Let's Hear It For The Poets

[butters]

Originally Posted by greenmountaineer

Why is life so lousy, God?

You have rheumatoid arthritis, Bob.
Life's full of pain and suffering, God.

You have rheumatoid arthritis, Bob.
And why is there war, thieving, and shame?

You don't know why? You're kidding me, right?
Prayer to you is just wasting my time.

Smart men and women say the same.
You're just a figment inside my mind.

Smart men and women say the same.
There's so much suffering, turmoil, and pain.

Goddam it, Bob! Take aspirin!

read by Harry, I'm so sorry

lol


lolool


ahhhhhhhhhhhh


ok, gm, i was going to say how i enjoyed the clever balancing of this: - how man is always asking questions, demanding answers, but never stops to listen so consequently rarely hears the 'soft, small voice of god'; the exasperation in that last line is something else.

and then i listened to H

and

well, still grinning.

 

[Piscator]

Not strictly a poem, but funny as hell...
https://soundcloud.com/mistress-heather/gothefucktosleep/s-I1IvL

Not my write, a book I own by Adam Mansbach

Definitely a favorite at the time - fortunately it passed.

 

[greenmountaineer]

lol


lolool


ahhhhhhhhhhhh


ok, gm, i was going to say how i enjoyed the clever balancing of this: - how man is always asking questions, demanding answers, but never stops to listen so consequently rarely hears the 'soft, small voice of god'; the exasperation in that last line is something else.

and then i listened to H

and

well, still grinning.

Me too.

 

[Trixareforkids]

Definitely a favorite at the time - fortunately it passed.

Mine is 7, still won't sleep in her own bed and she's a night owl like me, so I'm still feeling it, lol.

 

[Piscator]

At the other end - Lorna Crozier "My Last Erotic Poem"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ-wVeUrSl0
(Readings from Sex Lives of Vegetables follow)

 

[Trixareforkids]

At the other end - Lorna Crozier "My Last Erotic Poem"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ-wVeUrSl0
(Readings from Sex Lives of Vegetables follow)

Lol that was awesome!

 

[Angeline]

<bump>

 

[Trixareforkids]

Yay, thanks for moving this. I'm glad that the idea of hearing one another has really taken off and everyone is enjoying it so much.

I hope there will be as much discussion here as links to pieces. I know there are many things I am curious about, for instance, what do y'all do to prepare to read a piece not your own?

 

[legerdemer]

Mine is 7, still won't sleep in her own bed and she's a night owl like me, so I'm still feeling it, lol.

Loved your reading of GoTheFucktoSleep. Still a problem, at 10...

 

[Lyricalli]

A little something from todski

Doing a favor for a friend:


I Worry Boy

once we were warriors filled
with fierce pride
those dull thuds of fist on chest
shake with the need to bleed
or make bleed
we were men that knew the language of fists

we were men that knew the language of love
toward our family
that knew how to protect and nurture
our hard curbed by their soft

But we lost our way

warped by booze and bruises
all that violence turned inward
directing hate at ourselves
letting it spill over our loved ones
where pride died and became
a curse word buried in cheap piss,
beer breath was all that was left
to hide the death of the lives we held
sacrosanct

Years of wandering this tortured path
beaten men that spoke with their fists
love was deemed weak
and was crushed beneath our feet
like a child's sandcastle
or a lover's face

It turned,
that cycle broke
I remember such terrible things
watching your grandmother's blood
bleed with mine as she sheltered me
with her limp body to try to stop the blows

I remember the hate, the anger and how when I got bigger
it would never happen again
I walked my own path of broken destruction
made it through,
arrived a man with pride in his eyes

I see you boy
the way you lash out
the way you strike out with all your might
the way you revel in your strength

And I worry for you


Written by todski28

 

[Angeline]

Yay, thanks for moving this. I'm glad that the idea of hearing one another has really taken off and everyone is enjoying it so much.

I hope there will be as much discussion here as links to pieces. I know there are many things I am curious about, for instance, what do y'all do to prepare to read a piece not your own?

I'm glad, too, and I hope we get lots of participation from everyone here.

My reading prep is to drink some water, tell my kid to leave me be for a while and let her rip. Sometimes I'm happy with my first try and others I have to read a bunch of times. I get out of breath if I read too long, so I take a break if it's not sounding right to me after three or four times.

I've been wondering about reading poems not written here. I'd love to read something from Yeats or some of my other favorite poets--or even post links to famous poets reading their own work. Maybe there should be a separate thread for that.

 

[Tzara]

I hope there will be as much discussion here as links to pieces. I know there are many things I am curious about, for instance, what do y'all do to prepare to read a piece not your own?

I read it out loud several times and if there seem to be problems for me, I try to notate the pauses--effectively punctuate or relineate the poem to make a reading copy. I have chronic allergies so breathing is sometimes an issue for me, if a line or connected set of lines seems to go on too long. I run out of breath.

My own poems are usually, though not always, written so that the line breaks fall in places that I hope are not only structurally important to the poem, but are where a reader might naturally pause, even if only for the Denise Levertov "half a comma," and continue. I also try to place caesurae where I feel I might need to breathe.

 

[Tzara]

I've been wondering about reading poems not written here. I'd love to read something from Yeats or some of my other favorite poets--or even post links to famous poets reading their own work. Maybe there should be a separate thread for that.

I vote for a separate thread. I also vote for a separate thread to discuss the topic of reading, but I like to compartmentalize things. It's the engineering heritage.

 

[Sinseria]

heh I do all kinds of weird stuff to prepare for a read ...anyway ! ...just wanted to say I did notice though ...when you read them it tends to give me a better understanding of the wordage and breakage places ...as to were they should be ...maybe its just me though?

 

[Sinseria]

We Are Greif

We Are Grief


We who remember
Carried in our mind
Always and forever

Sweet breath of life
As the gods
Call their number

In minutes and days
The passing of time
The doctors say

Sent home to die
Enough morphine
To end all time

Lost to the infection
The cancer inside
As pain never dies

Flesh and mind
Fading away
Gone in a day

Stilled in silence
Kissed in death
Tears of loss

Time is lost
As they are free
And we are grief


https://soundcloud.com/sinseria/we-are-grief



Death of Me


They called for me
my demons did
Their misguided child
their freak of fate

Taught me well
in shameful fear
Their evil adorned
as a female born

They set the stage
my path was clear
To crawl for them
in tainted tears

"Come little whore
kneel and bleed"
On virgin flesh
they did feed

On bended knees
I did crawl
Snapped as a whip
I took the fall

Broke my soul
in lustful need
Meant to subdue
the death of me


https://soundcloud.com/sinseria/death-of-me

 

[Lyricalli]

I hope there will be as much discussion here as links to pieces. I know there are many things I am curious about, for instance, what do y'all do to prepare to read a piece not your own?

I read through it quietly a few times, finding the phrasings that feel natural to me. For one of the pieces I did in the challenge, I pasted it into notepad and rearranged the line breaks, making little paragraphs to physically change the text to the way I wanted to read it. I've also used notepad to bold or italicize areas words or short phrases that I want to make sure I add a bit of oomph or inflection to. The more I've read, the less I've needed little notes like that.

Getting used to the sound of my voice was helpful. I stopped noticing that I didn't like it, and started paying more attention to what I was saying and how I was saying it.

Some have been more difficult than others. I think the fewest attempts I've made before I was content with the result is three, and I'm not even sure how many it took me for a couple of others. Too many, likely.

I've been wondering about reading poems not written here. I'd love to read something from Yeats or some of my other favorite poets--or even post links to famous poets reading their own work. Maybe there should be a separate thread for that.

I like this idea. It would be nice to have a separate thread for readings of non-Lit poets, whether the readings are theirs or ours, or particularly good readings from someone else.

 

[Angeline]

I like this idea. It would be nice to have a separate thread for readings of non-Lit poets, whether the readings are theirs or ours, or particularly good readings from someone else.

Now that I've thought about it, I agree. We can have a "Non-Lit Poets" read-aloud thread and a discussion thread for both of the poem ones. I'll wait another day or so in case others want to weigh in. In previous threads where we've combined poems with discussion, the poems tend to get lost among the inevitable sidetracks.

 

[Piscator]

I like this idea. It would be nice to have a separate thread for readings of non-Lit poets, whether the readings are theirs or ours, or particularly good readings from someone else.

Tzara's challenge really has got us reading out loud. I too like the idea of two threads but would like it to be free of the "Charge of Light Brigade " and other high school chestnuts.

 

[Angeline]

Blitzin'

No not the reindeer!

About a year ago I wrote my first blitz poem, which I discovered on the Shadow Poetry website, originally posted at Lit by UnderYourSpell and again, more recently, by Always Hungry. (It really is a great site and worth exploring if you haven't already.)

The blitz poem consists of 50 lines with lots of repetitions. The lines are very short so the challenge is to use repeating words that create both a smooth flow and a meaningful poem.

Lyricalli kindly agreed to read my blitz poem. That's no easy task because the poem is meant to be read fast. Anyway I love her read and how she managed to speed through the read, yet still emphasize key words.

Poetry Blitz

birth of the blues
birth of jazz
jazz is our culture
jazz is our freedom
freedom from pain
freedom from words
words that bite
words that sorrow
sorrow like fog
sorrow like years
years of hiding
years of Sun
Sun in my eyes
Sun on my skin
skin of my virtue
skin of my shame
shame's wasted passion
shame's wasted time
time like snowmelt
time like a river
river of tears
river of hope
hope is a virtue
hope is a dream
dream of my mother
dream of what's past
past like erosion
past like transcending
transcending their scorn
transcending my fear
fear of failure
fear of rejection
rejection of friction
rejection of fiction
fiction of Babel
fiction of Byzantium
Byzantium beckons
Byzantium is gone
gone girl gone
gone like a whisper
whispers of statues
whispers of life
life is recursive
life is the light
light as a savior
light as a song
songs for faith
songs for singing
singing
faith


Thank you again, Calli, not only for that fast, smooth read, but also for helping me see things in the poem I missed just reading it silently. s x 12

 

[Trixareforkids]

I liked both the writing and reading of that Blitz, inspired me to try one of my own for today's 30

http://forum.literotica.com/showpost.php?p=74872508&postcount=1150

 

[Sinseria]

Find its Way

Find its Way


Before you
Shines an empty screen
In the desolation of your existence
As you ponder life

Wondering in truth
What its meant to be
Another misshapen future
To an uncertain destiny

You
And you alone
Can bear witness
To time and life denied

As you built your castle in the sky
Erected like a cathedral in your mind
Laid the mortar between the stones
And sent your fantasies to die

Laced your soul in vane
Amongst the structured frame
Braced in the steel and chains
And left it to decay

Kissed the blade of empathy
Let it carve its way to your heart
As deliverance to its steel steeple
In pillars of salvation by pain

There is no demon
That will hold you now
There is no saving grace
On the courtyard to dismay

So alone you stay
Behind yourself made walls of shame
Praying for the heart
To find its way


https://soundcloud.com/sinseria/find-its-way

 

[Sinseria]

Life is Pain

This piece is written as a one way conversation.
As if an introduction of me to you.

“So you’ve come then,
come to play?
Very well, it’s all the same.
Here let me take your jacket,
stay a while.

Let me introduce you,
to my little friends.
Come inside, its ok, don’t worry,
I’ll show you around,
It’s only my mind.

That one sitting over there with the tacky glue,
the one trying to piece Cupid’s wings together
it’ll never hold true just way too many pieces.
Don’t tell her that though she’s a stubborn fool,
and as compulsive as they come.
Her name is Faith.

And that one there in the pigtails,
the one dancing on the cloud of bubbles.
She is a naive fool and best friends with Faith.
Between you and me and a brick wall,
I think she had a fling with Sin for a while.
She makes the best pies though as sweet as melted honey.
She’s known as Dreams.

See that one there writing in fevered rage,
the one that’s crying and laughing mechanically.
Ya, I know weird right.
She’s hella wacked in the head, just way out there.
But she is intimate with us all as she is our soul,
and best friends with Pain.
We call her Words.

Oh yes, that one there behind the spiked bars,
the one wrapped as a mummy in bloodied gauze.
I know, don’t worry she’s harmless;
she doesn’t come out to play anymore.
You see she used to be inseparable with Dreams …best friends really.
Then Faith got involved and they put her in wings,
egged her on …told her she could fly.
She flew alright; we have yet to find all the pieces.
Now she only plays with Shame.
We used to call her Love,
now she’s just known as The Broken.

And that one there the real scary one,
sitting on the throne of fire and brimstone,
holding her whips of malice and hate.
She is our guardian and keeps our reins.
Man, I have to tell you though!
When Faith and Dreams broke Love,
she took Fear and Rage and taught them well.
And with an iron fist she rules us all,
for life is pain and she is real.”


https://soundcloud.com/sinseria/life-is-pain

 

[legerdemer]

Late-Life Love

(a slightly edited version)

My losing heart's a strange and wicked master.
So many men seemed filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss was surely no disaster.

Lost one or two, and finally, most. Accept the fluster
of lost men, lost lovers, hours in sadness spent.
The losing heart was still a bitch to master.

I practiced losing every love, and lost it faster.
Each year, and every day, I dwelt on what I meant
to tell each one: that their loss was no disaster.

I lost the first one to another girl, in my youth,
then several in quick succession, until I mastered
the art of losing men with greater couth.

Yet despite couth, my losing heart was too poor a master
of loneliness that came of losing lovers sans intent.
Although my heart regrets their loss, still - no disaster.

And so, my dear, imagine the surprise I now hold
as, late in life, I learned love of a different sort.
My losing heart I have yet learned to master
and losing you, my love, would surely bring disaster.


To AH


Late-Life Love - careful with the volume, it may be a bit loud

 

[Lyricalli]

Titles are hard, so this is still an untitled Cascade (link to form):


Untitled Cascade

I love you to pieces, he says
And I wonder at what that means
While I memorize the laugh lines around his eyes

He looks at me with amused tenderness
Unfazed by my tempests of emotion
I love you to pieces, he says

Love can feel fragile, even to a strong heart
Still he smiles as he hands me his
And I wonder at what that means

Days turn to months turn to years
There will never be enough time to love him
While I memorize the laugh lines around his eyes

 

[Sinseria]

Broken Days

https://soundcloud.com/sinseria/broken-days


The myth of destiny
Is yours to hold
Blessed on the fumes of hell
To feed the famished few

Arise thy demon child
Thy sinner soul
In a time of forgotten woe

Savage and fierce
Are the memories lost
The crux of your life
To bleed anew

The metaphor of your soul
To part love and pain
Stilled in your mental maze
In the hate of broken days