Ditch the ads, upload images and much more - upgrade today from 5.95/month!
Read • Contests • Groups • Learn • Forums • Store • Help
 

Writing Poetry For A Website

Missing image
~ by Gregg Rowe ~

you see words
cryptic ions juxtaposed
to deliver meaning --
significance;
yet you
do not know me

the blank space
and the unsaid --
clues to my mystic self
unreleased

you read --
analyze
dissect
my meanings

yet I do not sit
in front of you
drinking absinthe tea
nor philosophising about Ernest
and you think you
know me

so tell me
how can you know me?


Author notes


Written September 19th, 2004

In a list

A contest entry

What did you think

    I plan to revise this poem: please leave constructive criticism!
    : , Your review:

    Comment Suggestion: What is your your first impression?
    • Line numbers  • Invite them to read
    : no Cost: 0 free left 0 points, You have (?)

Comments

1 - 34 of 34
  • shattered innocence
    March 3, 2006
    Edit | Reply
    You're right people don't know you they only know what you share of yourself whether it be a little or all of you. I'm guilty of assuming that what you write in poems are personal. Why 99% of my poetry is personal. Words and personal thoughts straight from my head. It gives you insight into me, some time it shows a big picture sometimes it shows glimpses. Still it lets you know what I want you to know. Unless the person is you they can't know you, they can have many perceptions. So thanks for sharing a little of yourself by writing your poetry on this site. From this poem I perceive that you hate when people assume they know everything there is to know about you just from a few words. Yeah I know I am doing exactly what you hate. Anyways this was a well penned poem and I enjoyed reading it. You pique me curiosity as to what makes you tick as a poet so I will be reading more of you work. Keep writing. Great job.


  • grannyeri gold member
    December 18, 2005
    Edit | Reply
    Unusual verse written here - enjoyed the poem. Congratulations on winning bronze!


  • Shakes-spear
    December 18, 2005
    Edit | Reply
    A true poet puts parts of themselves in their works. Reading one work won't get someone a look, but put the slices of pie(All the poets works) together and you will have am outline of the poets heart. This will give you a pretty good idea of who the poet is. You must do this with several poems over several years if you don't know them personally. This was a very good poem for the whys of writing and I liked the read. Thanks, The Shaker


  • cgirl0410 silver member
    December 17, 2005
    Edit | Reply
    This is really good. I like the free verse, easy flow of this piece. Great work. Good luck in the contest. Don't forget to critque to of the other poets in the contest and place their names and their poem in your author's comment box on this page. Thanks. - cgirl0410

  • Ghoest
    March 29, 2005
    Edit | Reply
    This poem is really well written. I totally agree with the subject too. Often people think they know us, but they don't...or can't. Anyway, great write.

    Good luck in the contest.

  • Newo Ikkin
    December 30, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Wow, I really liked it, I think that's something we're all thinking but nobody really talks about....kudos to you for expressing the majority thought.


  • Kalima
    December 14, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    This was good but kind of weird. Keep up the great writes. From SlightlyTwisted.


  • December 14, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    I'm sorry, but I have no idea who Sylvia Plath is, but I have heard from her often. But, I will observe your poem anyway.

    I like the simplicity of the piece--the word choice helps it run smoothly. I enjoyed reading.

    nice work
    -->aref


  • December 14, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Cool, very poetic yet on a wierd topic. I judge you to be...uhh poetic! And um...you think too much, that's my disection hehe. Great job!


  • K Green
    December 14, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Beauty in a few words, well done.

  • LadyCapulet328
    December 14, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    I loved the way you conveyed your feelings. I can relate... i go to a school 45 minutes away and i feel like no one truely ever knows me because i have 2 seperate lives.. Great Write!!


  • slobhero
    December 14, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Actually my poems bare my soul... you see I am not only a struggling vegetarian bathroom attendant addicted to pizza rolls, but i am also extremely politically incorrect...

    but for most people this is accurate... but usually because their poetry isn't very good. Even though this is.

  • WelshMafia
    December 14, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    so far this poem seems pretty close to sylvia plath, but really though who could ever be like her? ahhhhhhhh but I liked your poem regardless! ^^ very nicely done!


  • g r e y i s m
    December 14, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    yes, the self is too full of depth to be known very easily, especially when resources are limited to words on a screen.
    well done and thanks for your entry.


    ~O


  • Kethry
    December 14, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    It never ceases to amaze me that gullible people think they know what thet see and admire from afar. I think you have written a very deep and powerful thought here. How can anyone know when they don't spend time building the relationship. Excellent work. Good luck in the contest.


  • Nicolette gold member
    December 13, 2004
    Edit | Reply

    Deep.....

    Very thought-provoking poem and on looking at the title again I thought...yeah indeed - but not just writing poetry for a website...but especially a website - this community of distance...This poem speak in its own voice and stirs the leaves of the soul inside... How many times do we sit here trying to trace the boundaries of a human silhouette, trying to look beyond the words (the "cryptic ions juxtaposed") as you've said so beautifully...but then again - if a picture paints a thousand words then I guess it is also true that words can paint a thousand pictures..! I've enjoyed reading this deep and philosophical poem. Best wishes in the contest!

    ~ Nicolette


  • -theheartofme-
    September 20, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    because we say things here, in a way that we cant talk to the world the anonymity offered allows us to be more true to our purpose than other places. those of us who write from our heart, whos words have meaning beyond what is on the page, can see hidden things behind the wall of words.


  • astralshepherd gold member
    September 20, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    How do we know any one, really? They must bare the heart and open the vein and bleed red blood til we are convinced they are as mortal as we are. I think this is one of your finest poems because there is enough mystery to it to allow the reader to stop and ask questions of the poem, the poet and finally the self. In Hemingway’s Genders: Rereading the Hemingway Text, Comley and Scholes encourage us to review “Ernest” from differing vantage points: "We believe that Ernest Hemingway remains an interesting writer because it is possible to read him in more than one way. We believe, even, that it is necessary to do so if his works are to maintain their place in the literary canon. Literary works survive over time because they continue to be part of a cultural conversation." (Comley and Scholes ix) Gregg, we may not “know” you in the familiar sense, yet you offer to us so many intriguing insights into various aspects of the “who” you are and are becoming. I believe, as i’ve said before in other places, one MUST read your work in more than one way. To hold you to the letter of the law written out in your poems is to lose the intent and import of what is being said between the line, between the phrase, and finally behind the mask. To read any poets work, one absolutely must take into view the multiplicity hidden within the author…any author. As in any interpersonal relationship where face to face communication takes place, one can only know an individual a little bit a time…what is being offered in the relationship…or…..what is being withheld. So too in your poetic endeavors. Your poems and paintings will survive you and have relevancy long after you depart “because they continue to be part of a cultural conversation.” Blessings and all my best ~richard


  • Dean
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Hmmm. Interesting. You come up with some of the most unconventional ways of doing things. But that's good, I like to be surprised. ^_^


  • September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    No one can truly know anyone from their poems... I think you expressed that quite perfectly.. We can only know what the poet allows us to see of themselves.. This was a wonderful poem Gregg. I truly loved it, now if only people would keep that in mind when they read others poetry. Awesome write

    *~Rosey~*

  • Absinthe
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    I love it. It includes my name. of course unintentionally. It is a great thinking piece. How do I know you? Beyond what your words state, I don't; I can't. And even then, who is to say that the words are true or what your intention originally was. A very interesting piece.
    Absinthe


  • hugh wyles silver member
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Dear Gregg,
    When I attended the funerals of some of my closest friends who I thought I had "known" for many years, eulogies given by other friends revealed activities and interests of the deceased of which I had no inkling. Very few of my friends are aware of my lifelong interest in poetry or writing as it is something I do not discuss widely. Nor do I reveal much of myself in my writings apart from my homepage thumbnails and my poem "This is Hugh Wyles" in which I gave a sketchy history.
    So I agree with you, buddy, and I applaud what you say.
    Best wishers and regards, Hugh.
    Edited on Sep 19, 3:38 p.m. because ''.

  • listen
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    i really like this.it is so true.though one may read all your poems and explore all the depths of your life,they willnever truly know you until they are you.and that isn't possible.

    cool write mysterious one.


  • Jaden silver member
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Very nice, Gregg. My answer is 'atunement' the best way to know anyone, which involves being very still and really paying attention to what is being said or expressed. Well, that's my spin on it anyway. Caio.

  • Goss98
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    I don't think you can necessarily know a person through their writing. How do you know they're writing about themselves? I've written using voices that were definitively not mine. There's only so much you can extrapolate from a person's writing.


  • PeaceChain silver member
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    no one can really know anyone, do the people I live with know me, or my friends, or those who read my work I would say no one really does, so is true for everyone. we humans are such multi faceted creatures, so much is expressed but much more is hidden within the thoughts and even more than that is hidden within the subconscious that often we ourselves are not aware of.
    It is arrogant to assume we know anyone at all, because it is truly impossible to know anyone. we can only know the glimses that they let us see, or the glimses that we catch without theri knowing. Poetry often reveals a greater part of a person then say really living with a person, because in one's writing a person is often baring parts of the mind heart and soul which is often hidden in life. I guess your poem would apply to any or all of us.


  • Kristen Corpse
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Another facinating poem (Sorry I can't spell today). Very well written. Nicely done!


  • cherche -d -ame
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Well Gregg , let me explain it to you and use an example . For instance , a psychiatrist puts you through the paces of an inkblot test, and by what you see on those ,he now determines that he knows you and has just the correct answers to all your problems But on the other hand , if one reads a persons writings constantly , one can form an opinion about a small part of that person , ( maybe how they think about certain things , one can read pain between the lines of what appears to be a happy poem , the same as one can tell if a painfull poem is just that...a poem , because in such a case it lacks true emotion and those can usually be detected . But to say that I know you , or you know me ....now that would be taking it abit too far , as we have lives that exist far beyond of what we choose to write about .Your write made alot of sense , yet I found it to be abit sarcastic and arrogant , as most people that I deal with on here anyway are a very kind and generous group <-----and yes , that part of them I know , and I take each comment that is written to me or about me very humbly , as those people took the time and effort to read and comment , and hence I owe them the curtesy to thank them , rathe then reproach them with an" How can you presume......."
    Reenie


  • misselaineous
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    ah the knowing.....
    great write gregg ~ i know that for sure... and as for anything else ... i know nothing!
    and as for the philosophy of writing here? why do we? what is the purpose indeed ? off to ponder the meaning of my life the universe and all that
    connection? need? empathy? who knows??
    elaine


  • DarkShdwGuy
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    well said...I am sure most poets who read this can empathize wiyh you well not just poets but artist in general..keep it up.
    Roger aka DSG


  • AnnD Moderators member
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    very nicely written Greg,
    it amazes me still that a poemis not taken for what it is. a poem. and not always is a poem a personal aspect of the writer themselves,(apart from the fact that they put the words together)
    But yes. I suppose we are all guilty of analysing the writer by the words they pen.
    Nicely written with a sense of subtle sarcasm.

    Ann


  • lordoftherings gold member
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    ~~ille: I wouldn,t bet on that yet, you haven't read some of my really rauchy stuff yet, this is tame tonight. I will be visiting your library later today, it is my writing night and tomorrow (actually today) is my reading day to answer all the IMs. Gregg
    Edited on Sep 19, 3:49 because ''.


  • layla.
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    wow. this is fantatic. so pal it's great to know that you're works are always like the same. it's as good as the others. and hey that's exactly how i think i know you lol
    great write. probably i'll know where to come the next time!
    ~~ille
    Edited on Sep 19, 3:47 because ''.


  • JesSiCa RabBiT
    September 19, 2004
    Edit | Reply
    Another incredible write, your style seems very particular and yet comletely unalike, I lvoe how you are taking each and every assumption people make about poets and laughing at it, in a sallow and quiet way. the way people think they can see into you from one tiny piece and know you, that can be desprately frustrating!

    "you read --
    analyze
    dissect
    my meanings"

    Although sometimes, when someone inturprets a poem, they are interpretting it as they see it (Like I do) some people falter and believe what they see is exactly what you wrote and judge and talk upon your emotions, which can be very annoying, this poem expressed that beautifully, well done! <3

1 - 34 of 34