the princess saves herself in this one
by amanda lovelace
ah, life--
the thing
that happens
to us
while we're off
somewhere else
blowing on
dandelions
& wishing
ourselves into
the pages of
our favorite
fairy tales.
a little bookmad.
i could be found stroking
the spines of my books
while i sat locked alone
inside my tower bedroom.
all the while, i hoped my books
would spill their exquisite words
over the lush green carpet
so i could collect them one by one
& savor them like
berries inside my mouth
--forever a collector of words
The Rose That Grew From Concrete
by Tupac Shakur
If I Fail
If in my quest 2 achieve my goals
I stumble or crumble and lose my soul
Those that knew me would easily co-sign
There was never a life as hard as mine
No father--no money--no chance and no guide
I only follow my voice inside
if it guides me wrong and I do not win
I'll learn from mistakes and try 2 achieve again.
In the Even of My Demise
(Dedicated 2 those curious)
In the event of my demise
when my heart can beat no more
I Hope I Die For a Principle
or A Belief that I had lived 4
I will die Before my Time
Because I feel the shadow's Depth
So much I wanted 2 accomplish
Before I reached my Death
I have come 2 grips with the possibility
and wiped the last tear from my eyes
I LOVED ALL who were Positive
In the event of my Demise!
So, here's to reading some good poetry this month!
(And if you leave a comment, be sure to tell me your favorite poet.)
Happy Reading!
Gotta love Tupac! And that Princess poem was terrific. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteThey were fun poetry books to leaf through. :)
Delete:) Favorite poet? Funny, I was thinking about that last night and it is like "favorite book." There isn't just one, but there are poets (and books) for different moods and circumstances. Millay, T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Emily Dickinson, John Donne, Plath and Hughes, Teasdale for imagery, and dozens of others for specific poems. Funny, I never figured Tupac for a poet, but Paul Simon has always been on my list. Lyrics count, I should think about that more!
ReplyDeleteLyrics do count! :)
DeleteIt's been so long since I've read poetry. Have to look these up. Great post, Lark! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rachel! :)
DeleteThanks for sharing. I never read poetry. I like it ok but it’s not a favorite.
ReplyDeleteI don't actually read a lot of poetry--I'm too busy reading fiction-- but I like it when I do.
DeleteI never read poetry. :( It just doesn't do anything for me. But I like hearing about what other readers like and why. :D
ReplyDeleteI dip into poetry once in awhile, I don't read it a lot; but I do have several favorite poems that I've collected over the years that I like to reread every now and then. :)
DeleteI have stayed away from poetry because much of it from centuries past goes over my head but thanks Lark for sharing the Tupac poems. Not hard to understand at all and he had a gift.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by how much I liked his poems.
DeleteI rarely read poetry but I love those from Amanda Lovelace. :)
ReplyDeleteAren't those great? She has another book of poems titled The Witch Doesn't Burn In This One that look equally good. I'd like to read those next. :)
DeleteI'm not a big poetry fan, mostly because it makes me feel dumb! LOL. I just don't understand most of it. That's why my favorite poets (namely Longfellow) are those who write straightforward, easy-to-understand, rhyming verses :)
ReplyDeleteI do like the Tupac poem, though. Thanks for sharing! My daughter loves poetry - so I might have to look up the princess book for her. She'd probably love it.
I don't claim to understand poetry and all it's symbolism and imagery; I just know the poems I like and the ones I don't. :)
DeleteI love your selections, Lark! I don't read much poetry, but I do love Dorothy Parker. Recently, I read some of Emily Bronte's poetry and found it quite powerful. Your post reminds me that I need to get back to poetry! :)
ReplyDeleteDorothy Parker is a favorite of mine, too. :) And I didn't know that Emily Bronte wrote poetry; I'd like to read some of that. :)
DeleteI loved poetry when I was in grade school. I haven't read much of it as an adult outside of Poe and the occasional horror poem included in magazines or collections. I would love to read more of it.
ReplyDeleteI always want to read more poetry, too, but then I never do. Only in April when I remember it's National Poetry Month. :)
DeleteI have a copy of the Lovelace book and am looking forward to reading it. I like what you shared with us! Emily Dickinson is my favorite classic poet. Of the contemporary poets, I would have to say Sweta Srivastava Vikram.
ReplyDeleteDickinson is great; I like her poems, too. But I've never read any of Vikram's poetry. I'll have to look her up! :D
DeleteOh love that Lovelace poem. I think that is one for my poetry journal. Some of my favorites are Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes and oh so many others!
ReplyDeleteLangston Hughes is an amazing poet; I should read more of his stuff.
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