The Painting Poet• Show poetry

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What you write with pen and paper reflects your soul, does your soul reflect the pages of a book?

I am an artist and illustrator as well as a student of English Classics,  just finding my feet, or is that meter, in the poetry world.

My art can be accessed at:  

                         http://painting-poet.deviantart.com/gallery/

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

JRR Tolkien  

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very Mad World

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very Mad World

Tears For Fears 

My Favourite Poets

PB Shelley: Top of the pile in my poetic hit parade is Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822).  Shelley is one of the major contributers to English Romantic poetry, along with Lord Byron and Keats. Sadly he died so young, just as his talent was beginning to flower.

Rise like Lions after slumber

In unvanquishable number -

Shake your chains to earth like dew

Which in sleep had fallen on you -

Ye are many - they are few.

PB Shelley 

Lord Byron Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824) was another of the English Romantics. In his poetry Byron could often be brutally honest especially towards himself. The conceptual Byronic hero - a melancholic, rebelious character often mysterious and broody with a unforgiving nature remains to this day in literature.

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high piled books, in charactry,
Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love; -- then on the shore
    Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
    Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.

John Keats 

Shakespeare I am a student of the classics so naturally William Shakespeare (1564-1616) features in my favourites, I’d be lost without him. ‘The Avon Bard’ used every human emotion within his work from love and passion to jealousy and revenge.

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red, than her lips red:
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound:
I grant I never saw a goddess go,
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
    And yet by heaven, I think my love as rare,
    As any she belied with false compare.

William Shakespeare 

Now to some poets who are living, breathing and writing in the here and now.

Mairi bheag I have to start with AP's own Mairi. Her work leaves me breathless on a daily basis, I get withdrawal symptons if I don't read at least one Mairi a day. I learn so much about poetry just by reading her - a debt that I will never repay. To me Mairi is the queen, possibly goddess, of modern poetry.

http://allpoetry.com/poem/4191391 simply a beautiful poem.

cricketjeff In the words of my son, one amazng bloke! Somehow that seems fitting. Not only is Jeff my mentor and guide, poetically, and a bloody good friend he is a wonderful poet and a sonnet master. Jeff is brutally honest with me and that is something I value so much. We don't always see eye to eye on the importance of meter but without him I would have no meter at all, and in all honesty, would only be here to read Ju.

http://allpoetry.com/poem/4363197 oddly enough this isn't a sonnet.

Sue Cardwell The Poet Girl a true friend who makes me face so many emotions with her writing, sometimes even the less than nice aspects of myself too. Sue is a fantastic poet on so many genre. If anyone can make that painful thing called love seem so beautiful Sue can. Sue inspires me to write, normally just as I am about to toss the quill for good. One muse I promise not to ignore.

http://allpoetry.com/poem/3939763 wow did this poem kick my butt.

KayJay46 Ken drives my senses wild with his sensual sexy writes and then puts tremours in my heart with his dark poems. He is always a pleasure to read and wind down with. A gentleman too.

The Poetic Angel I have deliberately left my entry on Ju till last. She holds a place in my heart beyond any poetry. I can't pick a favourite write from Ju anymore than she can from me. Ju is my muse, my poet, my girl. I will not say anymore than I love you Ju.