Poet Heart: #1

NIGHT - Louise Bogan

The cold remote islands

And the blue estuaries

Where what breathes, breathes

The restless wind of the inlets,

And what drinks, drinks

The incoming tide;

Where shell and weed

Wait upon the salt wash of the sea,

And the clear nights of stars

Swing their lights westward

To set behind the land;

Where the pulse clinging to the rocks

Renews itself forever;

Where, again on cloudless nights,

The water reflects

The firmament's partial setting;

- O remember

In your narrowing dark hours

That more things move

Than blood in the heart.

I studied Literature at university where I was taught to analyse, critique, and tear open poems and novels to get to the heart of what they truly meant. But never has one spoken so directly to me than the last few lines of this poem. 

"...more things move than blood in the heart."

It reminds me to look beyond myself to nature and also to live well. 

There is a little bit of regret in me that I didn't get to study Bogan's poetry, but then when we look so closely at things doesn't it remove a part of the magic that made it great in the first place? So perhaps it's better to enjoy the words simply for what they are. 

The poetry I read at college left me cold, but delving into my giant anthology of poems from across centuries of writing, I find myself picking out the ones that speak to me and that is what poetry was always meant to be. A poem to the heart of the reader.

Do you have a favourite poem that means something to you? I love for you to share it. If you'd like to share yours here on the blog, drop me an email--> paperpocketblog@gmail.com I'm going to be sharing more poems in the coming weeks and I'd love for you guys to get involved.

Peace and Love, Bloggeroo's

xo

On writing for a wedding...

So, my best friend, @bondybaby on twitter, asked me to write a poem to be read at her wedding in August, which was so sweet of her and a vote of confidence in my writing skill. I've been working on it for a while and for the longest time the pressure got to me and I came up with trash, all of which ended up in my recycling bin. Finally, I've got something I'm happy with though it's still being worked on. If you ever have to do this, here are some words of advice:

 Invitation made by @bondybaby.

Know the people.
Chances are if you're asked to write a reading or poem for someone's wedding you'll know them quite well. I started by listing the things they like, what inspires them, thoughts and feelings about the couple. This will help form the tone of the piece. Also, knowing the theme of the wedding helps.

It doesn't matter what form it's in.
If you like to work in certain, set forms of poetry, great. For me, I write in free verse most of the time and for those of us who aren't natural poet's it works really well. I start by writing a paragraph which i'll chop and change until i'm happy. Then i'll split the paragraph into lines on a page and go back and edit again. Once I have one section i'm really happy with I find it inspires me to keep going.
  
It doesn't have to be about True love, finding "the one" and "knowing instantly".
Sometimes we feel it poems and readings for weddings have to be about true love. They don't. Another friend of mine who is getting married next year asked me for advice on finding a special reading for her ceremony that wasn't lovey dovey. I suggested looking through her favourite books for paragraphs about home, family and the things that her and her fiance really cherished in life. Things that are important to you make a better statement on the day. Of course if you or your friends did know instantly and did find "the one", there's nothing wrong with that, but only say it if it's absolutely true!!

Ease the pressure.
It's difficult to write something for someone you love dearly especially when it's going to be read aloud as part of the most important day of their life so far. I set it aside for a while and only wrote when I had something to say and tried to forget who it was for. Focus on the writing, and forget about the performance...for now!

I hope this helps a little if any of you find yourself in this situation!

Good night, bloggeroo's.

Words from my notebook

Dust Jar 

The corners of my eyes,

Full of dust and sleep,

Are shaded by old blankets

With ladders where the edges

Were loved too much.

Hiding between the dark matter

And the strings that join,

Quiet in the folded linen.

The sheets possess secrets

While I dream and wonder;

Keeping still and hush about the location

Of my mind:

Stowed in a glass container

And left to the stars.

Words from my notebook

1

Find me here amongst my possessions,
and I will show you everything I have gained.
Each jewel; each scrap of paper;
each mark on my body can tell you where I have come from
and where I am headed. 

They all have a tale of lost times and lost boys
that moved on without thought or care;
passing through as lovers have always done.
They take me to the beautiful days
when men whistled in the street at a glimpse of my calves,
the saffron glow of tea dances,
stolen kisses, weekends at the lake. 

And when I am satisfied with my remembrance
I carefully wrap each piece in fragranced tissue,
protecting them from the wear that time 
will inevitably bring.