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Silence by Thomas Hood

I just thought it would be nice to share this poem I came across by Thomas Hood. The atmosphere it creates is similar to that found when one wakes in the middle of the night and all is quiet.

Silence
by Thomas Hood

There is a silence where hath been no sound,
There is a silence where no sound may be,
In the cold grave—under the deep, deep sea,
Or in wide desert where no life is found,
Which hath been mute, and still must sleep profound;
No voice is hush’d—no life treads silently,
But clouds and cloudy shadows wander free,
That never spoke, over the idle ground:
But in green ruins, in the desolate walls
Of antique palaces, where Man hath been,
Though the dun fox or wild hyæna calls,
And owls, that flit continually between,
Shriek to the echo, and the low winds moan—
There the true Silence is, self-conscious and alone.

RE: You Call THAT A Poem? How To Write Cowboy Poetry

Your poems rock ROS, like the mane of a wild stallion on the gallop.

What inspires you?

When I started writing some time ago, that was all I wrote about too, perhaps because my emotions due to events were running high. It was a way to deal with them and move on from the problems causing them. After indulging in this method enough, I found I could tap into events of the past or imaginary/fictional circumstances.

RE: What inspires you?

I write nothing but honesty. It all comes from me, myself, and I. My life, my feelings, my pain, etc. It's all me:)

You Call THAT A Poem? How To Write Cowboy Poetry

Those of us who practice the art of cowboy poetry make a lot of chin music about what exactly it is. I have long been of mind that much of what parades around dressed up as cowboy poetry isn't isn't poetry at all. But what qualifies as one string of sounds as poetry, yet prevents another, seemingly similar set of words from claiming the name? I stumble around for the answers and my opinions don't much matter. Then again, maybe they do and so do yours if we all bother to become informed on the subject.

Growing up, I was fed on a steady diet of Shakespeare, Shelley, Wordsworth, Milton, Tennyson, Emerson, Whittier and the like. It fed in me a fire to write as good as they in my own way. I've been writing poetry ever since I could pick up a pencil and write my own name. It comes as natural as breathing and one of my father's kin is the poet Philip Larkin.

Cowboy poetry displays several "marks"

* An imaginative element;interpreting old matter in new ways, giving us new delight in familiar things.

* Combining unlike images and feelings to form new ones.

*Transcending the apparent, or obvious, to approach a new truth or ideal.

*An emotional element, a depth of feeling that's richer than actual life.

*Emphasis on beauty- to resolve the uncouth, the unfinished, the unseemly, the inartistic, into harmony.

*Universality- though based specifics, there's an underlying appeal to the common interests of all.

*Sincerity and honest conviction, demonstrated through freshness, vitality, and depth.

*The restraint to avoid false emotion and overly ornate language, and instead rely on the power of understatement and subtlety to induce a sense of power.

All helpful if you think about it.

The characteristics of the language of poetry. In brief:

*Concreteness or writing that appeals to our senses and evokes vivid images. Show it, don't tell it.

*Use of Figurative Language as a shortcut to ideas and images;metaphor and simile, synecdoche and metonymy, personification and apostrophe.

*Allusions to literature and history.

*Tone Quality- grouping words to produce pleasing sounds; using alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia and such.

*Effective use of rhyme as a melodic element, for emphasis of ideas, and as an organizing element.

We have plenty to ponder as we practice poesy. We all benefit when it comes to reaching beyond "mere verse" to attaining the heights where real poetry resides.

"You call THAT a poem"? is an impertinent question- one I would never ask another writer. But it is one that I ask myself and answer honestly every time I put pen to paper. And so should you. :-)

RE: Cinquain Poetry adaptation challenge

If your question was directed to me, I can say it was more like homework than fun; but, since it is not to be graded, fun homework. So, did I follow the rules well enough to pass?

Milton's Sonnet #19 (Needs some explaining)

Cool, I read up a bit about Milton and found he was either blind or going blind when he wrote this sonnet, so perhaps as a believer of God he found it difficult to understand why God would take something so important as his eyesight away from him?

Milton's Sonnet #19 (Needs some explaining)

When I consider how my light is spent,
E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide,
Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, least he returning chide,
Doth God exact day labour, light deny'd,
I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts, who best
Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o're Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and waite.

Tithonus at the end of his poem 'Half Brayed' suggested checking this poem of Milton's out, so I did and found it intriguing as I don't understand all of the references. Anyone know the exact meaning of the poem?

RE: Cinquain Poetry adaptation challenge

very cool g-man, I love it, I'll give it a go when my head clears - need coffee right now....

RE: I Appreciate My Poetry Family

PP - this is your group as much as mine or anyone's, you can make what you will of it, now I just have to figure out can we post images here? anyone know?

RE: To Group or not to Group..lol

ah you guys.... glad you can have some fun with it, and if grouch shows up...

RE: Hello my Family of Poets

I'm thinking perhaps all of the things in life that are most important to you inspire you Paloma. Perhaps because of their importance to you they are constantly demanding your attention and looking for answers or some kind of understanding from you - so you write about them. Now, if it were as easy to solve a problem as it can be to write a poem...

What inspires you?

I agree, being encouraged by others can make the difference, the smallest word just at the right time has more power than we can imagine.

RE: What inspires you?

I am inspired by the world around me, including: awesome nature, love, science, current events, politics, inhumanity, humanity, etc. - and encouraged by you, my fellow poets.