep outside on the grass. little buzzing creatures decided that my dozing was an obvious sign that it was now appropriate to feast on my body. i didn't agree, nor do i agree now at this time. in fact, i'm appalled that they would even think to do such a thing to me. i mean, really. who do they think they are? the combination of my constant itching and my severe anger resulted in the construction of a poem about a mosquito. enjoy.

mosquito.

you wait for an unexpecting victim to  come your way,
and suddenly blindside them, making them prey.
you stick your ugly straw into my arm,
siphoning blood as i live on, unalarmed.

suddenly i itch, i scratch at the place,
as my skin rises, and reddens in pace.
the result: uncontrollable itching and scratching and pain,
anger, horror, and cussing the name.

oh mosquito, i hate you. i'm sorry i'm frank,
but to be honest, you're kind of a terrible skank.
if that makes no sense, (which it probably doesn't)
i'll explain to you now, oh fret you mustn't.

we all hate you, so much. you're so mean and plain gross,
who likes a bug that takes more than their dose?
so go away, please. we'd all be so glad,
if you stopped feasting on every young lad.


if i bought a cat, i'd probably name him frank.

b.

5.25.2011

a valediction: forbidding mourning

AS virtuous men pass mildly away,  
    And whisper to their souls to go,
Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
    "Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."
                     
So let us melt, and make no noise,                                  
    No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ;
'Twere profanation of our joys
    To tell the laity our love. 

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ;
    Men reckon what it did, and meant ;                        
But trepidation of the spheres,
    Though greater far, is innocent. 

Dull sublunary lovers' love
    —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit
Of absence, 'cause it doth remove                              
    The thing which elemented it. 

But we by a love so much refined,
    That ourselves know not what it is,
Inter-assurèd of the mind,
    Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.                         

Our two souls therefore, which are one,
    Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion,
    Like gold to aery thinness beat. 

If they be two, they are two so                                     
    As stiff twin compasses are two ;
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show
    To move, but doth, if th' other do. 

And though it in the centre sit,
    Yet, when the other far doth roam,                            
It leans, and hearkens after it,
    And grows erect, as that comes home. 

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
    Like th' other foot, obliquely run ;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,                               
    And makes me end where I begun.
-John Donne

b.

4.18.2011

for julia, in deep water.



The instructor we hire
because she does not love you
Leads you into the deep water,
The deep end
Where the water is darker—
Her open, encouraging arms
That never get nearer 
Are merciless for your sake.
You will dream this water always
Where nothing draws nearer,
Wasting your valuable breath
You will scream for your mother—
Only your mother is drowning
Forever in the thin air
Down at the deep end.
She is doing nothing,
She never did anything harder.
And I am beside her.
I am beside her in this imagination.
We are waiting
Where the water is darker.
You are over your head,
Screaming, you are learning
Your way toward us,
You are learning how
In the helpless water
It is with our skill
We live in what kills us.

-John N. Morris
and this is what beauty is.  it digs deep inside your soul and tells you this is right.


b.