Tag Archives: literature

A Poem in Your Pocket Day

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Poets.org sponsors Poem in You Pocket Day (which was celebrated today) and which offers a wide variety of poems to use for the celebration of the day. Someone surprised me today with a beautiful poem she had written about the latest acts violence and terror  that caused chaos in the city of Boston. She did want me to post it but the truth is that the poem was written with her heart. To those of you who read a poem to someone today I applaud you. Here is a poem I wrote:

A muse lives in the silence of a busy mind

where dreams connect to each other

and daffodils dance

a centipede relaxes and kicks off its shoes

to listen to the hummingbird  who seemed amused

A muse lives in the silence of a busy mind

and eavesdrops in on a conversation with itself

where there is talk of rebellion

just because.

and it decides instead to go to bed.

Melba Christie

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12 Favorite Quotes to Write by in 2014

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where letters lay

I found an old notebook as I was trying to give some order to the stuff that is stored in the attic. I always sit as comfortably as possible when this happens because I end up reading the whole notebook in remembrance of things past.

These are quotes I had jotted in some entries and they added up to twelve of my favorite quotes about thinking and writing. Most of them are by my favorite poets and writers. I decided I would use them to remind me of what will be most important throughout this brand new blogging  year.

I hope you find some worthy of adopting for your use.

1. “A poem is never finished only abandoned.”

– Paul Valery

* I found a few poems I abandoned and will work on them again.

2. “As for style of writing, if one has anything to say, it drops from him simply and directly, as a stone falls to the ground.”

– Henry David Thoreau

3. “The act of writing is the act of discovering what you believe.”

– David Hare

* This has been so true for me personally.

4. “When everyone is against you, it means that you are absolutely wrong – or absolutely right.”

– Albert Guinan

5. ““Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”
– Virginia Woolf

*Her life too.

6. “How do I know what I think until I see what I say.”

–  E. M. Forster

7. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you”

– Maya Angelou

8. ““Delay is natural to a writer. He is like a surfer — he bides his time, waits for the perfect wave on which to ride in. Delay is instinctive with him. He waits for the surge (of emotion? of strength? of courage?) that will carry him along.”

– E.B. White

9. “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.”

– Emily Dickinson

10. “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”

– Buddha

* I try to write with this purpose.

11. “To live a creative life we must first lose the fear of being wrong.”

– Joseph Chilton Pearce

* Fear does take over sometimes. It is usually the fear that was instilled in me by my seventh grade teacher. I always her voice inside my head. “Be clear and precise and for heavens sake be careful with your grammar.”

12. ““There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.”

– Beatrix Potter

* I loved her books as a kid.

Happy Blogging!

Melba Christie

 

 

 

 

Poetry Challenge – Write a Holiday Tanka Poem

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I have participated in several challenges offered by WordPress bloggers. This week I decided to present a challenge. The challenge is to write a tanka Poem. What is a tanka?

According to Poets.org:

“The Japanese tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line. A form of waka, Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as “short song,” and is better known in its five-line, 5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form.”. – See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5793#sthash.AXxXZdvi.dpuf

Please post your poem and write Tanka Challenge in the Title. Then, comment on my holiday tanka with your tanka’s  title and your web address so I can read your poems. I am looking forward to your participation. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to all my readers and followers.

Glimmering lights

Tis the Season

Glimmering lights

dance to celebrate

the holidays

and the joy of a new year

and everyone

is ready for all the cheer.

                                                                                                                    Melba Christie

There is a Paradise of Words

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Paradise of words

There is a paradise of words
brilliant, exceptional, enchanted
Some still unimaginable
Full of pleasures beyond feeling
to be owned by only a few of us
who understand their delight 
and the sensation words bring to the soul
words meant just for you or me
perhaps intentionally 
on purpose

I love all words 
I love when they decide to dwell inside 
my heart and mind
but most especially
I love the adjectives

I love words 
when they finally find each other
and mesmerize the poet
captivate the playwright
court the novelist
or muse the songwriter

I love the words that question
the impossible, the self, the irrational

I know I may never meet you all 
or feel your intensity and strength
or understand your significance
in my lifetime

But my vow today:
is to seek you
attract you to my poetry
and love songs
so that hopefully
I am remembered.


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A poem using movie titles of the 70’s


		

		
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We could not believe


Woodstock


was on the big screen


as it turns out, so was


The Go-Between


Some of us were


Lovers and Others Strangers


 


The Wild Child 


never knew about the dangers


of having no


Bed and Board


There was little


we could afford


 


Three Sisters                                                                                                                           


made love


to all                                                                                                                                         


The Boys in the Band


 


A First Love


was hard to understand


 A true


Love Story


 who knew that


Ryan’s Daughter was                                                                           


A Virgin and a Gypsy


No doubt


A Catch 22


 


The People Next Door


The Aristocrats in town


some begged a smile


and all of them frowned


 


Joe, their neighbor, was


The Man Called Horse


He was also


The American Soldier


who spoke up that day


and yelled without remorse                                                                                                      


 Start the Revolution Without Me


 


And deep in the imagination


Beneath the Planet of the Apes


 there was no escaping


The Owl and The Pussycat


 


Imagine that


these movies all happened


the year of my graduation


when nothing was left to the imagination


 


yet we all wondered how the heck


Cotton Comes to Harlem


116th Street to be exact


Good Old Ben Franklin                                                                                                                                  


 


to be exact


 


And as the song says


On a Clear day You Can See Forever


the End of the Road


or the light in the tunnel


For the Great White Hope


That is a fact!


 


Melba Christie (c) 2013


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Cover of "Start the Revolution Without Me...
Cover of Start the Revolution Without   Me


Cotton Comes to Harlem (novel)
Cotton Comes to Harlem (novel) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


Cover of "Beneath the Planet of the Apes ...
Cover via Amazon

			

		


		

		
					

	


	

	


		
what is a poem?


		

		
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DSC_0095


A poem is defined as expressive language. It is an art form that allows for free verse. Poems are musical and rhythmic and uses sounds and imagery to convey meaning. Poems use metaphors and similes and they can create a very intimate conversation between the poet and the reader.


 


The following is a poem about poems.


 


Poems are words a poet collects 


 


to convey messages hard to forget


 


or to tell a truth so there are no regrets.


 


 


 


Poems are stored in the heart and soul


 


of poets waiting for their muses to call


 


Poems flow like rivers through the mind


 


and words can be sweet and sometimes unkind


 


 


 


And if there is a cause


 


that needs to be fought


 


A poem can manage


 


and never be caught


 


without a deep thought


 


to stimulate thinking


 


elevate the spirit,


 


and comfort the soul.


 


 


 


A poem is created with lots of care


 


A poet knows


 


no coincidence there


 


the words embrace


 


emotions and fears


 


to make us so happy


 


we can burst into tears


 


 


 


What is a poem?


 


you tell me.


 


for me it’s all that I see


 


smell, hear, taste


 


and touch


 


and everything life offers me


 


that I love so much.


 


 


 


By Melba Christie (c) 2013


 


 


 


 


 


POETRY SOCIETY POSTCARD
POETRY SOCIETY POSTCARD (Photo credit: summonedbyfells)


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


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Poets are Everywhere


		

		
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                        Poetry is life and a poet can be found anywhere. It is so delightful when poets are appreciated and celebrated.  Poets interpret life for us on every level. In my earlier post I highlighted Michael Hoppe and his musical repertoire inspired by some of the best poets. I look for this inspiration everywhere I go.


Poets are Everywhere


 


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A Poem to Celebrate


		

		
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A sort of Self Portrait Melba Christie


(c) Melba Christie










A Poem to Celebrate 


Today and only today


for now anyway


I want to celebrate


my life.










I want to celebrate right now


who I have become


who I was


and who I am right this very minute.


Why?


because it is easy to forget these things.


because we forget that life is too short;


I want to celebrate my life right now.














This poem is to celebrate


the now


this very instant


the essence of this second


the miracles that happen within a minute’s time


like the birth of a child


or the reviving of a life.










I want to celebrate the number of breaths


that have been programmed just for me.


We are all given a only certain number


of breaths during our lifetime.


I want to celebrate the first and the last one now.


I cannot remember the first and do not know when the last will be.












I want to celebrate


my poems


the letters that gave life to my words


the thoughts that gave life to me


and the force


that made me think about


who I am now.












I want to celebrate


today and only today


for now anyway


my life


what I celebrate tomorrow


will depend on today.










“Find the narrow gate that leads to life.” It is called the now.Narrow your life down to this moment. (Tolle, 1999)


Source: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle


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A poem inspired by inspirational titles of poems that inspired my life


		

		
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Inspiring blogger LOgo


I have continued to ponder about what inspires me and what inspires my writing. Sometimes what inspires me is a simple line in a poem or narrative. Sometimes it’s the title of a poem. Some poems stay with us forever. You may have read them just at the most proper moment in your life. Maybe a teacher read it in a way you would never forget it. The poem that follows is a poem inspired by inspirational titles. (At least to me they were inspirational.)  There are hundreds of others I can cite. The titles have been italicized. You may recognize some of the poets. Do not forget I love your comments. Please let me know what inspires you to write.


It’s all I have to bring today


can you tell what it is?


it’s …


The Look 


you say,


well by the way you’re right.


I could not stay away


so I took


The Road Not Taken


by the others for


fear of rejection.


Our love is unique


Now and Forever


in Dreams


and in all the hours of the day


The Layers 


of moments spent


making it work


Our love, my love is here to stay.


When I Consider Everything that Grows


I know


that nothing is impossible


because …


there are always Miracles


to count on


Oh Me! Oh My!


Life is good!


Source: Poets.org


Poets Cited: Shakespeare, Whitman, Dickinson, Hughes, Frost, Teasdale, and Kunitz. 


I would love to hear from you about what inspires you. 


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A Poem in Your Pocket Day


		

		
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Poets.org sponsors Poem in You Pocket Day (which was celebrated today) and which offers a wide variety of poems to use for the celebration of the day. Someone surprised me today with a beautiful poem she had written about the latest acts violence and terror  that caused chaos in the city of Boston. She did want me to post it but the truth is that the poem was written with her heart. To those of you who read a poem to someone today I applaud you. Here is a poem I wrote:


A muse lives in the silence of a busy mind


where dreams connect to each other


and daffodils dance


a centipede relaxes and kicks off its shoes


to listen to the hummingbird  who seemed amused


A muse lives in the silence of a busy mind


and eavesdrops in on a conversation with itself


where there is talk of rebellion


just because.


and it decides instead to go to bed.


Melba Christie




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Firm Persuasion


		

		
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April is National Poetry Month. I will quote from the poets I love and whose verses have guided me through my own journey as a poet. Read a poem to someone you love.


“Does a firm persuasion that a thing is so, make it so? He replied, ‘All poets believe that it does. And in ages of imagination, this firm persuasion removed mountains; But many are not capable of a firm persuasion of anything.” – From the Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake










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Langston Hughes


		

		
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Mother To Son, Track 1, Rec (4)


 


 


 


I fell in love with this poem the moment I read it. Langston Hughes is one of my favorite poets. I love the rhythm and the images.




Mother to Son 


 


Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

So, boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps.

‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.

Don’t you fall now—

For I’se still goin’, honey,

I’se still climbin’,

And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

					

		


		

		
					

	


	

	


		
Happy Birthday Poemattic!


		

		
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I cannot believe that almost a whole year has passed since I wrote my  first post for Poemattic. One hundred and eighty-one posts later, I feel like I have shared so much with my faithful 101  followers thus far. I have learned so much from other WordPress bloggers . It is like I have taken a year-long course. I want to thank all my followers. Every time I receive a new comment or see that little orange star on my dashboard my spirit is lifted.


I have tried to get some of you to take part in a few challenges. I hope that I am able to create more ways to get you to interact. The purpose of Poemattic was to create a space for you to share original or very favorite poems. I am hoping to be considered for Freshly Pressed Award.


I will start posting original recording of my poems. I love reciting and during National Poetry Month this year I will launch a page with audio-recordings of my poems.


Please continue to visit Poemattic. I love the company and feel Like I am a member of a very special community.


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Remembered


		

		
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Remembered


 


How do you want to be remembered?  asked the poet


There were three poets, one doctor and two teachers present to respond to the poet’s question.


Finally after a long silence and obvious pondering the doctor says, “I want to be remembered  as someone who took my oath seriously.


One poet said, ” I want to be remembered as a poet who wanted to promote peace.”


The other poet said, “I will be remembered as the king of the couplet.”


The remaining poet said, ” I hope people will remember me as the simple poet.”


Then the two teachers looked at each other politely and gestured one another to speak first.


After a few seconds one teacher speaks. “I want to be remembered for my patience,” she said.


The other teacher remains pensive for a few more seconds. She says, “I hope that the students I was not able to reach somehow know that


I am deeply sorry I was not able to reach them. I hope they finally know that my heart-felt their pain and that I wished I could have been a


better teacher to them.”


A few weeks ensued and the poet learns that the teacher had passed away. He was so moved by what she said that he decides to write her a


poem.


Here is the poem:


You made a mark


inside my heart


many years ago


removed my fears


and washed away my tears


 


you tried so hard


to make me see


and helped me to believe in me.


 


your love for poetry


inspired me to write poems


my rhyming thoughts


 


you did not see


the you you left in me.


You set me free with the poetry


you read so beautifully.


 


you thought I was not looking


you thought I was not listening


I hope you know


you could not have been a better teacher


you soothed my pain


and will remain


in my heart forever.


 


 


 


 

					

		


		

		
					

	


	

			

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