If you would be a shining star,
Glistening, glowing at night-
I would pick you.
Even if you would be
A gemstone in the rough-
I would still pick you.
I would pick you if you were a hidden treasure,
All lonely with no one to love you.
I would pick you if you were a priceless antique,
Seen worthless in common eyes.
You are not shining, nor glowing;
You are not a star, treasure or antique.
You are not a gem.
But I still pick you.
In Men Who Men Condemn As Ill, by: Jaoquin Miller
In men who men condemn as ill
I find so much of goodness still,
In men who men pronounce divine
I find so much of sin and blot.
I do not dare to draw a line
Between the two, where god has not.
l'chvod the murphy's law thread...
"Whatever can go wrong will go wrong"
At least so states Murphy's Law
This means that if you burn the rice
The chicken will certainly be raw
But if you want to know my opinion
That is, my version of the truth
It's that this law is false
For the opposite there is proof
So many things go right each day
But we have a tendency to forget
We only notice the bad things
'cause they make us all upset
Please stop what you are doing
Now take a nice deep breath
Now is as good a time as ever
Upon your day to reflect
Think about what has happened
Since you woke up today
Think about all those things
That actually went right today
You handed in your report on time
You found both of your shoes
You even found time to do things
That you usually don't have time to do
But even if this is not the case
Things seem to be going wrong
Think about the fact that
At least you’ve managed to last this long
Baruch Hashem you woke up this morning
And now you're feeling fine
Everything in working order
No reason to scream or whine
Now you see this law is false
At least for your sake it better be
Because you've broken the law countless times
But then again that's a good thing
Puppy, great poems, both of them. And they both contain good messages we can use every day. I really like the second one by Jaoquin Miller about how we view others.
Smile E. Face, that is such a nice poem! Beautiful, positive message. You are so right, everything depends on our focus and attitude, and that alone can make the difference between everything going "wrong" or everything going "right".
Laughter
A joyous sound
Happiness abound
Laughter
The best remedy
Fill’s your soul with pure ecstasy
Laughter
Can heal a broken heart
Can bring together people who were once apart
Laughter
The song of the soul
Can help piece together what once was whole
Laughter
In time of pain
Don’t treat it with distain
Laughter
You can share with anyone
Parent, friend, sister, neighbor or son
Luna, that's really nice, and very true. Glad to see you back here!
Hi, kapusta! Good to see you back here. How are you?
hello, fellow posters of tpt (the poetry thread)! Sorry i've been following silently. I want to post, and want to write a poem too, but havent yet been able to sit down and focus. My apologies for the late and concise replies, but my minds been busy.
Puppy- really liked the 'picking you' poem. Its so sweet and touching! Hope you're well.
Smile E. Face- right on! That was great and so true. Just need a reminder some days to switch our perspective around. Your reminder came perfectly timed for me.
Luna- you are so right. Laughter is amazing and so powerful. And the lack of laughter, leaves such a dark hole... May we all have much laughter in the coming year!
MP-always reliable to keep this place running and respond to all! :)
kapusta- looks like it! Slowly but surely. Welcome back to u too
icot- :D i'm counting down!
yiddishemeidel- nice poem! Keep it up!
Wanna wish all my fellow posters a gut gebentched zees yahr, a shana tova u'mesuka, a happy, healthy new year. May it be one filled with clarity, happiness, health, simchos, closeness and connection, may all our tefillos be answered for our best, and may we all continue to grow, become stronger, and feel Hashem's embrace.
Have a good shabbos and yom tov!
Hey everyone! I'd like to wish you all a wonderful shana tova a year that will be a happy, fruitful, successfull year where we can achieve and become the best we can be filled with happiness and contentment.
I miss you all, I miss being here and I forget not the strength you've given me.
Think first.
Hi, Think first! Thanks for checking in on us, and for the bracha. Hope all's well by you.
Hope everyone had an inspiring Yom Tov.
For some reason I haven't been able to write so much lately so have been in "hiding" but now i have something:
Dear Teachers,
you have power:
The power to destroy,
The power to create,
The power to extinguish,
The power to illuminate.
The power to make sick
The power to disinfect
The power to victimize
The power to protect.
The power to fall apart,
The power to withstand,
The power to be unnatuned
The power to understand.
Teachers are powerful,
With the ability to destroy,
Yet they can use their power
To uplift a lonely boy,
So step up to the plate,
Claim your badge of honor,
But Only if your worthy,
Don’t make your students goners.
Sincerely, a student
bla bla, that reminded me of a poem I wrote so I was going to post it but realized I already did on page 10! I certainly am with you and I'm glad you checked in. I have been wondering/worrying about you since camp.
(waving) hi everyone who is coming out of hiding! It's nice to hear from all of you again. Welcome back to the poetry thread, and hope you'll stick around here.
The sun glistened from behind the horizon,
The breeze wisked by and the air was fresh,
The twinkling light and the pink streaks of light,
The rays shown strong, reflecting on the pavement,
It was sunset and the holy day was setting in,
The sun was going to its resting place,
Night approached, the sky darkened,
And I knew it was time,
Time to repent,
Time to apologize and beg,
Time to plead with god,
Time to request forgiveness from those I hurt,
For it was too late to change a past,
But a momentous time to change a future,
Promise better actions,
And reach for the stars.
wowww
blabla, so glad you're back here with your amazing poetry! I love both. The teacher one is especially inspiring since I'm somewhat in a teaching position this year. It really shows how much a teacher can do, and the responsibility for one's students.
i hate school but i hate homework more! /end rant
sorry about that, having a tough time.
Blabla- i really really liked that second poem. A lot. Thanks for sharing.
Wishing all a good shabbos!
Betrayer
Leaves crunching under my feet
Crickets chirping
A sigh of relief escapes my lips
Alone at last
For miles I treked seeking solitude
And here I am
Waiting
Waiting to be helped
To be given a hand
And here is where I still wait
For you will never come
Yes its you
You who never game me a smile
You who left it all to others saying you had better things to do
You who I looked up to and now pity
For I know you kind and I know you will not change
Yes I know you deep inner thought
Deer reflection of mine
Love the thread people... I've been writing poetry for a number of years now but have been a bit scared to share it with anyone except close friends and family, but here goes....
How To Be Extraordinary
When all the hearts are broken,
How can you sit so still?
When all the dreams are shattered
And no more hopes are left to kill,
And the melody has played its course,
And the trees have lost their shade,
And the colours in the painting
Are all washed out and start to fade,
You stand, you see, you do not move,
You do not act, you do not do;
You sit, you stare, you ponder why
One and another must make two.
Come with me, let us travel;
Come, let’s sail the oceans wide;
Come and find forgotten places,
Virgin sand on which to stride,
To breach, to conquer, to boldly go,
To plant, to build, to found, to grow,
To jump, to grab, to seize the day,
To move, to drive, to never stay.
I came and did, and all to show,
I came and taught that you may know –
Heaven’s not as far as seems,
For I can fly, for I have dreams.
SaysMe, sorry to hear that school work is giving you a hard time. It's especially difficult at this time of the year, as I can say from personal experience. I hope you are able to get through it all well. Good luck.
y613, that's a very deep poem. Sometimes we need solitude to collect our thoughts and find a new perspective on something that is bothering us. It's also a good way to temporarily escape from our interpersonal difficulties, but eventually, we know we have to face those people and hope that they learn how to show the care and concern that we wish for.
just my hapence, very beautiful poem! A wonderful message, and written so well. Welcome to the thread.
*Erupting from a stack of textbooks and clearing throat*
Hi!! How is everyone doing? Just because I've been awfully out've touch doesn't mean I have forgotten about all of you.
MiddlePath? Luna? SaysMe? Syag? Anyone out there?
Just wanted to wish you all an easy fast, a spiritually uplifting yom kippur and it is my wish to you this year that you all find the truth you are seeking out. Hashem should give us clarity, peace of mind and success in our personal and professional lives.
*Slinking back to the books*
middlepath- thank you so much, I am glad you enjoyed it and took so much out of it, not many people always try looking for the deep meaning and not only did you look but you also found it. Thank you for the warm welcome I look forward to being inspired by many others here.
ym613- welcome and beautiful poem!
Jmh-so true, and with such flowing poetry! I guess i need to stat 'traveling' cuz i got stuck after hitting all the landmarks in the first half of ur piece... Really hit the mark tho! And welcome.
Keep them coming, all!
Mp- thanks, yes it is hard now, especially with all the yamin tovim. Not just schoolwork causing the hard time though....
Nomtw- hey how r u? Hope ur schoolworks coming along better, cuz u sound diligent :)! Amein n thanks to your bracha!
Hi, NOMTW! Glad to see you back here. Hope your school work isn't too stressful! It's good to take a break every now and then, it helps boost your energy. Amen to your wonderful bracha, and the same to you as well!
y613, no problem. I enjoy finding meaning in people's words, especially in poetry that so obviously comes from the heart. Hope to see more from you!
SaysMe, hope things only get better for you. Wishing you much strength in pulling through your schoolwork, and whatever you may be dealing with.
Ok time to do a bit of venting. Sorry for getting off the poetry theme, but as i've mentioned b4, when i'm down i cant write. That also explains why i havent posted a poem, or much at all lately. I'm doing pretty badly, feeling very down. Unmotivated and not coping so well at all. There's a hopelessness, a gloomy mood, a lack of drive. Jmh put the feeling into words though with different specifics. And for those who saw my other posts, that person i'm not ready to forgive... So much i need to do, to work on, to change, to rise above, and yet dont have the energy or push to even face one... Its hard. Very hard. And makes life so much more dismal and lonely. So lonely... Its been a tough coupla months...
Thanks guys, I wasn't really sure how it would be received...
SM - know what you mean about writing without motivation, but sometimes I find that that in itself provides inspiration, letting out all the frustration on a piece of paper or a keyboard can work wonders. For example, a few years ago whilst I was still single I wrote a few little bits about the trying to fit in with a society which expects you to be married at a certain age; I was down, gloomy and pretty much unmotivated for anything at all and just putting down the things helped me get up.
We see the flames, we watch them burn
Watch them flicker to and fro
But see the lesson we must learn
And see what everyone must know
Just as the candle on its own
Waits for that spark of illumination
But once that smallest spark is sown
It gives light for all, and inspiration
So too, our soul awaits that spark
That one small flicker of Torah light
That will illuminate the dark
And keep on burning through the night.
<b>Train Rides</b>
Watching the world go by –
Trees, houses, farms
Factories and shops
Wild countryside –
All rushing by.
But do we rush past the world,
Or the world past us?
Life is a journey
A train.
We get on.
We get off.
People occupy themselves
With amusement for the journey
Games, music, toys, DVDs
Paying very little attention
To the world passing by.
So much to see
So much to take in
So much wonder and beauty
And before we know it
The journey will come to an end
And we will have missed it,
Missed watching the world go by.
jmh- u are right in theory, and i have done it before, but when i'm down the words just dont come ay all. Poet's block :). But thanks for the reply and advice!
Notasheep- welcome! Amazing pieces u got there! I'm a fan :). And messages so real, so true, so beautiful. Keep them coming!
Mp- thank u so much, and amein
SaysMe - I wish I could offer you an ear to work some of this stuff out. I know how hard it is to be caught in the quicksand of hurting too much to forgive. I really am learning, though, that sometimes you can remove yourself and look at it from the outside and you find that the things they did that were soooo obviously wrong may have not been as obvious as we thought, or there may have been an assumption we made that made it obvious but our assumption was wrong. And when we can let ourselves see that perhaps there is a tiny chance that they weren't so blatantly nasty, we are open to knowing that maybe they aren't quite as guilty and MAYBE we can think about letting Hashem deal with them.
If we know that the hurt was our lesson, and Hashem will decide if they were right or wrong in being the shaliach and will punish them accordingly, then we don't have to bear the burden of thinking it is our job and our right to bring them to their knees. Why do we need to pay them back? Are we in it for our dignity? We can search elsewhere for dignity. Is it that we feel we deserve better? Maybe at that minute we didn't. Are we just too hurt to forgive? Then ell yourself that you need to be cautious of this person, you need to protect yourself from further harm, but that if they were healthy and well and KNEW they were hurting you, they probably wouldn't have.
Sorry for the generic chizuk, I hope it gives you some nechama.
NOMTW - So glad you are knee deep in school, I wish I was! Hatzlacha in all your courses and it was great to hear from you.
Not a sheep - Love it!!
Gmar Tov everyone, may Moshiach come and rescue us all from our selves and rescue our neshomos from all these nisyonos looming so close to us.
I try to do good,
but it comes out bad,
I want to be happy,
but I turn out sad.
I try to be accepted,
But I get rejected,
i try to be innocent,
but I'm always suspected.
I try to rejoice,
my joy turns to morn,
to blossom like a rose,
yet I remain a thorn.
To Hashem to be connected,
but I remain afar,
Oh just let me succeed already,
I wish I was a star!
This is after I tried to be a good member of my family only to get yelled at :(
syag- thank u for replying. It may be generic but even that i havent heard enough of lately. Its cuz i'm just too hurt and not ready to just forgive it all. At the same time i hurt x too and am not ready o truly ask mechila meaning it, because of the hurt they caused me. And its eating me. True if they knew and realized etc they wouldnt have as much as they did. But some they knew full well n did anyhow. Its really really tough :(. And i'm doing bad overall so makin everything harder n worse.
Though i dont know if i'm really having trouble with forgiving x or with forgiving myself...
SM - sorry I couldn't be more helpful... :-(
NAS - nice stuff, don't think I've seen the second one before it's awesome! I think I'll repay you in kind with one I don't think you've seen...
Every Now And Then
You say it’ll do, for now.
You say it’s alright, that it’s fine, for now.
For now is all, and now is king
And now is It, for now.
The thing that won’t do, did, for then.
Though it’s not alright it was fine, for then.
For then was old, and then was poor
But then was Now, for then.
JMH - thanks! I wrote that one.... drum roll... on a train. And it happened to be a very important train ride in my life. I think you know which one I am talking about.... Love the second poem.
SM, thanks for the comments. I have been writing literally for years (since I was nine)so it's nice for me to get feedback from people who are simply reading my work and not just telling me they like it cause they know me. I have some pretty zany stuff too...
blabla, I love your latest poem - some of my most thoughtful/introspective poems came after I experienced major downs: here is an example:
Do you really love me
Deep down in your heart
Or is it really just
A whole big work of art?
How am I supposed to know
What goes in in your mind?
How do I know the feelings you hold
Are good and gentle and kind?
Please don't conceal whatever
Feelings you hold for me
I'm willing to be friendly to everyone else
Can't you take me for me?
I wrote that about ten years ago when I was going through a rough patch with friends, and I have always hated false people.
And now, to lighten the mood. This poem is based on real-life events (ok, it's dramatised a little) - JMH, do you remember this one?
My brother has a broken toe
It pains him, oh, so bad
He broke it walking up the stairs
Oh, woe is Joe, my lad
He went to Nurse, who said “Goodbye –
There’s not much I can do
But if you find it’s still hurting,
Come back in a day or two.”
Two weeks later he could be found
Complaining at great length
“My toe is really hurting
And it’s taking up all my strength!
Now I can’t play football
Or do PE any more –
Which is why my teacher hates me,
And always gives me a low score!”
“Oh, do shut up!” my sister said,
“You’re hurting my poor ears!
Please have some consideration
For us – no one wants to hear!”
“You’re really mean!” cried Joe my bro –
“You just don’t have a clue!”
“That’s true,” replied my sister,
“But I’d rather it were you!”
My brother has a broken toe
Alas, it’s still not healed
‘Cause now it’s been three months since
His poor toe’s fate was revealed
And ever since that fateful day
When baffled nurse sent him away
I hear him every morning pray –
But Broken Toe is here to stay.
NAS - course I remember! He didn't half go on about it... If we're trading the silly poems...
Migrations
"It's about time," said the bird on the right,
Removing his pipe from his mouth,
"I could do with a really good holiday,
It's about time I headed Down South."
"Down South?" asked his fellow bird, scratching his beak
And wondering quite how he knew
Which way was where, be it forward or back,
And in just which direction to flew.
But with nary a word, the bird on the right
Was now a bird gone upstairs
To pack up a suitcase with all his belongings
And check up on cheap hotel fares.
So three hours later, with shades on his eyes
And the suitcase tucked under one wing,
He came back downstairs to his friend who just shrugged
And said "I guess I'll see you next spring."
"But Winter's coming," said original bird,
"You could freeze here until you were Dead."
"Well I may or may not," came back the response,
"But I'm rather attached to my bed."
"But Florida's waiting, excitement and fun,
And ice-cream and surfing all day!"
"Well it might or might not," said his friend in reply,
"But I think I'd rather just stay."
So he turned and he shrugged, and without a goodbye,
Not even I'll-see-you-around,
He flapped and he fluttered and soon he was flying
Three thousand feet over the ground.
He flew for a day, he flew for a week,
He flew 'til he couldn't no more,
He stopped at a hotel in Miami Beach
And was shocked at who opened the door.
"Well, you took your sweet time to get here,"
Said his friend who he'd once thought insane,
"Whilst you battled your way through the cold and wet,
I cheated and came here by plane."
I remember that poem. But it's not your zaniest...
NAS - nope, not by a long way!
notasheep and just my hapence, beautiful poems! You both have real talent. And welcome here!
blabla, I'm sorry you're feeling down. But I'm glad you're back and writing your heartfelt poetry again, I really missed it, it's so full of emotion. I hope G-d helps you see things in a better perspective, and that things get better for you.
SaysMe, I had you in mind in all my prayers. I really hope that things turn around for you and those feelings of hurt and guilt don't plague you anymore. Wishing you only better times ahead.
Syag, I'm glad to see you back here.
NOMTW, hope you're managing with all your work.r
kapusta, Luna, Think first, I hope you're all doing well.
sorry to interrupt the private convo :) but you two are good!
MP- thank you so much, thats really nice of you. and amein!
hi all!
Appreciation, do you have it?
We are the special children to have been chosen.
We are privileged,
Yet do we show it?
Do we say thank you when given a test, showing us how strong we are?
We should!
Other wise how would our Father in heaven know we love Him so much?
MP - thanks! Like NAS says, it's nice to get feedback from people who just read the stuff I write without knowing who I am. In a funny kind of way, it makes it feel much more personal...
SM - the two of us have had years of bouncing our poems off each other (we are highly competitive!), thanks for the comment! And now for two completely different poems that both stem from the same subject - dreams. I have very vivid and sometimes (read: frequently) insane dreams. This first one, however, is reflective. The next one is an indication of just how crazy my dreams sometimes get.
What are dreams?
What is this thing that drives a man?
A hope – untarnished by time or age
A hope – evergreen, everlasting
A hope – that can withstand all
It cannot be touched, cannot be tainted
It remains unsullied by the prying fingers of others
And though it may seem
That the dream is lost, broken
It will grow again
Like a small shoot in the frost
A flash of colour amongst the cold snow
That will one day reach the skies
A mighty beanstalk that can be climbed
By even the smallest of people
For one man’s dream alone
Can cross the widest of oceans
Traverse the largest of deserts;
He will continue to sow the seeds of ambition
And water with them with hope
And no one, no matter how hard they try
Will ever be able to destroy these evergreen dreams
For they alone belong to the dreamer
And, against all odds
He will continue to plant with care
For who knows
Or dares
To dream?
Right, serious part over, wacky part starting...
I had an adventure that was inside my head
When I woke up one morning to find myself dead.
I walked down some stairs that weren’t really there
And came upon a small table that was really a chair.
Upon it was ice cream which was served piping hot
And a bowl of string beans which were tied in a knot.
But I wasn’t hungry, so I went outside
And gave a lame horse a piggy-back ride.
He paid me in full when we got to his stop –
Dougal McDonald’s most famous shoe shop.
He ooh’d and he aah’d as he tried on a pair
They really were fine, and they fitted him fair.
Next door was a shop that sold cream cakes and sand
Which were widely said to be best in the land.
So we sat down and ordered – it came right away,
And after we munched on some light of the day.
I was feeling quite bored, so we went to the fair
Which was almost invisible, and made out of hair.
At the end of the day, when the stars had all gone,
I was the last person left, the only one.
And I realised, to my great surprise and delight
It was actually still the middle of the night.
I looked out my window (not sure how I got back)
And saw the stars twinkling ‘gainst a backdrop of black.
syag lchochma- just wanted to update you. Tried very hard to forgive, and over yom kippur i think i got past and forgave parts but not all the hurt. And in shul after maariv motzei yom kippur, as everyone is piling out, she embarressed me. She said s/t embarrassing about me to s/o who'd approached me, and said it loud, in the crowded room, and a bunch of ppl turned to stare, and i blushed bright red. Motzei yom kippur!! I didnt even know what to do with my emotions. Just minutes after neilah??
Yikes!! Ouch! Is she just clueless? Unless she is nasty spirited why would she do that unless she didn't realize that is was embarrassing. If we weren't speaking in public I would ask you what she said because sometimes when I do that I will hear the comment and it may not sound the same to me as it did to the one who it was said about. Is it possible this is the case?
Oh Gosh - I just remembered - if you were embarrassed in public and didn't respond, do you realize what a HUGE zchus that is????? You should give a bracha to someone who desperately needs one (maybe yourself even?)
Good for you that you worked on it in any case. Hashem is probably very impressed and you should be too.
if there was a way to tell u privately...
Its a complicated situation, like i've said. She said it in my face to... Motivate (?) me. She seems to be clueless as to why she shouldnt have said it in front of others, cuz she has said this same thing to at least one other, but in private. It just embarrassed me a lot, and really, it does real damage too. She had TOLD me it did damage but doesnt seem to get that her telling the world it is how that damage comes about, and if it was kept quiet, it wouldnt harm me.
I definitely gave her a cold shoulder and walked away, so not so sure about that zchus. I'm not very impressed with myself...
Hey there, I am new to YWN and find the coffee room forum very entertaining and enlightening. I will post a poem my friend composed and emailed me on erev yom kippur. Although it has a negative connotation I found it to be a bit disturbing yet the raw truth . I would love your input and comments on them....here goes!
In the hopes to appease God
We harbor belligerence
In an attempt to impress God
We abide to rules of ignorance
In the hopes to be loved by God
We reward contentious hate
In an attempt to conquer God
We continue to infiltrate
In the hopes to inspire God
We condone madness
In an attempt to prevail upon God
We perpetuate sadness
In the hopes to persuade God
We pardon immorality
In an attempt to understand God
We excuse brutality
In the hopes to anoint God
We have resigned to play this game
In an attempt to qualify for God
We crowned "the Lie" what a shame!
May all of Klal Yisroel do a reality check, cometh the new year!
A Gmar chasima Tova , and a gut gebentcht yur!
I don't love her.
I really don't.
I don't love her voice,
But my throat constricts.
I don't love her blessings,
But my eyes water.
I don't love her actions,
But I regret mine.
I don't love her.
SM - it's not private, if it were we wouldn't be having it on here! Please feel more than welcome to interrupt whenever you feel like it...
Poetry thread in
Coffee Room - Fifteen Hundred
Posts - Say Mazel Tov!
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