Poems By

BRIAN S. BOYI
Second Collection
© 2023 Brian S. Boyí

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or

distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do
not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation
of the author’s rights.
Growing Up (Poem 1)

Growing up is like
Walking on a tight rope
Balancing your weight on it
Eyes eagerly focused on the other end.

Again, it is like setting on a sea

Turbulent, raging with waves
But we hold our faith in that ship
That somehow it will overcome the storm

And take you to the next shores, safely.

We pray the big whales to stay away
And pirates too we never want to say
Just hoping all the time that the land will be seen again.

Grow up, everybody wants to

But somehow, we're all afraid of growing old
The fear of loosing sight, growing weary everday
And the things you loved you love them no more.

We are afraid of loosing our fathers

The endless love of our dear mothers
When we think of growing up. Because
We grow up, we grow old.

We all want to grow up, age peacefully

Age like fine fine wine, that's what we want.
Forget about our dying time
Thinking every day, we are here to stay.
The Shoeshiner

He beckons him on the long stool in front of him

Expecting to reap big.
Gently, the latter steps on the lower bench.
As he starts to work on his expensive
Pure imported leather shoes,
The master weaves a series of engagements.
All a praise of his world.

How he needs to paint his two storey mansion,

Expensive insurance cover he has,
The litres he drains in his posh Merc,
A flight he booked for the summer vacation,
Appointments... Multimillion project he's handling...
The shoeshiner inclines his face at an acute
Looks at his naive master and wonders.

Does he know about my hungry children

Missing school for lack of enough fees?
Does he know of my dark alleys,
Haunted with blood thirsty simis?
Will he understand if I tell him
My vacations are only scheduled at night-
Sentenced with terrible thoughts
Of tomorrow, on my bed?
Will he?

How will he understand the meaning of grace

When he has insurance covering him?
That a mama mboga has to be careful
And a mitumba sales guy, has to stay warned
And always swift
Lest they get caught in the raids
Of corrupt city council officers?
Does he know that we never hiss of Mercs
When all we look up to is our health?
Whether the solar is ten times powered
Or there is a heavy downpour.
Is he the only one who does not know
Episodic events cocooned in my world?

The president knows,

But he traveled overseas for important business
Atleast that's what he knows.
The minister is on a state paid trip
All along with his dear family.

The faithful taxpayer chooses to keep to himself

And others of his world.
Everybody to his world, that's it.
He pockets his earned right
And smiles at the disappearing Merc.
A Tear Falls

They say it's useless to cry over spilt milk

But I just can't seem to run over
Your memories as if they never happened
Every time I reminisce, I can't tell why
A tear falls.

In the depths of knowledge

I search for the so vital wisdom
Hoping maybe a wind with a clue might blow
Unveiling reasons so much I long to know
But none seems to conspire with my efforts
And a tear falls.

Sleepless sorrowful sickly cold nights we spend

Sauntering on the streets for any signs
That might bear a thread of peace.
Hunger enslaves us in crimes
And thinking we have no choice,
A tear falls.

To match the backstreets, we had to reform

The warned ways, we had to conform
Now with the crew, we are uniform.
We take portions of every form
With every puff of the cannabis,
A tear falls reminiscing.

It was only yesterday,

I was cuffed with a gram of cocaine.
I had to wrestle when I saw Sarah sob
She's only ten to take the streets by herself.
And now in this cell I recall,
The morning we woke up to ourselves
And a tear falls thinking why?
 Lillies

Broad leaves, white flowers

Oh, my eyes behold a scene
Floating at the pond.

Reeds

From afar, I see;

Sword like leaves bend in the wind.
Tend tender to be.

Seasons

She longed for winter

All through autumn, spring, summer;
Just to play with snow.

Fare There Well, June

A chilling weather
Takes June away, far away
Shall we remember?

~~HAIKU.
The Power Of Nature

I traveled through the woods

Just past, a thick carpet of snow
With a decent and steady fall
Colored the countryside in heavenly white.
The wind, scented with a faint smell of rosemary
Roared across my frozen pinnas
And a symphony whistled-
At the rear of my medulla like a flute.
Just then, the moment reached out
To days I wished to live again.
I Look Forward To.

There is a land springing with milk and honey

Beyond these mortal bodies; though it sounds funny
That we'll travel to without paying a single penny,
I look forward to.

It resides beside clear waters,

Aside calm peaceful shores
And a garden so beautiful it grows.
I look forward to.

I can not help to imagine

A land no eyes before have examine
Questions about it, I can't stop askin'
Earnestly, I look forward to.

A promise to the hearts so pure

Mine, I am not so very sure
Might be the chances are fewer,
But I look forward to.

Gold casted in to gates, cups, pitchers...

So rare features in my mind it pictures.
Alas! And inhabits no false crazy preachers.
I look forward to.
I Don't Need Pictures

I don't need pictures

To remember how happy we were yesterday
Or how sorrow had us carried away.

I don't need pictures

Of beautiful places around the world
I will just craft them in my own words.

I don't need pictures

To see how evil the world is
I have seen enough, please.

I don't need pictures

To always admire the beauty of my beloved
For in my heart it will always be sculptured.

I don't need pictures

I don't need them anymore
Most of them make me sore.
If I Don't Write Today

I may fall short of words

Or luck any igniting ideas
That will make me out of content
To receive not your pleasant comment.

I might think all day ending up with a migraine

Remembering days I used to reign
When verses left scars on hearts
Or deep furrows on many faces.

I might get tired of writing on evils

That bore our ethics like weevils
Or praising heros emerging overtime
Who just want to acquire fame.

If all these comes to happen without a bell

Please, don't act like a rebel
There is much you can find in the old
The works I wrote out still uphold

If I don't write today, remember

It is not yet time to surrender
We live to fight, maybe tomorrow
And fly high wherever like a sparrow.
Freedom Colour

When freedom calls in my mind

I always think of blue; like the sky
Where the birds always freely fly.
It stretchs so wide, its depth so high
Any other, I can not verily find.
AS LONG AS YOU'RE HAPPY

I have tried to watch you

Not that I do stalk
But wherever I take a walk
I see holding arms, you two.
The faucets that watered hope in me
Ever since, have dried up
When you decided our story to wrap
Even though I had to beg on my knee.
You said my love was a different kind
That which bruised your heart
But always you concealed when you were hurt
The reason you never wanted us to wind.
You tried to control and see everything work-out
As a good wife, you proved to be handy.
But if he always makes you happy,
That way more than I, I let go without doubt.
Maybe One Day

Maybe one day,

I will understand it all
When I will grow big and tall
Old enough to harbor knowledge
That made you walk off the edge.

Maybe one day,

I will be uncaged from the wrath of my father's wife
Who never interests on how I lead my life
Or cares to make it more peaceful
Instead of making each day dreadful.

Maybe one day,

I will wake up and embrace a reunion
That will make my life to safely carry on
Without insults that accompany orders at random
What I have always felt for... A little freedom.

Maybe one day,

I might wake up to be shown a grave
Housing your bones... I will act brave
I will not cry for all I have been through
Neither will I mourn for losing you.
Right Honour

The war is over, peace will dominate again

Streets are full, people are happy, celebrating
Glad, independence to attain
We are ready for a new better beginning.

What about you, who sacrificed all you got

For the birth of this much awaited day?
Lying in a massive heap of destruction, to rot
Honour to you, we seek not to pay.

You, who took the bullet of the enemy

Endured to see your fellow Countrymen fall
Who had to carry a burden so heavy
Willingly serving mama land's call.

Your gun presses on your cold chest

Empty, with no single ammo
Both of you are down to a rest
Bearly enjoying the fruits you bore.

The smell of your blood hovers in the air

A breath of it chokes my lungs with emotion
How I wish life had a spare,
I would not have allowed your termination.

I will see to it you are honoured

Make this day for you and others
Who, come rain come sunshine, laboured
And gave mama land heroes.
Just Friends

Worst and best of all days, we've been friends

Played, danced, spent the weekends together
And always held hands of each other
Never hesitated our help to lend.

We watched the nights sitted on rooftops

Sending wishes with every shooting star.
Busked in the sun gossiping about my sister
Drinking strawberry flavored ice pops.

As the waves sweeps sand at the beach

Slowly, your smile drifted me away.
Our promise, made me not to say
Only as friends we were to pitch.

I swear that was the mistake I did

You slipped out of my hands in to his
I laugh at myself remembering this
Now that you are married bearing a kid.
The Fate of My Love

I dusted my courage off the shelves

Harboring it on my trembling hands
Risking the fate of my love, I asked her
'Are we still together?'

Her fragile emotions tremored

Like a weak wave of an earthquake
And so faint to notice
'What do you think?', she ducked

Like curtains, her eyelids flicked up

Dispensing the truth to me
I was bound to drown
In a deep ocean of lies.

I had to be sound
I had to survive
But I was vulnerable, ever since
'Do you still love me?', I propped my guard.
Sing with Joy For Every Dawn

Sing with joy each and every dawn

A chance you've been given to see
While some are forever to remain down
Sing with joy each and every dawn
You were not left here alone
But some with you to be
Sing with joy each and every dawn
A chance you've been given to see.

(Triolet of rhyme pattern ABaAabAB)

A Rose

I love a rose flower

White is my best of all
A sign of love in its pure form
Oh, I dream for that kind
In the life I spend with you
I just need peace in my heart
Nothing much, nothing less.
(A septet)

Sky

Sometimes when I view the sky

Maintaining my Wonderous stare
I see a clown, a baby, lovers- traveling.

If only they were not so high

My thoughts with them I would share
They always tend to be listening.

(Sestet of rhyme pattern ABC ABC)

My Favorite Flower

I love the beauty of a bougainvillea

A pink one, planted right at our villa,
Grew in to a magnificent tree
Just an uplifting sight to see
It bears memories of Cecilia.

(Quintet of rhyme pattern AABBA)

Stars Sparkling Bright

When the night sky is clear

I spend time outside on the porch
Watching the stars sparkling bright.

I feel an inspiration so dear

Liberating my mind from every notch
Just watching the stars sparkling bright.

(Sestet of rhyme pattern ABC ABC)

The Plane

Slowly. 1
And then, 2
Gathers momentum steadily. 3
With a front leap, 4
Wonders in the sky, away. 5

(a pentastich)
A Poem

A poem is a unique art

That covers every aspect
Of our biosphere in a simple fact
Right when all had its start.
(quatrain of AAAA)

Weaver

Like with a single blade of grass

My empire started to build
Right from a single crafty verse.

I woove every thought I like

Good or bad, I do
This art bewithes my psyche.

It killed my dream of becoming a nurse

I do not know I would
Some day. I just love every verse.
(Three couplets of ABA CDC ABA)

Creation

Creation was such a blessed beauty

None in its existence was meant to be ugly
It was just made to distinct the good
From all that is bad

But we made hard what was easy

Rejecting kindness over brutality
Should we respect God
Instead of being rude?
(two quatrains of rhyme AABB AABB... On opposites)
Smile

A half bubble of happiness

Curves its shape on lips
And perfectly fits.
(a tercet of rhyme pattern. AAA)

A POET

Profusely, I sketch my world

Out of sheer imagination
Encapsulated in my mind
To
Seize the

Attention of
Readers'
Eyes.

Bruising their emotions

I
Really
Do
Sometimes.

Or
Fill

Their expectant
Hearts with
Every

Aspect
I think needs
Recognition.
(acrostic poem: Poets Are Birds Of The Air)
Prayer

Vast blue ocean

Spreads still into infinity
Not ashamed or even guilty
Drowning the Titanic- so mighty
But still, we wanna ride on

Vast blue ocean

By the grace of the Almighty
The loving peace of the Holy Trinity
Raise not a wave so nasty
On the fairer Seas' Icon
(rhyme pattern ABBBA ABBBA)

Passion of Poetry

I don't think about her

About no one in particular
But that book. That book-
With its curious look,
Got me craving for what's inside
Without wasting time, I must decide

When to walk up to it
Grab it by the spine, pull it
Off the shelf, in to my arms
Cuddle it. Beneath my breathe hum
Its contents. My mind munching
Piece by piece not leaving
A morsel tasted, to the last page
Even if it takes a decade.
A Letter To Mama

Mama, you've grounded my thoughts lately

A rest will be earned crafting them here nicely
I am not tired of fighting this fight
But until when will I live as a knight
It might pain you hearing of these
But mama don't cry, just read with ease.

Mama, you know I have cultivated my energy

Not a single day wasting it in burglary
Just to make a world twin to the one
You fought to give us even when worn
I have tried, I have always done it, but until then
Can you please tell me, until when?

Mama, you knitted for us a life of dignity

We never appreciated but lamented in stupidity
Little realizing in our naive minds
Fate awaitin' beyond the confinement of those walls
That we never regarded the love and struggle within
For us to remain ever smart and clean.

Mama, you might be thinking of me

As much as I am yearning my victory to see
But mama, if the tombs on this far land pry on me today
Without hearing your blessing say
Do not cry. I reckon, don't even try
Take this in your arms, as a proper goodbye.
Love Infants

Young, so young
These souls,
They can not talk for themselves
Yet they shout loud to be heard.
These souls,
Can not bite, can not chew-
They want to wean so soon
Feeling old to grind cereals.

These weak grapes

Want to stand on their own
Tender their vines on their own
They don't want to use tendrills.
These stems believe
They can withstand the windstorms.
The urge cropping inside
Dares them to let go.

Not long... Not long that

These very souls were bruised.
Their mouths full of bitter sores.
These vines, fell on the ground
The weight of their buds
Was much. Much to withstand;
Much for the little vines
To nyield their worth.

On the ground, watch-

They are dying,
They are rotting, inside.
Just These Words

What more should I give to you

Than these words that I write
When I am to my truest?

I would have given you my life

But soon... Anytime sooner.
Even I, won't posses it like now.

And if you say my heart,

Fear will reign over me.
What if you see its flaws?

You might as well say my home.

A cold lonely home is not for you.
Scattered with papers and... Not you.

You need a happy home

Lively home filled with joy
Brightened by smiles and embraces

But not I. I luck these

Beautiful traits. Just these
Words of my own

Will make you feel home, I know

These words are the crumbs that
Mould my humble soul.

These fragments will not weather apart

In seasons of gnawing or worse
They will still spell out cohesion.

I will just offer these words to you or any

Be careful with these words
These words are me. Purely me.
A Tale Of Grace

I am a son in the Kingdom

Heir of the mighty throne
Prince of the royal family.

A servant in making
Called to serve humanity,
With wisdom and love.

On the fountain of grace, I am planted

Under the shade of forgiveness, I rest
Under that tree there at Calvary.

A vine so pure fills my cup

A noble cure to every of my part,
It flows there at Calvary.

That tree in the midst, its fruits

Brought evil and curses on men
At Calvary, they brought life in abundance.

On that wood I was adopted, grooved-

To be a vessel in the kingdom,
By a master Carpenter.
Nature's Beauty

Nature's beauty lies everywhere

Where my eyes would stare

It abides in the melodies

Of the morning Hummingbirds

And the whistle of the Eagles

Soft like an Asian bamboo flute.

Nature's beauty hides its secret

In the summer nights

Of clear skies adorned with starry batik

Alongside an orchestra of bugs and crickets.

The waters May shower the earth

And a sweet scent of nostalgia rises

In to the cool nonchalant breeze

Dragging me to blissful memories.

Lushy green mountains- snow capped,

Rags of seas, ribbons of rivers...

Wide blue oceans

Stretching to the hem of the world...

It is beautiful... Nature?
So beautiful...
Family Photo

Whenever I steal glances of this photo

My thoughts scatter miles away
A wave of emotion creeps on my soul
And my spirit becomes crippled with desperation.

Fear conquers me. My heart

Clouds with a mist of coldness.
The freezing love within whispers
You should be there.

Mine with my family these smiles

Painted on this photo warmly.
Invest my precious time
In every moment of laughter.

That home, incubates our hearts with warmth

Broods our family with heavenly love.
Our spirits remain forever bound in unity
Whether we choose to stay or go.
Little Sister Bella

My little sister Bella,

Is a pretty one i have,
As calm as a wild dove
Sometimes I lousy little fella!

A pure African beauty

With an angelic smile
She curves every awhile
Bestowed on her by the Almighty.

She likes it when it rains

Playing in the pools of water warms her heart
Wading in them barefooted, she wants
Though our hearts it pains.

Little sister Bella, a ton of love

Little sister Bella, a bundle of sweet joy.
Bears a kind face like a Barbie toy
Sister Bella is a gift from above.
The Beauty Of My Love

Come here, come near

And stay by my side
Daughter of my mother-in-law
I want to be looking at your face
Radiant like the morning sunshine
Your skin, I touch and it feels
Like the fresh leaves of a cassava
Come near, near and nearer
Mmh, my darling, your smell!
Fresh scent like the lillies at our pond
Do not smile like that
You remind me of the cresent, my love
Your shape, my dear, what can l say?
Those long legs, protruding below the hem
Praise your maker, crafted carefully
Like the evening shadows of the palms
When I laid my covetous eyes on you
That very day, I was cast in a spell
To love you forever.
Twenty-four

Twenty-four now, but seems still at the shore

When my heart is tired for more
Desperately feeling tore
For any missed score.

Twenty-four now, but beaten to the core

Hitherto, my body, one big sore
From the pain which life bore
And actually nothing much to adore.

Twenty-four now, I can't see what I am hoping for

That which could not happen before
When my faith was as light as a spore
To believe that good things were in store.

Twenty-four now, ten years and I will hit thirty-four

Thank goodness if I'll still be able to snore
Or else it might be the end of this folklore
That was initiated on a certain June, twenty-four.
My Heart Desires Love

My heart desires love

A special love out of the heart
True love and warm always.

My heart desires love

That which will not hurt

A patient and loyal love.

My heart desires love

Sincere and beautiful
As summer blooms.

My heart desires love

Not complicated
As the ocean floor.

My heart desires love

As simple as truth
That won't wear out.

My heart desires love

Not as delicate as a lie
That will soon break and fade.

My heart desires love

A love out of the heart
A natural love.
She Knows I Understand

She loves me
But she never says it, often
For she knows I understand
Much more than she could have said
And that's for sure.

When she stares at me

Or talk to me...
There is something in those eyes
Something in that voice
Not the words she pronounces.
Her embrace... She's genuine
And she knows I understand.

Her food when she cooks

It nourishes me with affection
She gives not what I want
For she knows what I need
And I am in my comfort around her.

She loves me
But mama naver says it, often
For she knows I understand
The language of the hearts
Much more, than she could have said.
I Will Still Cry

When you leave and walk away

Or die; whichever way
I will still cry
Yes I will cry.

Not for the pain

Or the beautiful stain
You left in my life
But I will still cry.
Oh yes, I will cry.

Yes I will cry

I will shed a tear.
I will cry
And live in fear.

Will you be safe

Away from me?
Will you be safe
Oh, darling can't you see?

No matter the letters you may write

Explaining how you chose it right
I will still cry.
Yes, I will.

Will the flowers still smell the same?

Will the nights still render the fame,
Just away from me?

I will still cry

Thinking about you
With no one beside you
To shadow you against the sun.
Will the star
Still shine again
In a sky far away
Where it won't cease to rain?

I will cry.
Yes, I will still cry.
If By Chance You Remember

I remember how you looked-

So beautiful in white.
How you matched along the aisle-
With steps so light.
And how you couldn't sleep-
Just the previous night.

I remember how you held the flowers -

In your hands so tight.
How you smiled every minute-
With so much delight.
And how you danced to the music-
With a greater might.

I still remember how you wanted-

To take a bigger bite.
How you were eager for this part-
Of our plight.
And how you prayed everything-
To end just right.

And if by chance you still-

Remember this day
And your heart is still
Carried away
Come back to me darling,
Let nothing stand in your way.
On Her Behalf

Is anyone considerate there to hear?

Someone to lend a compassionate ear
A shoulder for her to lean on in times of fear
And wipe away her solemn tears.

Someone to embrace her weakness

Relieve her this troubling distress
And cure the society's sickness
With a stance so pointless.

This is not a matter so mere

Dragging our efforts to the rear.
But take it so dear
And let your hearts hear.

She has cried out for so long

Instead, her fight you prolong.
Let her choose where to belong
And judge her not wrong.

Some freedom and a comfort zone

For the girl child to end her mourn.
Amongst us, she was gracefully born
Let her not feel so lone.
Why Do You Let Go?

I can hardly forget;

How I used to sit beside you and watch the sky
The sparkle in your eyes;
Spinner the time around in a magnificent style.

Now every hour of the night;

Reminds me of how we were just you and i
The truth is we were the best;
And you know that in your heart, you can not deny.

So why do you let go?

Why do you leave the pleasure
Of all this to myself?
Oh, why do you deceive
And hurt yourself?

Just look at the moon;

How it flows bluntly wishing you could stay
And in the shift of a drift;
I can hear the hum of your name every single day.

With the fade of every night;

The bat's know that I have so much to share
And if you'll be here by dawn;
Not even a single word my heart is willing to spare.

So why do you let go?

Why do you leave the pleasure
Of all this to myself?
Oh, why do you deceive
And hurt yourself?
Booze Chronicles

He raises up his beer

And the crowd rises up to cheer
Oh boy, it's a wonderful year
With so much to hear
In the scatter of all
He staggers not to fall
In the midst of them all
He towers them so tall
The day's hot, he says, the beer's not
And no one dares to cut him short
Unless, he wants to turn this into a bloody spot
And blows will fly, beauty to distort.
He can take twenty bottles a day
He sips as this he say
And nobody can stand in his way
Not even Maggie, come what may.
Bring two bottles for him!
Another soul adds up the steam
Joy filling the room to the brim
They seem to enjoy this fantasy realm.
After merry hours of refreshment,
A single head is left drowsy in the bazement
Afraid of Maggie and her concerned sentiments
Afraid she might start an argument.
Not Just Anger

Sometimes we are not angry, just hungry

We get some food eat and calm down.

And sometimes, not hunger but anxiety

Just can't wait long just idle.

To others, it's not anxiety but curiosity

Every time they keep askin' what if?

While so, others curiosity is not the case

Just ignorance. They can't tell why?

Because of ignorance, they're jealous

And they just can't say.

Some, it's not Jealousy but love

Burning inside them, hot.

Or even, not love. Just lonely.

Want to get a friend, a talk, a hug-
And move on.
Lost in Love

From my love zone, you're taken

You are gone, I am shaken
I am alone, I am broken
In my life you shone, you made things happen
I was always airborne, my days brighten'
I can't find a clone, someone to liken
I feel torn, unheard, I feel my mind unspoken
Ever since I was born, I feel stolen.
I am worn, my heart is swollen
Daily I moan, from a love once golden.
Weep Not

When you feel like talking to me

And in the light of the day
Or in the stillness of the night
You can not find me,
Weep not.

When you feel tired

and want a shoulder to lean on,
Turning to your side where I was
And you find me not,
Weep not.

When you feel like an outcast

With no place like a vagabond
Looking for a place to call home
But i am not there to welcome,
Weep not.

When you want to hear songs

I used to sing for you
Laughing out in the rain
But you can not remember the lyrics,
Weep not.

When you want to make a wish

Upon a bright shooting star
And you see none in the dark sky
Crumpling your dreams,
Weep not.

I will always be there listening

I will always hold you not to fall
In my mind, you will always have a place.
I will fill your heart with songs,
I will be your star upon which you'll make a wish;
But, weep not.
Walk With Me

Walk with me,

In your presence, everyday, I want to dwell
On your bosom, feeling glad, I will be well
Your goodness, every day, I want to tell
Your grave, letter after letter, I will spell.

Walk with me,

Lead my way, holdin' my hand, when I'm frail
Drive my ship, with your wind; in my sails
I will be safe, at the shore; not to wail
I will rejoice, your name; I will hail.

Walk with me,

In the dark, when I can not see, light my way
Obstacles, vicious snares; keep them at bay
Protect me. Give me strength, from evil say
Guide me. My steps, let them not stray.

Walk with me,

Walk with me. O great one, walk with me
Walk with me, my future days, I want to see
Walk with me, I will obey every of your decree
Walk with me, your chosen one, I want to be.
The Drunkard

Out of the rusty iron tin, he staggered

Into the bright summer day, he paused
He shook his head-
Blinking hard and slow,
Adjusting to the contrast.
He popped out eyes; red-
Like wine in a cup.

The wind blew by

Drunk with the smell of his brew;
An addict of chang'aa*
I spat.
He lifted his right leg
For a moment, I pitied
Thought of holding him
Before the waiting eyes fell back
With silent giggles behind their palms
But with a thud, it landed safely
It called for its left partner.
Tell Me

Do you feel what I feel-

What starts to mount up my heart
Whenever we see each other,
Or it's a creation of something
I am not sure of?
Tell me.

Do you get these thoughts that I get

Whenever I hear your name
Or your voice, just from a distance?
Tell me, am I getting confused
In a world of my own?
Tell me.

Tell me, I need to be sure

I am not getting lost
In these lousy streets of life
It will be uncomfortable to endure
Thoughts of past time in darkness
Please, tell me.
Here Lies A Legend

Here lies a legend; a hero

Of exciting exemplary traits
A shadow of mystical tales.
The dusty tombs of hades
Savour bones of immortal history.

Here lies a legend; a hero

Praised by generations
For this and that; he did boldly
His solid swollen muscles-
Not strong enough to conquer
The silence death.

Here lies a legend; a hero

Whom towers stretching to the sky
And roads and streets and children
Are named after gloriously
To birth memories of respect and honor.

Here lies a legend; a hero

A warrior and a savior of raced
Here lies an emblem of victory
To tribes and nations- liberty
A sower of robust peace.
Waitress

She looks-
She stares at me.
With judging eyes, she measures
My somber face upon what-?
I would wish to know
My hand stirs. Stirs and stirs
And she's still staring.
I lift up my head from the cup;
The cup from the table, to sip-
Ouch! I startle...
It stings my tongue
My hand without a choice, retreats
I pant for the cool air.
She's still there, at the counter.
Behind her back, dying to laugh
I feel humiliated. I am harassed,
In front of the beholding eyes.
###
For my love you crave
In my heart you want to pave
A path; so clean and clear.
But it is difficult my dear
For us two to groove.

~~Limerick

The Ambulance

She flies past

The cars scrambling,
For the edge of the road.
Flashing lights of red, blue and orange
With a shrilling scream, she wails;
For a soul she habors in her womb
The pains are growing, the soul is dying
Let her deliver successfully, I pray-
To the echoes of her sorrow.
A Better Place

I came and I saw

yours was a better place
floating on an ocean of beauty
engulfed in nature's own hands.

the waters were clean and clear

and springs sparkled in the morning sunshine
the breeze was ever cool
and smelled of nothing but life;life and hope.
fortified within acres of green forests
were seas of savanna plains
wild with loud roars,
it was a better place.

the hills flowed

with salmon streams
the trouts wedged the waters
downhill into the corals
nothing dwelled on the coasts
than peaceful dreams and memories,
it was a better place.

i came and i saw

how you tore this expensive cloth
into cheap unworthy rags.
the forests were no more
and the morning scent was neither
filled with life and hope.
you silenced the beauty lying on the plains
and the waters stinked of death
the coasts were swept with a wave
of lifeless marine; no more peaceful dreams
no more a better place.
Songs By The River

From the mounts of the earth,

Flows a river
So dense with furious water
Hovering over rocky cliffs
to a gentle sloping plain
there i hear songs.

On the banks of this mighty flow

i feast on a scenic beauty
lulled by soft drift blowing by
and the classic symphonies
from all around.

As the foliage clap against the other,

they host a thousand melodious beaks.
from the yellow bellied weaver birds
to the ravens and the bills
and from the sky, whistles an eagle.

On the stillness of a lily leaf,

Floating on the calm waters,
I behold, blowing its balloony throat- a frog
Croaking in harmonious pauses
To suit in the captivating rhythm.
The Irony Of Love

In the stunning beauty of her youth- I saw her,

In the heart of my eyes- I admired her,
And in the crowd of my fragile emotions- I swore
Under the influence of my persuasive affection,
To make this gem, my possession.

I chose to be different around this specie

Just to make sure, she got trapped in my net.
I shut the blinders of my eyes
And shunned from the woes of tongues
I thought, did not bear good tidings.
I defied the rules of nature
Just to feel cupid around her.

How can I describe best, to the ears that listen?

To the winds that lay in wait
Of my gasp; to carry it far and wide?
To the longing minds ready;
To float in the wilderness of imagination?
These souls drunk with a spirit of adventure
To wander in the mystery of my love story-
As it unravels vividly
From the archives of my mind.

She was a magnet

And not even my dreams
Could resist her wild presence.
She never stole my attention-
She was not a thief,
But I did not have it either.

And just that day,

When I poured my heart out
In her delicate glory,
She looked at me- eyes dry
Drier than the dunes in the desert.
I felt stupid, ignorant of love
As she walked away without a word.
I remained sketched; tall and stiff
On the backgrounds of shame.
Condemned

She stood there feeling astray

The world never looked her way
But walked, walked far away.

Their eyes full of scorn,

She wanted to mourn
She wished she was never born.

Her peace was stripped

Her respect and principles breached
And her innocence challenged.

She run to her mother…No!

She heard about the law,
But all of them were effete, another blow.

In her heart, more she bled,

As justice went unexpressed,
Instead, it was awkwardly condemned.
In My Darkest Hours

I was there, entangled in turmoils

Hardly could I move
And I could not breath too.
At the dumpsite, I was rejected
My hope failed and I felt dejected.
Useless than the waste I was in.

My dignity, my treasure
Was stripped off me.
I was robbed my face
And I was nothing- left for shame.
My whole body went in to shivers
In the chills of those days-
I felt sick.

But then you came

Lit my darkest hour with glory.
A crown of success you perched on me
Embraced me in your warm hands
And there, I was home.
Starving Wolf

I saw him. Roaming the streets desperately.

He was starving. Left for the callous jaws of death.

Weak and feeble. Ribs promiscuous countable from far.

Barely able able to stand. He was dying.

The earth crowded. Souls selfish and centered.

No one would help. Not a single one cared.

I was fractured by love. I took him in my arms.

I would bear. For this one, I would care.

I fed him love. Sweet and fatty.

A diet so special. Soon he gained posture.

I broke my walls. I gave him my all.

My body my soul. He made me feel whole.

He became stronger. He became rebellious.

I had tamed another. Sly wolf in sheepskin.

After reaping my best, he left to starve again.

To strip another heart its warmth and pride.

An empty self I was left. A mould of sorrow.

Like Jericho, I was. Insecure and hopeless.
Summer

The sun paints my day

With a golden tropical ray

Grazes the silent hilltops with a slow pace

Lazes up the sky to shine on my smiling face

The breeze, cool, on a ration

Sweeping on the right proportion

Not to harm the blooms or trees break,

Nay will it raise the calm waters to cause a wreck.

In its glory, the dew boils

As we grab our sunscreen oils.

Actually, nothing serious to fear

I am glad, summer is here.
She's a Model

She crys every time for her mama

But just at the door, appears Nana
Hands wet. Ever washing the dishes
Rest for a day. Is all that she wishes

For. Where is she? The mummy

Who knows? She looks like a mummy
Itself after long hours of make up
Every morning after her usual lap

Around the estate. She's a model

I heard so. She needs to keep her shape well,
She insists. I wonder what's so important
That she cares little about this infant.

Maybe her selfies on Facebook and Insta

Also trending on every chat on Twitter.
Happy

Just down, down, down

I am down. Need some kind
Of elevation. Precise inspiration

Ending my everyday frown, frown, frown

Sometimes makes me sick and old
A feeling that strangles me in dark
Depth of loneliness. It's bad, really bad

Incase a walk in town, I see a clown

I will smile. We need that more often
Doctor's prescription. To live long
He says. And happy too. I want to be happy.
Painful

We all sat and watched

Ears keen to listen.
The preacher, a tall steady figure
Dressed in coal black-
Reading the holy scriptures,
A farewell to our beloved.

In a moment of silence,
We bowed, our heads arched
Eyes staring on the tiled floor
Or somewhere, amid the deafening air
Lost in painful thoughts.
Why now...?
And how...?

The dead were honored

In the midst of tales unfathomed
And days later, candles would be lit
To remember these souls
Whose life oozed in a tragic crush-
A dark tale.

With a chorus of sobs and sniffs,

Those bodies were lowered
Into the solid ground
Silently. Nobody still understood.
FOUR LETTERS

Four letters I have known little in my life

And have not always gained any notice
Or regard with much emotional affection
Now rule my world with a golden sceptre.

Four letters among the twenty-six

Have strung my heart leaving it helpless
While my mind thinks in endless circles
Cloning me in to an infinite explosion of emotions.

Four letters drown my sanely existence

Everything I engage in has no exception
No matter how many cups of coffee I take
I remain the same as I had not had any.

Four letters in my life someday,

Will leave me caged behind the bars of matrimony
Leading me in to the hallway of fatherhood
Locking my whole world down to a warm home.
THE REASON

In my heart I have no doubt

When she opens her mouth to speak
For her words have that tender touch of care
And I grossly appoint her my heart.

Even if she's good at hiding I don't care

And I fall for her everyday
And I don't think if I'll be ready to let go
If that kind a truth dawns on me.

How boring would that be

Sarcastic to know my heart lives away from me?
But with the weakest string of faith
I believe that would not come to be.

And every morning when I wake up

I search for that cute little smile
That is always right by my side
For it makes me feel more alive.
If I Must Cry

If I must cry, let it not be for love

Or anything that made me feel it
Let I not fall for that lethal wove
That left me vulnerably less discreet

If sorrow might cloud my serene days

Let it not be over what drowned in the past
What the sun bathed its most brighter rays
But the winds symphoned away so fast

Should I be forced to weep

Let I not for the perishables that come by the flesh
Emotions that last with a sweetness of a sip
And can not past death, remain fresh.

Should I bear the burden of grief o'er my heart

Troubled by thoughts anchored in a photo album
Abraising the clots of my healing bruised part
May the weight be not more than a gram.
FORGIVE ME

Forgive me if I should change

In to ways dimmed illicit
Staggering away in a strange
And a manner not so explicit.

Collaborating with nature to revolt

Against your cupid territory
As once loyal faiths bolt
Abandoning the Creed of mutual itinerary.

Forgive me, even when I am not wrong

It is most likely I will or might
Thus it will help you remain strong
We mortals can't always be right.

The times are uncertain to us

But to guard your trust, anticipate
Just a casual err not worse
That might entirely frustrate.
When I Grow Up

When I grow up I want to be...

Should I make this solemn pledge
Or wait for the reality and see?
I know it will cut through like a wedge

It has always done so much often

Making souls disappointed for lost dreams
So I am going to wait but until then
I keep steady all of my aims.

She wanted to be a good teacher

But now she wants to be anything
As long as she harms no creature
And be sure to earn something.

He also, wanted to be someone valuable

And make a change to his little family
He is depressed, he is not able
Even though he trys, life never makes it easy.

It has been made to loose its meaning

The pledge of becoming your efforts
By selfish people who have no reasoning
Guided only by the greed tendered in their forts.
High With The Clouds

I want to rest high with the clouds

Where the winds blow cool and gentle.

I want to rest high with the clouds

Where the strong birds shuttle.

I want to rest high with the clouds

To watch the sun rise and settle.

I want to rest high with the clouds

And sync to the moon and stars protocol.

I want to rest high with the clouds

Let me feel heavenly noble.
###

I do not know what forces of nature so great

Or try to wonder what a peculiar fate,
Might have conspired to present this date
Not so early but still, not so late.

Heroes never die and so, here I am

To brace more and more to come.
Through the heat and cold of seasons, I stood firm
Not by my strength but yours Lord; I affirm.

Many are called but few a chosen

Maybe just a half of hundreds of dozens.
Some, amid chills of pennies, had to remain frozen
And some efforts were hardly proven.

A milestone in many a people's careers

But just another plight into we steer.
A steep and rugged but we dare not fear
For we know we are always near.

Gratitude to all who laboured for this pay

Of perseverance, without demur or any form of delay.
Their names, we might have a list to say
But intently we pray, heroes, we live another day.
On The Wings of Love

I love someone in the world of bliss

Under her heavenly inspired beauty, I busk
That shines with no artificial mask
And her voice, soft like a hiss.

Her adoration for my love, moves

Only with her, we blend happily
Hoping for a warm beautiful family
Maker of a peaceful home, she proves.

I will stand in between her and the door.

Because i am ready to admit
Talk over, forgive and forget.
Instead of losing her supreme glow.

Since she takes time to understand,

I will be patient to learn her ways
Granting my effort where she can't, always
Striving to beat the odds of the land.

She is someone not complete

But for her meaningful relevance
That stays even without her presence,
I pledge to make her complete.

Her love makes me crazy.

Now and then, I choke with laughter.
A magical breathe setter
Immortal, I never die when dizzy.

This someone I love for, not what you think

Or what might other people know
But for her real consistent flow.
My quest is the wholeness of her blink.
MOMENTS IN PARADISE

When I sit down I try to remember

When we met; when we kissed in December
It always feels like a hot burning ember
Warming my heart's innermost chamber.

It's a feeling I find hard to explain

A feeling you find when standing in the rain
As it drowns all your numbing pain
And wash that most stubborn stain.

When we touched; when we laughed at the park

The feeling ignites my long dimmed spark
It peels off my old aging bark
I feel younger. Gifts strength to this tark.

I wonder if I can see you sometime after July

Steal moments in the summer; under the sun, we lie
It might be hard until we give it a try
Darling what lives on is strong, do not be shy.
OUR YOUNG LOVE

Our young love, I took it far

A place we gazed beyond the stars
Oh, I was healing from a scar
Just to attend a death mass.

And I wrote a poem for you

I thought it worth too
It's something I do just for a few
The specials and not all I knew.

But it's now hitting the extreme

I can hear the alarms of my heart scream
My boundaries are calling for a trim
I need to wake up from this dream.

I tried to give a love not so royal

But at least I know I was loyal
All that time I proved my potential
But you miss a point so primal.
POETRY

Where else could I have reaped it?

How else better and sweeter,
Would I have gleaned it all
Out of my heart?

I looked up in the sky,

What would light my ways?
Not the stars, not the moon
Not even the sun did better
Than it does.

I felt the coolness of the currents blowing by

From the oceans to the hilltops.
But neither could they lift up
My wild spirits better than it does.

I travelled around towns and cities

Crept stealthy in the wildest of places
Laying back bush and thickets
To hunt a view in its nature's own hands...
It was only in my mind places, so far.

Through foreign tunes, I coiled

Letting them massage my soul
So I could feel what was lost in me
That I shed tears no more
But only by the streaks of my pen.

How else could I have kept mine memories?

Pictures fade. Eventually, loosing contrast.
How else could I have shared the love?
How better would I have concealed the hate
And the anger that sometimes boils in me?
How else could I have learned to smile and forgive?
Where else could I have mined the peace-
The hope stolen by guns?
Where else could I have found a friend so loyal
With a love not breached by money and fame?
There I Will Be Free

When it comes to yield

So I have to depart from all that knew me
Against death, hold it not a crime
For there my heart longs to be.

Weep not in that season so prime

When my sustainer, my spirit, wants to see
I will go when the bells of hades chime
I will go; for there I will be free
OUR LIVES

Our lives once lived upon beliefs

Muscled with strong tendons of hope
Amid tough battles to survive.

Our lives once had sophisticated dreams

That were replaced by complicated ones
Everyday we sleep in fear and sorrow.

Our lives were once inspired

With stars that had a chance to shine
And brightened our dark nights...

Our lives, now remain just as lives

That had a chance to be lived
But only as the less opportuned.

Our lives, no matter how bright the sun shines,

Remain in dark alleys of impaired efforts
Without care of any form of healing.
###

I am here looking at our past

Bruising memories I know might hurt
But it's fine with my heart
Thinking about the future, is worst.
The truth that you were once mine,
That one moment back in time
Has never left me very fine
Haunting me like a crime-
I committed, letting you go
What is love? A striga?
Dead but the roots always grow
Entangling one deeper and deeper.
I am here looking at our past, a comfort
Where my heart was left living
Afraid of the future I can't confront
But I would. Given a chance, I am willing.

###
When I'll be lying there dying,
Let you be there beside me.
I want to feel your presence
Travelling along with me to that-
Lonely life beyond the sun
And keep the peace in my heart as well.
When I'll be lying there dying,
Let you be there holding my hand
And I will always remember
How it felt lying in your arms,
The warmth that incubated me,
I will remember, beyond the horizon.
When I Will be lying there dying,
I want to see you with me
And keep that last image of you
Brightly floating on my vision.
Lighting that whole darkness
In that life beyond the stars.
When I'll be lying there dying,
Embrace me on your chest.
Let me hear the beating of your heart
Let it reverberate in my drums
And I will be assured there is still life
And I will keep the peace in my heart, as well.
Feral Wings

I want to be a star,
Shine up above in the sky,
And the little ones- spur,
Their dreams bring nigh.

I want to be a spar,
On the plane; above the clouds- fly,
And move ahead- far,
Before i grow weary and die.
Christmas Eve
It was a cool evening
The sun had set,
Dropped suddenly out of the azure sky
Like an over ripe orange from a tree
Darkness crept slowly upon the town
Street lamps blinked shyly on,
Glowing cold and dull in the gathering gloom
The falling snow flakes adorned the scene
Neon lights flashed the enticing words –
‘MERRY CHRISTMAS.’
Burning Plains
The afternoon sun burned hot and bright
Illuminating the whole savannah

He raised his hands and sucked

Taking in deep puffs of the tobacco
His wild, red eyes fixed at some point
On the wide, brown dusty track
Leading out of the park.

He dropped the butt and walked on

Setting the dry grass on fire
The dry wind blew hard than never before
Urging the fire.
It licked the dry grassland
Crackling it with flames so hot.

The raging bushfire burnt acres

Of the wild home
Roasting precious wild game –
It was the worst.

Happy Birthday Brother!

On a similar date; not so late

He claimed his fate, my dear blood mate
As the foliage of the very hour,
His skin was soft and tender.
His smile was equipped with an art of resemblance
To his sire, my father-
A glad heart indeed.

Now a fold of fourteen years

Still bracing the world-
And all that it yields in life.
A bold lad he proves to be
The pride of my caring mother.
A reaper of blessings and-
A brilliant sower of happiness.
My brother, my only co-heir
Is a perfect supplement of my air
If he ails, that kitten, I die
I never imagine life without his voice
But I always pray, whenever we lay
Let us rise again, stronger
And count another fold together.

SOMEONE

I need someone we can share a future

Someone I can lead to the preacher
Someone my ideal family can feature
Someone who sees the bigger picture.

Someone I can always rely

Someone who tells not a bigger lie
Even when troubles surge so nigh
That someone will not hike a goodbye.

I need a heart so open

One I can share my secrets with, so often
And keep them from the reach of men
No matter gifts of expensive linen.

I need someone who will be my joy

A fortress; the city of Troy
Not just an easy play-toy
Who will in a blink, my heart annoy.

Find me a companion so expensive

And I will treasure as long as I live
A love much equivalent I will give
And strive not to make her grieve.

I need someone, not an amateur

Someone with a wife's stature
And a pure mother's love nature
Just a super wonderful creature.
FLOWERS.

Everywhere I go, I see flowers

And even when I sleep,
I dream of flowers.
Blue, yellow, purple, pink; flowers
All around you.

The air drifts with a scent

Of this integral part of the flora
Arousing and uplifting.
Rose, Lavender, Peony; scents
I smell, around you

In your eyes, I see flowers

Your hair is light in the breeze
Like the soft pollen in a morning
Your touch feels like the Hibiscus
All around me, I see flowers.

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN..

The distance might be long

My limbs weary to wander any further.
The nights might be long and lonely,
Cold and dark. And scary...
The winters might blow hard
With snowy windstorms, holding me back.
The songs might be too good
Too good to dance; but not alone...

Until we meet again,

Will I sit down and rest my sore toes
Not until then, I will not fear the nights.
Until we meet again,
I will fight through the storms.
Until we meet again,
I will wait for your hand for a dance.

For you are the rest I seek,

The courage and warmth in my heart
To walk through the coldest of nights.
You are the strength in my veins...
Until we meet again,
You are the moves of my dance.

If at all there is a future,

Mine is a fine summer
Of days a little warmer
And breezes cooler
If at all it's with you, dear.

If at all there is a future,

Mine is a sweet scent
In my garden basement
And drifting away, I can't
If at all it's with you, dear.

LOST LOVE

Remember when your world became dark

On that June of twenty-nineteen
You became so soundly deaf
And your lips locked your voice, forever

I am seated here, lonely- in my mind

Trying to gather the memories

Of the love I lost that day.

Certainly I remember the good times

That I could not forever keep

As they first were. And even if

I could, they would tear my heart

When I feel you from far away.

Maybe someday, in a world I don't know

I will get to feel the love you planted

And maybe again, at a time I can't tell

What I surely know; I will be glad.

HALF A DAY.

When we met, we were younger

Now our hair has turned to grey

And we never miss to feel a day

From what life has for us.

Over the years we've known laughter

We've held each other in nights of sorrow

Planting many things together,

Just what we needed to see.

I have known you over the years

Seasons have been, seasons have gone

In my heart it always seems like

I have been with you only half a day

I would never tire to spend another

Day with you; for you are the rains

That water my smiles so tenderly

The summer that brightens my years.

Do You Care?

Do you care when I say,

Father and mother lie here

And all the times they had

And we- together?

Do you care when I say,

This is the only place

Where we atleast find peace

And the meaning of home

Comes true in our hearts?

Do you care when I say

The eye above watches in anger

As you scatter us away

From our very own-

Do you?
When I say, the same womb that labors

Shelters under your roof...

When your brother's, weeps silently

For it's sons' and daughters' sake

Praying for justice to prevail?

Forms of Poetry
Acrostic

 Any poem in which the first letter of each line forms a word or words. The words
formed are often names—the poet’s or the dedicatee’s. Longer acrostic poems can
create entire sentences from the first letter of each line.
 Acrostic poems are free to rhyme or not rhyme and can be metered or free verse.

Ballad

 A short narrative poem with stanzas of two or four lines and possibly a refrain
that most frequently deals with folklore or popular legends and is suitable for
singing.
 Ballads are constructed of alternating lines of four and three beats (feet). The
lines are usually iambic, but need not be. This accordion-like construction creates
a lilting, sing-song style. An example of a ballad would be Coleridge’s “The Rime of
the Ancient Mariner” (the first three stanzas are excerpted here):

It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
`By thy long beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me ?

The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide,

And I am next of kin ;
The guests are met, the feast is set :
May'st hear the merry din.'

He holds him with his skinny hand,

`There was a ship,' quoth he.
`Hold off ! unhand me, grey-beard loon !'
Eftsoons his hand dropt he.

Blank Verse
  Blank verse is poetry that has no set stanzas or line length. It is a common form of
poetry seen often in Shakespeare, Milton, Yeats, Auden, Stevens, and Frost. In fact,
a great deal of the greatest literature in English has been written in blank verse.
 Blank verse is unrhymed lines that follow a strict rhythm, usually iambic
pentameter.

Cinquain

 Despite the French name, the cinquain is actually an American poem influenced
by the Japanese haiku. Cinquains are usually light verse used to express the brief
thoughts or moments. This form utilizes few adverbs and adjectives, working best
with a profusion of nouns and verbs.

 Cinquains have a strict syllabic count that must be adhered to. The poem is five
lines and 22 syllables long. It need not follow anymetric pattern, though an iambic
cinquain is not unusual. The first line of the poem has 2 syllables, the second line
4, the third line 6, the fourth has 8, and the final line has 2.
For an example of a cinquain, we turn to its inventor, Adelaide Crapsy:

These be
Three silent things:
The falling snow... the hour
Before the dawn... the mouth of one Just dead.

Elegy
 A poem of lament and praise and consolation, usually formal and about the death
of a particular person. Elegies can also mourn the passing of events or passions.
They can be meditative and distressed, such as “Elegy Written in a Country
Churchyard” by Thomas Gray (arguably the most famous poem to take this form).
 Elegies are seldom without form, though the form varies from poem to poem.

Epic
 The epic is a long narrative poem that usually unfolds a history or mythology of a
nation or race. The epic details the adventures and deeds of a hero and, in so
doing, tells the story of a nation. Epic poetry is the oldest form of poetry dating
back to classics like Gilgamesh, The Iliad and Beowulf. Though too long to be
 excerpted here, any of these works would serve as fine examples of an epic.
 Epics often follow a recognizable pattern, but there is no set pattern. The form
changes from culture to culture, language to language.

Epistle

 Poems written in the form of a letter are called epistles.

 Epistle can adhere to form or can be free of meter and rhyme. The only
requirement is that it is in letter form. One of the better known epistles is
Alexander Pope’s “Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot.”

Epigram

 A very short, ironic and witty poem usually written as a brief couplet or quatrain.
The term is derived from the Greek epigramma meaning inscription.

Ghazal

 A short lyrical poem that arose in Urdu. It is between 5 and 15 couplets long. Each
couplet contains its own poetic thought but is linked in rhyme that is established
in the first couplet and continued in the second line of each pair. The lines of each
couplet are equal in length. Themes are usually connected to love and romance.
The closing signature often includes the poet’s name or allusion to it.

Haiku

 A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five
morae, usually containing a season word. e.g from the anthology 'Fare Thee Well,
June’

A chilling weather
Takes June away, far away
Shall we remember?

Horatian Ode
  Short lyric poem written in two or four-line stanzas, each with its same metrical
pattern, often addressed to a friend and deal with friendship, love and the
practice of poetry. It is named after its creator, Horace.

Idyll

 Poetry that either depicts a peaceful, idealized country scene or a long poem
telling a story about heroes of a bye gone age

Limerick

 A short, humorous form known for off-color statements.

 The limerick is a five line poem with meter and rhyme. The first, second, and fifth
lines are all iambic tetrameter with end rhyme. The third and fourth lines are
iambic trimeter and rhyme with each other but not the other three lines.

Ode

 Often written in praise of a person, an object, or an event, odes tend to be longer

in form and, generally, serious in nature.
 The patterns of the stanzas within an ode follow noprescribed pattern. A well
known example of an ode would be “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats.

Sestina

 sestina is a complex form relying on the repetition of end-words. As with all

poetic forms, the sestina works best when read aloud. A good poet will make the
incessant repetition of words, necessary in this form, seem natural.

 The form of the sestina is demanding. There are 39 lines in the sestina broken
into 6 stanzas of 6 lines each and one final stanza of 3 lines. The last word in each
of the first six lines of the poem is repeated as the last word in varying lines
throughout the poem. If we assign the last word of each line a letter, the pattern of
last words would fall as follows: ABCDEF FAEBDC CFDABE ECBFAD DEACFB
BDFECA the final stanza, or the tag stanza, ends with either ACE or ECA. This tag
 stanza usually includes the other three words. On top of this complex pattern it is
not unusual to see sestinas follow a strict metered rhythm (often iambic
pentameter).

Sonnet

 One of the most popular forms, the sonnet has two major styles, English (or
Elizabethan or Shakespearean) and Italian (or Petrarchan). Both forms are
fourteen lines long and are renowned for focusing on love. Often, the first eight
lines of the poem (the first two quatrains in an English sonnet) demonstrate the
problem to be solved, and the final six lines (the last quatrain and a couplet in the
English sonnet) resolve it.
 Sonnets are written in iambic pentameter. The English sonnet adheres to this
rhyme pattern: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, or a variation on it. The Italian sonnet
usually follows this pattern: ABBA ABBA CDE CDE. Sometimes the tercets (groups
of three lines) vary. These variations can look like: CDC DCD or CDC DDC or CDC
EDC. Finally, there is a second form of English sonnet known as the Spenserian
sonnet. It rhymes ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. It follows the same basic pattern as the
Shakespearean sonnet but varies the rhyme.

Tanka

 A Japanese poem of five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and
the other seven.

Terza Rima

 A type of poetry consisting of 10 or 11 syllable lines arranged in three-line tercets.

Verse

 A single metrical line of poetry.

Villanelle
  Borrowed from the French, the villanelle is a poem of heavy repetition made
famous by Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Goodnight.” In this poem,
as in all villanelles, entire lines are repeated.
 Nineteen lines long, the villanelle not only repeats lines, it rhymes. The pattern is
ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA. The first and third lines of the poem repeat
alternatively at the ends of every subsequent stanza. Usually completed in iambic
tetrameter or pentameter, the poem has a clear cadence

Open and Closed Form

When a poet follows a pre-established metrical pattern, such as that of a sonnet with
iambic pentameter, or a ballad with a rhyme scheme, we say the poem is written in
closed form. Open form, which could be said to begin with Walt Whitman and Arthur
Rimbaud in the Nineteenth-Century, and which has become the dominant form of
American poetry,discards traditional meter and rhyme. We will talk more about it later.
So on to closed forms.
The most common pattern in English-language poetry, the one in which most of
Shakespeare’s plays are written, as well as John Milton’s Paradise Lost, is blank verse,
which is unrhymed iambic pentameter.
A couplet is a a two-line stanza, and traditional couplets are rhymed. The rhyming
couplet enjoyed its heyday in the eighteenth century, where it was usually written as an
heroic couplet, closed and self-contained, always in iambic pentameter. Here’s an
example, from Alexander Pope’s mock epic, 'The Rape of the Lock':

Say what strange motive, Goddess! could compel

A well-bred lord to assault a gentle belle?
Oh, say what stranger cause, yet unexplored,
Could make a gentle belle reject a lord?

The tercet is a stanza of three lines. In The Divine Comedy, Dante employed a tercet
throughout its 14,233 lines in a rhyme scheme called the terza rima, which is very hard
to make sound good in English, a language with far fewer rhyming endings than Italian.
The terza rima rhyme scheme is aba, bcb, cde, ded, and so on.

The quatrain is the most popular stanza in our language for rhymed poems. We have of
course already encountered it with ballads. The ballad stanza is written in iambic
tetrameter.
While we think of the sonnet as an old-timey closed form, it was actually invented by the
Italian poet, Petrarch, in the fourteen century. After Petrarch, the biggest innovator of
the sonnet is Shakespeare. We speak of two different kinds of sonnet, the Petrarchan, or
Italian; and the Shakespearean, or English. The Petrarchan sonnet has an abba, abba
scheme in its first eight lines, which are called the octave; the final six, or the sextet, can
be rhymed cdcdcd, cdecde, or in any other rhyming pattern. The Shakespearian sonnet
has four clusters: abab, cdcd, efef, and gg. The rhymed couplet at the end is often
reserved for a surprise, a twist ending.

An epigram is a short, pointed statement. Here’s Alexander Pope’s “Epigram Engraved

on the Collar of a Dog Which I Gave to His Royal Highness”:

I am his Highness’ dog at Kew;

Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?

A limerick is a poem with five anapestic lines, usually rhyming aabba. Limericks are
funny and often raunchy, as this one, from Clifford Simpson:

Young Joe, while committing no crimes,

Lent a hand helping Tom ring his chimes,
What Tom then requested
Joe gagged on—detested—
At least the first twenty-five times.

Sestina and Villanelle

The sestina and the villanelle are intricate forms of closed verse that are exceptionally
challenging to write. They build more elaborate echoing patterns than most other verse
forms, and thereby, when successful, achieve strong musical effects.
The sestina is a thirty-nine-line form that we think was invented by Arnaut Daniel, a
twelfth century troubadour. In a set pattern, the sestina repeats the initial six end-words
of the first stanza through five more six-line stanzas. At the end is a three line stanza,
called the envoi. Here is the ordering of end-words and stanzas::

ABCDEF
FAEBDC

CFDABE

ECBFAD

DEACFB

BDFECA
The first word of each line of the envoi repeats that pattern, as does the last so that we
have a variation like,

The villanelle is a nineteen-line poem featuring two repeating rhymes and two refrains.
The form consists of five tercets, followed by a quatrain. The first and third lines of the
opening tercet are repeated alternately in the last lines of the succeeding stanzas; then in
the final stanza, the refrain serves as the poem’s two concluding lines. The villanelle,
which has its roots in Italian and Spanish dance songs, did not start out as such a rigid
form. However, probably due to French influence, it became what many believe to be the
most difficult of all poetic forms to execute successfully. Villanelles in English not only
have an inflexible rhyme and refrain scheme, but they also tend to be written in iambic
pentameter.

Open Form
Open form poems are poems that do not employ traditional fixed forms like meter, rhyme
schemes, or the intricate patterning we saw in sestinas and villanelles. Open form got its
start in the nineteenth century in France and in the United States. In France, Charles
Baudelaire and Arthur Rimbaud pioneered the prose poem. In the United States, Walt
Whitman borrowed poetic devices, such as phrasal repetition, from the King James
translation of the Old Testament. The translators had not wanted to impose English verse
forms on what they saw as holy scripture, so they followed the original Hebrew as
closely as possible.
Free verse was widely popularized by the modernists of the first half of the twentieth-
century, including such figures as Ezra Pound, H.D., Marianne Moore, and William Carlos
Williams. We are about to read one of its most important practitioners of the latter half
of the twentieth century: Frank O’Hara. Today it could probably be said to be the
dominant form, though closed forms have proven remarkably resilient.
Open form does not mean total freedom to do whatever. As William Carlos Williams
asserts, “Being an art form, verse cannot be ‘free’ in the sense of having no limitations or
guiding principles.” Yet in open form, the poet must find the guiding principles that suit
each poem’s subject-material. The poet cannot rely on previously existing forms.