The Poet in You, Yes YOU!

Yesterday, I shared some spontaneous, albeit not my best poetry, and was starting to analyze and/or define it. I thought that I would save for this blog as there are variations of poems as there are poets.

Here are some I am familiar with: 'mystic poetry' (not sure the exact name though I assume this is the closest to describing poetry) from the likes of Rumi and Hafiz, former 'Middle Eastern' poets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East):

A poet is someone
Who can pour Light into a cup
and raise it to nourish your
beautiful parched holy mouth
- Hafiz

Tender words we spoke
to one another
are sealed
in the secret vaults of heaven.
One day like rain,
they will fall to earth
and grow green
all over the world
- Rumi

Haiku, a short and unique style of poetry that changed over time was born in Japan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku_in_English). I prefer this simpler interpretation better (http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Haiku-Poem). It features three lines, the first with five syllables, the second with seven, and the third with five. It is often on the theme of nature.

I have attempted haiku though it is a challenge for me. Here is one I just wrote:

First cherry blossoms
Delights both my nose and eyes
No going back now

Or how about this one I also wrote as part of this posting:

a feast for my eyes
pink petals dropping like rain
- ballerina show

There's that word "delights" again! Must like it as I also used it in yesterday's spontaneous poem.

Limericks originated in England - I thought Ireland! - with five lines: Lines 1, 2, and 5 have eight syllables and rhyme, and Lines 3 and 4 have five syllables rhyme (as in A, A, B, B, A). They are usually nonsensical and silly. The following limerick, a great example of its structure, won an Irish 'Listowel Writers Week' prize in 1998 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerick_%28poetry%29):

Writing a Limerick's absurd,
Line one and line five rhyme in word,
And just as you've reckoned
They rhyme with the second;
The fourth line must rhyme with the third.

And then the prose poem was birthed in 19th century France and Germany; a combination of both prose and poem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poem.) Rainer Maria Rilke is a prose writer as well as Hans Christian Andersen, even Edgar Allan Poe!

My favourite prose poem or one of them is The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. I am only listing the link http://www.oriahmountaindreamer.com/ for brevity's sake: see left-hand side of her website. (You may need to use control plus the button on your mouse pad to enlarge it!)

Here is my take on prose poetry, an excerpt of one I wrote in Grade 9. Yep, I'm proud of that piece of writing as I received an A+ on it!

"...The leaves murmur among themselves, bravely preparing for the coming of winter..." And a little further on I continue, "The melancholy trees moan and mourn for the loss of their leaves ... The trees shiver from the cold as they are unprotected ..."

But what is the definition of a "poem" in the first place. According to google - where else would you suggest I go? Please tell me and I'm serious about that - this is their definition: "a piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits such formal elements as meter, rhyme, and stanzaic structure. Synonyms: verse, rhyme, piece of poetry, song ... something that arouses strong emotions because of its beauty."

I wonder about that I have come across some - hopefully not mine - that do not necessarily evoke strong emotions or rhymes or is rhythmic for that matter.

According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetry), "Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language - such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre - to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, the prosaic ostensible meaning." Well, that's a poetic mouthful. I'll let you figure out that in plain English! ;)

To be continued, with some unusual videos. ;)

What is your take on poetry? If you were a poet, would you wear any of the above-mentioned styles on your sleeve or heartstrings? If not, what is your style?

Poetry: Healing AND Delicious!

WOW! An explosion of monolithic proportions!

Those are the exact words I got intuitively as I took my first bite out of a creamy (ganache?) brownie that a work colleague made and brought in last week.

As soon as I received those words, I thought that it was a great line for a poem. I very often only get snippets, literally a line or two, sometimes even a few words that I sense is a poem or is the beginning (line) of a poem.

For example, after drafting this posting and washing my three-or-four-day pile of dishes (due to this daily blog challenge, ahem), I got these lines out of the blue: "disdain of dishes" while washing them, and "elixir of life." (And I wouldn't normally use the words "disdain" nor "elixir." By the way, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elixir_of_life as you may find it a rather interesting read.

And synchronistically amusing to me, a day or two later, someone used those exact words, "elixir of life." I forget the conversation, but it was like a "doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo..."" moment! Think of that in terms of the opening theme music from Twilight Zone by Rod Serling:



Hey, wait a minute?! Who said a poem can't be one line, I mean one verse? I've read a few poems by Rumi and Hafiz for instance that were one-liners if I understand correctly: "O wondrous creatures, by what strange miracle do you so often not smile?" Supposedly this is considered a quote by Hafiz. I say, why can't it be a poem: a one-liner poem?

There are types of poems that are only a few lines in length. And besides, I read a few blog posts recently where a story is told in only five sentences, imagine that! So why not a poem that is only one verse? I am a 'rebel' after all preferring to colour outside the lines. No, not in a rebelliously, angry, war-like, disastrous kind of way. That is not me at all, well, except for certain issues in the world that push my buttons.

Oh wait, that's another story or rather blog post! Ah, see where inspiration can come from? It can come as I think and/or type words on this page, I mean computer.

So here goes everything or nothing ... sometimes I like to challenge myself as I prefer to write poems when they come to me, not 'forced' out of me (similar to how I feel about writing by the way!)

WOW! An explosion of monolithic proportions
this orgasmic sensation on my tongue
delights my lips, my mouth, my throat, my tummy
hmmmmmmmm, yum, yum, yum

Ok, that was a short poem of whatever kind. My on-the-spot version.

Then a little later, I changed it slightly to read as follows:

WOW! An explosion of monolithic proportions
this orgasmic sensation on my tongue,
my lips, my mouth, my throat, my tummy
delights me
hmmmmmmmm, yum, yum, yum

Do you like to read and/or write poetry? What do you like to read and/or write about? Do you have a favourite poem and/or a favourite poet? If you write them, do you have a particular style? How do you get inspired or where do you get your inspiration from? I know, I know...so many questions! I'm a curious lot, what can I say. I like to learn, even from you the reader! ;)

Hafiz, another Beloved Poet (Like Rumi)

I'm going to give myself a little break from writing about Rumi in relation to a world-renowned pop star! Yes, you did read that right! ;) Due to the time pressure of a daily blog post this month - I need some time to read and research - I will introduce you (if you aren't familiar yet) with another wonderful Middle Eastern poet in the meantime.

Have any of you heard of Hafiz (born as Shams-ud-din Muhammad Hafiz)? He was the most beloved poet of Persia, and he has impacted the lives of some pretty influential people since then: Ralph Waldo Emerson primarily known as a poet; Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a writer and poet; Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, a philospher, poet, and composer amongst other things; and the composer and pianist Johannes Brahms. (You can read more about Hafiz and Rumi in, Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West by Daniel Ladinsky.)

Hafiz penned about 5,000 poems in his lifetime of 66 years of age. Here are some short samples with some Iranian music:



This is one of my favourite poems of his: How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all of its beauty? It felt the encouragement of light against its being, otherwise we all remain too frightened. (I love how the poems in this book are all centred on the page, albeit I wish I knew how to do it here!)

Or how about this one which I adore just as much, Know the true nature of your Beloved. In His loving eyes, your every thought, word, and movement is always, always, beautiful. (Isn't his poetry just exquisite? I swear Hafiz could be Rumi reincarnated! Like Rumi, Hafiz was a Sufi mystic and his poems shared a similar quality in writing: eloquent and sensual, speaking of love and devotion, others of humour and wit.

And the video below is a twist on Hafiz' poetry with some modern words, music, and images: I love them all!



FYI (for your information), I just realized that I have been drinking organic "sweet rose" tea today and the past two postings. No wonder perhaps why I am drawn to write about "love" poetry! ;)