What Makes a Poem A Poem?

Write a poem describing your thoughts on this question. ^

2 weeks.
Let's go with at least 4 lines, but no max limit.
New or old. Submit as many times as you like.
Give it a title.

Dig deep.

An Art Form



Poetry should
belong to those
who understand it
you should never chop wood
if your hand on the axe
cannot grasp it
centrifugal force alone
may keep the eggs in the basket
but if you're swinging them high
and your mind's blown
it may be time to stop
and start asking .


Poetry cannot be
taught
it's a natural skill
that comes from within
there's many meanings
a lot to be deciphered
you can't say you've pinned it
and this is the wrong
or right one
there is no trick
it simply is


an art form .

Poems

an intense search
a natural born curiosity
of how words
can work together
stirred in a cauldron
of thoughts

special feelings of euphoria
grasping alphabets
giving them coherence
on white screen
or paper
making them speak
to hearts and souls

trusting words
sewed together to create
a tapestry of stories
tales in lyrics
of melodies
picked off thin air

on nests of flowers
and glittery leaves
surrounding the cup full
of multi coloured beads
poems are born

sharing thoughts
in its many form
and messages
love, life, laughter
hate…rants
together.

Thanks for your thoughts diddi, Grace and Tim!

Poet
               
So what is a poem and what has it got
and who is the poet and who is not
would life be as wondrous and profound
if the poet and poem were nowhere around

Is the poet perhaps such an enigma
for he cares not for fame or stigma
sees how he pleases writes what he can
is that what we look for in such a man

Regardless he writes for what it's worth
ponders a meaning a length and a girth
we read it and wonder what he's saying
all the while it's him we're obeying

For life is a maze and we seek a way
that's how the poem helps pass the day
anyway i'm glad for the verses he writes
they let my soul soar when reality bites

So praises to the poet whoever he may be
let his mind always be creative and free

Thanks Northern and Benzy for your entries!

Coming Alive

It is every word and line that breathes fire.
It brings every dance and a burning desire
Like no other. The ache and pain easily fades
Away within the distance. The green blades
Of grass you escape to become more alive.
It will always have you on the edge and drive
You deep within the forests. When you close
Your eyes you are the only one who knows
The steady heartbeat and everything that
Comes out late at night. You take the bat
To hit all of the feelings and emotions
That comes streaming out like oceans
You can drown in, but it all keeps you
Floating. Those deep green, brown or blue
Eyes are the ones that keep you turning
Every page. It will have you yearning
Things you have yet to have and want.
The words will jump out at you and haunt
You for eternity. It is more than an art form,
But a way of surviving. It keeps you warm.

I'm not sure if this qualifies because it is about song lyrics, but those are a form of poetry. Also, I wrote this over 30 years ago, but you be the judge...

"Artificial Artists"

My words are not written for me to make a profit
Nor do I profess to be a spiritual prophet
I just want a gallery to display what I create
Just a place where no one's counting up the gate

You have confused God with your Almighty Dollar
And sold your soul for some artificial power
Inside you're already equipped with all that you need
I won't be bought 'cos I've closed my eyes to the beauty of greed

Fools will compare music of yesterday and today
Technology can't make up for words without a way
If a song's natural strength is not strong enough
Why soften it by stuffing padding in the fluff?

I hear a lot of slick production on the radio
I really think the rock has gotten out of control
I have seen the artists struggling in smoke filled bars
And now in my visions I can see beyond the stars

All I ever hear these days are sopped-up smoothie tunes
Rising up the charts as fast as full hot air balloons
Even if you don't hear music from my point of view
Stop polishing the rock, don't let it roll over you

You're making lots of dollars but you're not making any sense
Your smoothie tunes lack the passion that makes a song intense
Believe the words you sing or the song is finished from the start
Stop writing from your wallet, let it flow from in your heart

Put some soul behind your roll and find the spirit that you lack
Once it's sold you can't buy it back even with your endless stack
In spite of all you've made, it's a fact you can't dismiss
Art flows from within, not the corporate edifice

Record company politics and artists just don't mix
The ones who steal the money have one name, "666”
Skip the beats of their broken record, inside is where it pays
Despite the Record Biz, one song has several ways

I don't want to become anyone’s hero
But I wouldn't be here now if mine added up to zero
I don't want to dictate the style of music that you do
I just want to hear something a little bit more true

I could go on and on and on and I think I will anyway
Until someday when it's you in your music I hear you play
Can it really be so hard to feel and write down what you think
Or is there something wrong, is your pen filled with phony ink?

While it may be ok for you to live your life a lie
Your fans worship you and I can't help but wonder why
You have worked so hard to be what you wanted to be
But to be yourself, you shouldn't have to try

Time after time you sing and yet your song remains unsung
Show us your true colors, expose your insides to the sun
Songs are more than simply words for you to sing
Will you ever understand that money isn't everything?

I spin the radio dial and hear the commercial pioneers
Every radio station is poison to my ears
That isn't the kind of artist that I want to be
All I really want is for my music to be me

And so the con-artists continue to sell out their souls
While mine's committed to making sure the rock still rolls
And there is only one way to get back what they have lost
But the barrier between greed and creation must be crossed


(jj johnson)

Thank you eswaller, Poet, and Jade for your thoughts!

Nice

Express Yourself

When you convey your thoughts and ideas,
In a creative and properly written form,
You can connect with your reader,
And a new relationship is born.

When you express your beliefs and emotions,
In a cleverly and an inspirational way,
You can bond with your audience,
Listening to what you have to say.

When you relate your dreams and aspirations,
In an imaginative and original manner,
Then you’ll have exclusive fans,
In your own glitz and glamour.

When you give your true feelings a voice,
The words you create should be clear,
Everything you write on paper and pen,
Should always be genuine and sincere.

And when you reach down to your heart and soul,
Express yourself in the most honest fashion,
Then the words will jump out of the page,
Everyone will feel your passion.

Keep in mind you don’t have to rhyme every time,
As long as you’re true to yourself it’ll feel like home,
And then your message will always come through,
That’s how you know what makes a poem a poem.