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4 am

I stayed awake to write this poem
because I wanted you to feel the hour
as I have felt it,

how tiredness begins losing its meaning,
how the voice of the ceiling fan trails off
like a chorus of sad angels.

I wanted you to realize how alone
the street-lamp looks in the window,
how sacred the earth becomes in moonlight.

And then, I wanted you to know the longing --
the insatiable relentless longing;
a homesickness that has no home --

so that you would forgive me when I told you
that, if there is a god,
he is cruel;

so that you would understand me when I say
that all I'm running on
is the thought of you, lying in your bed,
listening to the ceiling fan trail off
like a chorus of sad angels.

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1 - 57 of 57

  • PurpleSky
    September 28
    Edit | Reply
    wow this is really sad comming from you and not what I expected to read at all. However sad it is it is still absolutely beautifully written. You have such tallent
    huggles
    Lena

  • Purrsanthema
    August 26
    Edit | Reply
    O how I loved your use of repetition! What an expressive poem!

  • ecrivain01
    August 24

    Edit | Reply

    It's funny how the young ...

    often become bogged down in such quagmires of emotional decrepitude. Reminds me of a poem I once wrote about that very feeling:

    http://allpoetry.com/poem/1106833

    Anyway, this is a good job (as usual), and you've certainly touched on an emotion that's essentially universal in scope, even though you've personalized it here.


  • carospellman
    August 11

    Edit | Reply
    this is truly amazing. i can definitely relate to this write. my favorite line is, "how tiredness begins losing its meaning,
    how the voice of the ceiling fan trails off
    like a chorus of sad angels" ....
    if i had a quarter for every night i've been there, i'd be set for life!
    good job on this! keep it up.

  • wow this is amazing

  • wow
    this is good.
    i write the same kid of stuff, and i feel the same way.

  • LaLa216
    June 23
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    omg omg omg

    thats so sweet!!!!


  • angelwalken
    June 20
    Edit | Reply

    tender...

    I like the way you reconstructed the end. Very simple but beautiful.


  • SpydurPoet gold member
    June 15

    Edit | Reply
    That was absolutely beautiful. I loved it. It was sad and larger than life and exactly life. Great poem!
    Write on.
    ~*~SP~*~


  • Tzipora
    June 11
    Edit | Reply
    this was beautiful, like the way you approached this write was great.

  • This is really beautiful. I can feel all the emotion you put into it. I enjoyed it, thanks for sharing.

  • Beautiful, and well-crafted. I have this kind of night here myself, too many times to count, filling each with thoughts and poetry - or whichever form of writing/project I am working on in each instance. At night the writer in his or her solitude may feel the loneliness that overrides the purposefulness of the isolation in which to focus upon the act of writing. Our eyes can take in the details of the inanimate around us, and our inner feelings can seem projected onto them - ie, in the way you detail the street-light above.
    Really enjoyed this Corey.

  • There is such an intense feeling in this poem. Everything is narrowed down to sensation and thought, perception and interpretation. A pinpoint of thought. The repetition was artfully used, and it had the effect of transcending the words so that I could almost hear what you heard. Very beautifully done.


  • LeeLee13
    May 18
    Edit | Reply
    you are a true artist that was simply amazing

  • wow this is so sad i can feel the emotion that you put into it

  • wow very powerful


  • Daizee silver member
    May 4

    Edit | Reply
    Very significant! Everyone reading this will undoubtedly feel a tug at their hearts.. knowing this exact feeling. Pleasure to read this

    Stacy

  • so much meaning conveyed with rich emotion
    well penned

  • PurpleSky
    April 29

    Edit | Reply
    this is a very thought out and heartfelt write. You have such a beautiful way of portraying any emotion you write from and this one is no exception. You posses the heart of a true poet!
    huggles
    Lena


  • albymyheart gold member
    April 29

    Edit | Reply
    An exceptional write on longing. Very emotional which is developed through melancholy thoughts and images, such as the lone street-lamp. I don't think I've ever seen a better use of repetition in regards to the ceiling fans. By applying the imagery of those lines to two people in separate abodes, this brings your poem together so well. It also shows empathy and considers how the other person is feeling. Soft, delicate and sad but very well done...alby


  • Perception
    April 11

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    wow. wow. wow. this is amazing. I really love how you used your words, and your very... unique descriptions. Beautiful.

    I could really feel how you were feeling at this moment. Your thoughts... even.

    Wow. Great write, here

  • Jocelyn Davis
    April 10

    Edit | Reply

    Hm. Yeah.

    Did you really write this at college in your room at 3:54 am? Because this is a few of my nights last month.

    The frightening specificity is disarming. Repeating 5 and 6 at the end was brilliant.
    and sir, every poet is a free verse poet--and those who write other types as well are better able to write free verse.

  • Extremely impressive. Your words and imagery are superbly penned.


  • ashley-dani
    March 27
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    I really like this. It seems at night that the world is much more quieter and more lonely.


  • Chemicals
    March 25
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    Nice write ano


  • Dalaney gold member
    March 23
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    Just stumbling around AP...saw your name, thought it a good one, and what a nice surprise to actually find good poetry followed.  I think you have written something here most could say they can identify with.  More importantly, you have written something we can feel emotionally.  It's going to be nice getting to know your writing, Corey Harvard.

     

    Lane


  • Phallen
    March 22
    Edit | Reply
    I've never been this affected by someone's words before


  • grammabuff
    March 9

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    Your diction is perfect for the subject - close and intimate, familiar. For someone centered on rhyme and meter, this free verse flows and entices. Well done. Buff


  • Amera gold member
    February 4
    Edit | Reply
    I like you am not a very strong Free Verse poet so I understand exactly what you mean in your notes. I as a reader of this poem think that you have done a wonderful job here. The emotion and passion is vivid and pointed. I was held captivated from the beginning to the end and can truly feel the sorrow.

    Love,
    Amera♥

  • Perfect Insanity
    January 21

    Edit | Reply
    Oh this is so much more than merely significant. Your words have a soothing simplicity to them bathed in nostalgic depth with subtle darkness. I truly enjoyed reading this poem. You really do make the reader feel this image, this feeling and thorough state of mind.

    I understand this, it hit home. An excellent piece. I doubt it could have been worded in any other way to have created such an effect upon me, at least.


  • astrum infractus
    January 16
    Edit | Reply
    This is so perfect. It's more than just a portrayal or an interpretation of 4 am, this is the reality of it described in a beautiful way.
    I've read all your poems and I'm so glad I did, each one was completely worthy of taking up my time, which I don't say very often!
    Thank you.
    abi

  • Unlocking that thought with ink is the best feeling ever..Love the way it trails of....


  • Kelsey-Jo silver member
    January 14

    Edit | Reply

    Ack...

    this makes me ache inside, and that's not easy to do.

    I like the way you utilized the repetition to both unite characters and leave a lasting image... or rather sound.

    The first three lines remain my favorite.

    Kelsey-Jo

  • elizabethlovesya
    January 12

    Edit | Reply

    well done.

    i know the hour you write about...i hear it every night.
    i love the feeling of this poem.
    -elizabethlovesya.


  • raw love
    January 9
    Edit | Reply
    this has a very captivating feel to it.
    I would not bash your free verse skills at all.


  • chelseagirl1
    January 3
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    that poem is amazing
    it is an amazing freeverse


  • hawkeslake gold member
    January 1
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    For someone who neither writes nor reads free-verse very often, you pull off an amazing feat here! This is so descriptive, and as I prefer to do, you have written a complete little story, yet leave much to our imaginations. Very well written!


  • A. Rose
    December 31, 2008
    Edit | Reply
    Wow, this is truly beautiful. I'm speechless. Amazing job. :]


  • ea silver member
    December 28, 2008

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    This captures the feeling of ennui this season inevitably offers up at some point for most. I like the repetition of the chorus of sad angels and the melancholic flavor, which is not overdone.


  • xxvampyregirlxx
    December 26, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    this is truly amazing! This is my first poem I've read about yours but you ARE amazing at free verse!


  • Siderea gold member
    December 19, 2008

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    I beg to differ with you, sir! When a poet trained in meter and verse loosens the bond, magic happens! Experience with careful word choices and rhythmic strictures lead to a natural and flow.
    The short set verses contain the thoughts and transitions well, lacking all pretention. A naturally sounding narrative, and evocative subject .
    Your choice of hours -- far from the day before, and too long before dawn-- distills the loneliness. "The homesickness that has no home". A line to make the reader weep with the darkness and emptiness.
    More!


  • chloris
    December 14, 2008
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    a homesickness that has no home<-- i liked that.


  • poetryality silver member
    December 14, 2008
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    I think the keyword in my comment; "process". I like your poetic process.

    Renee

  • poetryality silver member
    December 14, 2008

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    You are a free verse writer

    Personally, I believe a writer writes in all forms at all times when gifted to write. Does that make sense? YOU must claim who you are because others already know. There are many lines scribed here that made me stop to ponder or reflect;

    "a homesickness that has no home", a poem within the very lines here poet. Caused my thought process to over process and took me to where you wanted me to be.

    Very impressive musing!

    I like how you repeated the last two lines of stanza two as your last two lines. LOL Love the thought of even writing the aforementioned process.

    Solid poetry for sure!



    Much Love & Respect ♥

    Renee

  • Aisades
    December 13, 2008
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    This is beautiful. I like how the last stanza punctuated the whole poem. Very sentimental write.

  • hawkeslake gold member
    December 12, 2008
    Edit | Reply
    After seeing your contest posted, I thought I should check out your work. This is wonderful, well-crafted, concise, with an emotional content to which most of us can relate. I as sorry to see that you haven't been posting much lately, but I will check out your older poems.


  • katelynmcdougall
    December 11, 2008

    Edit | Reply

    coming from a night owl...

    this is great, simple and so powerful.
    I like how you connect that
    'listening to the ceiling fan trail off
    like a chorus of sad angels.'
    it really pulls it together as a whole.
    very nice!


  • Angelflower
    December 9, 2008
    Edit | Reply
    a beautiful write that has a sad echo to it.. being a night owl I can see how this write could come about.. It's a lonely life, night.. Wonderfully expressed great word usage and vivid imagery.. all in all you did a fantastic job.. Thank you very much for sharing..

    Angel


  • BehindTheShadow
    November 29, 2008
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    A great write!


  • kill the lights
    November 29, 2008

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    exactly what 4 am feels like... I can relate to this so much, it's beautiful.

    peace, love, music
    -dh ♥


  • birch
    November 28, 2008

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    you saying that you aren't a free verse poet is like complaining that you are the slowest sprinter in the olympics; you're still miles ahead of the rest of the public.

    case in point.


  • kel dog
    November 27, 2008

    Edit | Reply
    wow. amazing how you can write this 4 am in the morning. though thats around the time i wake up for some odd reason. though this is an amazing one.
    i can just feel what you feel sitting there or walking down the street with the lonely lamps.
    great write.

  • Still Gonna Shine
    November 26, 2008
    Edit | Reply
    -no words-


  • The Otep
    November 26, 2008
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    Wow- this just takes me away. This is beyond belief! I love the imagery used...greatness!


  • BlueNote27
    November 26, 2008

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    1. About time you posted a new poem.
    2. And it's even a good one!!!

    I have felt this poem before, for nights at a time, and you nailed it. 10 points.


  • Alyzeh
    November 26, 2008

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    I really enjoyed the use of metaphor and imagery. "4 am" is an excellent title for this poem, it ends giving you a lonely feeling. Overall a great write.

    Best wishes,
    Alyzeh


  • waydownuponjoy
    November 26, 2008

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    I liked the way ...

    the way that you shared these thoughts and the form you chose to do so with ... Your imagery comes through well and the line "a homesickness that has no home" ... just perfect! jy

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