Tag: Poetry
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Blessing the Journey (Poetry)
Blessing The Journey, after Lucille Clifton. may barren journeyscradle you into new purpose.as the stillness of the shores,soothe and cease from upswelling.and you find serenity in stillness.as the tide now becomes subdued. may fear be arid;droughted and dearth.as an oasis of confidence upsurge around you;dousing all you seek.and the veil of anxiety lay bare.as certitude…
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My Taste For Rain Has Changed (Poetry)
WORDS (My Taste For Rain Has Changed): my taste for rain has changedI no longer cry storms.my taste for thunder begun,when my feet vowed to return. my taste for rain on arid soil,the dawn begunand with the weather I was overi vowed my storm will return. Under the faint sky,my taste for rain evolved.Grew into…
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Black Sheep (Poetry)
WORDS:clearing out the truths in my closeti find another.amidst the chaos and the calm,there drapes the dark woollen coat.persistently promising to always be in vogue.its length smiles at my older selfits warmth laughs at my latter daysits style larks at the former selfits size beams in my early agetelling me its elegance is graspedat a…
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Ask (Poetry)
she asks herself and asks again. as her voice breaks like floral porcelains, she picks up the pieces. it hurts, it takes time. for the little pieces perforates and sinks into the hands like the painful memories. there she pulls the shards and plaster the wound. silence reminds her that she has been here before…
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Arson (Poetry)
WORDS:at the dark red dusk, the monsoon flooded raining kerosene and paraffin trickles of oil lashed like lightning leaving imprint on wooden windowsthe flames upraising like an anthem and we asked our bloodshot eyes to stop chantingwith smoke engraved in our parched coughingwe watch the arid commodities burn with the heat.red spices and brown sugar…
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Poetry Analysis: When We Two Parted by Lord Bryon (1788–1824)
Poem When we two partedIn silence and tears,Half broken-heartedTo sever for years,Pale grew thy cheek and cold,Colder thy kiss;Truly that hour foretoldSorrow to this. The dew of the morningSunk chill on my brow –It felt like the warningOf what I feel now.Thy vows are all broken,And light is thy fame;I hear thy name spoken,And share…
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Lesson From A Paper Crane (Poetry)
WORDS: Examine the flailing weeks fold itself like paper;as it cuts the days, tucks in the minutes and creases the seconds.cocooning into an origami of the things it strives fortill it calls into the calmest crane.forgetting a thousand cranes brings luckbut this one is troubled; creased by a thousandyet it doesn’t sink in its despondence
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3 AM (Poetry)
the opulent ivory door laments for the two pulsating hearts denying rational thoughts as silence slays the hopeof going back to sleep whole. no longer wadingits presence satiates the room and consciously it slices the truthleaving scratches on the marble tops with residues of tea in the porcelain cups
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An Analysis of Maps by Doug Hoekstra
Carrying maps we movethrough battlegrounds and trails,roadways, displays andmuseums built of alabasteron swamps in cities marked withEuropean names Following blue lines, red circlesstreet signs and highway markerscompass points and scalemeasuring distance between placesand distant constellationsthat will one day disappear Slipping into another formcatching glimpses of the futurecherished and held inour collective past, pressedbetween magnetic pagesreframed…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Fifty Four: A Land of Honey and Milk by Hannah Williams
a silhouette shawled in titanium with footsteps soft as silk. a graceless poise pierces the back promising a land of honey and milk a shadow tattered in light with sight dark as void a sinister compassionate misled the feet promising a land of honey and milk a shape stirred in sorrow with tears dripping as…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Fifty Three-Journey By Hannah Williams
When the sight glazed across the journey, the lips let out a prayer so swift like the years of the youth. The feet walks casually imprinting its mark. Yet, no one remembers the hand that adorned the feet nor the language that taught it how to walk. An inscription stronger than titanium and more permanent…
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Book Review: Eye Level by Jenny Xie
Eye Level is a short poetry collection written by Jenny Xie published this year. When reading any poetry collection, I am always curious to find out how the title formalised and look for links between the poetry and the title. This intersection was revealed in the poem Ongoing which states “She had trained herself to look…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Fifty Two-Lament By Hannah Williams
building hands bristled and bruised turns heaviness into light and the ugly tears streaming from the broken but beautiful hearts ask the fragmented hope to forget thy not and rejoice to remember thee not as a song, not as prayer but it rises in that similitude above the firmament and encircling the sky it asks…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Fifty One-Chandelier By Hannah Williams
When emotions are excessive and the mind cannot cope. Close the eyes and imagine each strand. Dangling like chandelier pieces. A glistening ray of hope beacons. A festivity of light dances in the mind. Hold the light. Hold the hope. Let it fizzle the fear. Can you hear the crystals chorus and the diamond note.…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Forty Nine- Frown Lines
When the voice was stolen and she could sing no more, the frown formed and the lines found solace on her face. In her silence, it defended her. A world where hostility determines if you’re victimised and she’d rather be the victor. So she put it on each morning. After all, you cannot report expressions…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Forty Eight- Why Did You Follow Me?
Before deciding to walk in her shoes let her show you her feet. The callous blisters tarnished by the stones who decided to dance on her soles. Yet she walking barefoot across the equator with the red soil tarnishing the pigments of her skin. When she crossed the ocean, borders poured cold water which began…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Forty Seven: Echoes By Hannah Williams
As the television transmits the news unable to peel the callous layers of her mind. She owns a seared conscience which no longer flinch at the vivid violent paintings on her screen. When the hunger of little children hums- she no longer feels guilty. When the injustice harmonises with the defenceless- it no longer warrants…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Forty Six: There Will Always Be A Rainbow By Hannah Williams
A rainbow formed after the raindrops and the sunlight kissed the vapour. Melting the chaos and illuminating the future. A reminder that when the storm becomes frightening and the sky thunders with lightning and the rays no longer shining and my fears become frightening. There will always be a rainbow. A rainbow formed after the…
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An Analysis of Bitter Waters Translated By Shash Trevett
Bitter Waters (Translated by Shash Trevett) See these lines on my upturned palm. They are the rivers of tears that have washed my face. They are the rivers of blood that have washed my land. Flowing first in trickles, then streams and then in torrents: they are the swells of voices that have cried out…
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Why I Write Haikus?
Writing haikus has been a simple yet complex process because I am aware that the English form of haikus is very different to what constitutes as a haiku in Japan. This is because sentence structures and syllables are quite different in these two cultures. Yet, the universal essence of nature as the topic of an…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Forty Four: Of Who We Are By Hannah Williams
What do you say to me? When you’re done selling broken dreams? Whilst tears fall down my cheeks like bitter streams. In my search to redeem what could not be fixed. Instead of the tepid truth, You make promises on rainbows that didn’t form after the rain. Your deception got me dancing on clouds. It…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Forty One- Broken Tears By Hannah Williams
A droplet of despair Dripping from once-dried tear ducts. Flowing frequently A flimsy attempt to hold them Piece it together Patchwork the pain. Sew it silently. With the excess crochet it Turn it into a commodity Then sell the once broken tears to the tradesmen at the stall. Tell them you’ve got an ocean you’ll…
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Book Review: You Took The Last Bus Home by Brian Bilston
This collection titled ‘You Took The Last Bus Home’ by Brian Bilston is a funny collection of poems. Although this style of humour is quite distinct. Its almost based on punch lines and borderline dry jokes/ mixed with office humour. Nonetheless, I found the irony and the goofiness of the poems amusing because it did…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Forty- Peace Stood Still Like A Tree By Hannah Williams
Peace stood still like a tree Asking the wind to call all nations both bond and free. A valley of freedom we use to know Now drenched in yesterdays cold crimson conflict which overflows Blood became thicker than the lake’s water. Nobody is their brother’s keeper. Peace stood still like a tree Asking the wind…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Thirty Nine- Dear You By Hannah Williams
Sunset and sunrise can be as beautiful as hellos and goodbyes. At each instance, it doesn’t matter if your heart skips a beat or your stomach gets butterflies. Each sleepless nights invites days which will bring you closer to the sweetest lullabies. You may have been chained but know your ankles have power to break…
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Book Review: Helium By Rudy Francisco
Helium is a short poetry collection written by Rudy Francisco. It explores various facets of life such as love, mental health, race, acceptance and people. Although I came across the book on the Button Poetry website through their mailing list, my attitude towards the collection was very blasé. I didn’t give it a chance until…
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Book Review: Kingdom of Gravity by Nick Makoha
Kingdom of Gravity is a poetry collection written by Nick Makoha. This collection explores a range of topics such as war, poverty, the effects of guerrilla leaders on Uganda. Through the writer’s deep and poignant imagery, the reader gets to understand the dark aspect of Ugandan history. What aspect of the poetry collection did you…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Twenty Eight- The Financial Crisis By Hannah Williams
The world has felt your wrath before. We felt your violent shake and your ravenous storm. We give new names to old gods. You were once the Latin American Sovereign debt. Then you reincarnated as the Asian crisis. Before you plagued us in all hemispheres and revealed your self as the Global Financial Crisis. We…
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An Analysis of ‘Beatitude’ By Nick Makoha
Beatitude By Nick Makoha (2017) When a rebel leader promises you the world seen in commercials, he will hold a shotgun to the radio announcer’s mouth, and use a quilt of bristling static to muffle the tears. When the bodies disappear, discarded like husks of mangos, he will weep with you in the hours of…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Twenty Six- Name Power By Hannah Williams
An unjustifiable criteria Determined by a crooked line Spewed out to split the equator into two. I’ve heard the names one half calls the other. To make it better the cunning half changed the terms. Less economically developed replaced poor. Regulation replaced corruption Grass root movements replaced unemployment. Parallels living in contradiction. So the oppressed…
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An Analysis of ‘One Continent to Another’By Grace Nichols
Like the yesterday of creation morning she had imagined this new world to be bereft of fecundity No she wasn’t prepared for the sea that lashed fire that seared solid earth that delivered her up birds that flew not wanting to see the utter rawness of life everywhere and the men who seed the children…
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Book Review: The Sun And Her Flowers By Rupi Kaur
The Sun And Her Flowers is a poetry collection written by Rupi Kaur. This collection deals with a range of topics such as love, migration, self esteem, beauty and more importantly nature. These themes are discussed in an open, vulnerable and candid manner. We discover the reason the collection is titled ‘The Sun and Her…
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An Analysis of ‘What Were They Like?’ By Denise Levertov
What Were They Like By Denise Levertov 1. Did the people of Viet Nam use lanterns of stone? 2. Did they hold ceremonies to reverence the opening of buds? 3.Were they inclined to quiet laughter? 4.Did they use bone and ivory jade and silver, for ornament? 5.Had they an epic poem? 6.Did they distinguish between…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Twenty One- The Dreamers Song By Hannah Williams
Dreams soar high on the mountain top. Holding onto hope so it never drops. Liberty flowing in harmony with the river bed. Calling courage to forget what the valley said. This is the hopes and dreams of men. Forever, now and even then. Waiting for the fortitude of the unspoken. Healing the sorrows of the…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Twenty- What The Dream Taught Me By Hannah Williams
A dream is a living legacy which cannot be killed by death. Transcends emancipation. It transcends liberty. In fact, it transcend freedom. That I can hope for freedom within my constraints. He taught me. In the content of your character lies the change. That after death your legacy can live on. The man with a…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Nineteen- Stages Of Denial By Hannah Williams
Stage one is characterised by fear. The entity that floats to a mind. Inviting itself in and out like a comfortable family friend. It tells you what cripples you. Debilitating your ability to trust yourself. Once fear has marinated in your mind. Then you can progress to the next stage. Welcome to projecting your fear…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Fifteen- I Know Even Though I Don’t Live On The Estate By Hannah Williams
I know even though I don’t live on the estate. Devolution is the politician’s word for recreate… Rebrand and make the surrounding more upstate. The only thing they’ll do is paint the gate. I know even though I don’t live on the estate Crime usually rises when it’s late You’ve been hearing the sirens since…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Fourteen– No Job For Jack By Hannah Williams
Defying the estate stereotype, Jack decided to be the perfect prototype. He went to university. Just to face employment adversity. He worked too hard. But the economy is bad. He gave education all he had. First class university grad. Unemployment makes him sad. Whilst Brad just asked his dad. A myriad of applications sent. Interviews…
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An Analysis of ‘My Father Is A Retired Magician’ By Dr. Ntozake Shange
In this blog post, an analysis of the poem ‘My Father Is A Retired Magician’ will be made. The poem commence with this: my father is a retired magician which accounts for my irregular behavior everythin comes outta magic hats or bottles wit no bottoms & parakeets are as easy to get as a couple a rabbits…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Seven- Empire State Of London (An Interlude To Society) By Hannah Williams
A city where dreams can be snatched. Even when your ambition is matched. Your dreams mean nothing in the city. And from the people don’t expect pity. Knife crime and teen violence are on the rise. When will we learn to stop acting surprise. For the kids imitate role models from the street. Because they…
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Sunday Stanza: Poem Four- Moodiness (I Wore It As A Dress) By Hannah Williams
I wore moodiness as a dress. With a matching headband called stress, My handbag conceals my emotions which are a mess. But my shoes point me to a road which reads confess. You’d be surprised to hear what the world sell. And how many people fell For buying this dress called moodiness is expensive. The…
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A Critique Of ‘My Guilt’ Poem By Dr. Maya Angelou
My Guilt By Dr. Maya Angelou My guilt is “slavery’s chains,” too long the clang of iron falls down the years. This brother’s sold, this sister’s gone, is bitter wax, lining my ears. My guilt made music with the tears. My crime is “heroes, dead and gone,” dead Vesey, Turner, Gabriel, dead Malcolm, Marcus, Martin…