Poetry

Funeral Poems

2007-10-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

Funerals and the many customs associated with marking the passing of a loved one allow people to express sadness over their loss. During times of grief and change, people often turn to different forms of art to help them heal and to express their pain. Usually, a close friend or family member is asked to deliver a memorial speech, also called a eulogy to honor the deceased. Today, a eulogy can take the form of a speech, a letter and even a poem. Writing a funeral poem as part of a eulogy, to display at the visitation or for your own comfort allows you to use the art of language to convey what you’re feeling.Writing a funeral poemIf you choose to write a funeral poem, decide first who the poem will be shared with. Will the poem be for your own personal use or will it be for a group of people sharing the loss of a loved one? If the poem is a private expression to help you address your own feelings, you can be more liberal in what you write. Private verses allow you to be completely open about how the deceased’s passing makes you feel. This personal type of poetry allows you to write about more intimate or private memories that you may not be comfortable sharing with others. Don’t feel that you have to write what others want to hear – just be honest in your writing and people will appreciate your thoughts and words. If you’ve decided to share your poem with others, be sure to consider the thoughts and feelings of others as you write. Gathering your thoughtsAfter you’ve decided the purpose and audience of your poem, take some quiet time to let your thoughts flow. Think about the memories you have of your friend or family member – your fondest times spent together, their personality, passions and life achievements. Don’t feel hampered by rhyme structures or worry about your writing skills – simply let the word come; a funeral poem that takes the form of a verse, a letter or a speech is perfectly suitable.Delivering a funeral poemUsually, a funeral poem is read during the funeral service. If you choose to deliver your poem during the service, bring a copy of the poem to read from. Trying to memorize touching words while you’re coping with a host of emotions is very difficult. It can be even harder to remember the words if your voice falters or if you’re uncomfortable speaking in front of a group. Be sure to write legibly in large type and take some time to review the poem carefully several times.You may prefer not to read your poem aloud, but still share it with others. Consider writing out the poem and displaying it in a frame at the visitation. Many funeral homes offer memorial pamphlets to mourners. Heartfelt words can be a touching addition to any funeral program or pamphlet and are often kept as mementos. If you’ve chosen to write a funeral poem just for yourself you can preserve the poem in a frame on its own or behind a picture. Some families choose to place a memorial announcement in their local newspaper a year after the loved one’s passing. This is another option if you feel more comfortable sharing your writing after some time has passed.InspirationIf you’re not sure where to begin, we suggest reading a few of the classic poems below. Some of these poems are about loss and grieving and others are about honoring life. They can be used as inspiration, or can be read at the funeral if you’re having difficulty putting your own thoughts into words.• Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep – Mary Frye• All is Well – Henry Scott Holland• Death, Be Not Proud – John Donne• The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow• The Oak – Alfred Lord Tennyson• No Coward Soul is Mine – Emily Bronte• Remember – Christina Rossetti• A Parable of Immortality – Henry Van DykeFuneral poems are a very personal expression of your loss. While they can be touching and comforting for others to hear, thoughts and emotions can also be difficult to capture on paper. Talk to other people who were close to the departed if you need inspiration for your poem – this will help inspire you and allow you to share your memories with others.
About the Author: Gwendolyn Ladd is a writer for the online funeral planning resource funeralplanning101.com.

Haiku Poems

2007-10-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Everyone at one time or another has heard of or read haiku poems. This ancient Japanese art form has been around for a very long time. And with good reason!It's a very beautiful and elegant poetic expression! With just a few words, the haiku poet can create a present moment - a snapshot of nature or an event taking place. No other poetry can do this with such economy, nor with such elegance!To create haiku poems, you must understand what it is and how it is written today. No longer bound by the 5-7-5 syllable rule, modern haiku poetry uses something called phrase and fragments theory to create with. This is a lot simpler than it sounds. It just means that most haiku composed in the west uses a sentence fragment - usually something like "winter morning" to set the mood or ambiance.This is followed by a more complete phrase. For example, with a fragment like "winter morning," we can use something specific… something present moment to complete this haiku:winter morning --ice crystalshang off the pineNotice how the phrase actually "completes" the fragment so to speak. They go together to create what some poets call an absolute metaphor. That's not important. What is important is learning how to create phrases for in this your success as a haiku poet rests. Creating phrases has everything to do with creating what haiku poet Ray Rasmussen has called "first order mind sense impressions."That is, to create a present moment or an event about a present moment, you need to be able to write in the present moment. To practice this, it's a good idea to first read haiku you enjoy by others. Soak in their style and what they do. Then once you have an idea of the kind of things you want to write about, start writing your own haiku poems.
About the Author: Edward Weiss is a poet, author, and publisher of Wisteria Press. He has been helping students learn how to write haiku for many years and has just released his first book "Seashore Haiku!" Visit us now at http://wisteriapress.com and get the FREE report: "How to Write Haiku!"

Spiritual Poems

2007-10-17T07:38:00.001-07:00

What makes spiritual poems different from other spiritual writings? Poetry has a way of pointing more directly at reality, rather than just defining it. It uses words as tools for the transmission of experience. Spiritual poetry then, is more about enlightenment than belief. Here is a classic example from the Tao Te Ching:Empty your mind of all thoughts.Let your heart be at peace.Watch the turmoil of beings,but contemplate their return.Each separate being in the universereturns to the common source.Returning to the source is serenity.If you don't realize the source,you stumble in confusion and sorrow.When you realize where you came from,you naturally become tolerant,disinterested, amused,kindhearted as a grandmother,dignified as a king.Immersed in the wonder of the Tao,you can deal with whatever life brings you,and when death comes, you are ready.The Christian Bible is full of spiritual poems. Consider this short passage from the poetry found in Corinthians:When I was a child,I spoke like a child,I thought like a child,I reasoned like a child;when I became a man,I gave up childish ways.Spiritual poems are not necessarily religious poems. They can simply point at the universal values in life, and at our relationship to these. This can be seen in the last stanza of the poem "Lake Superior."There was the sun on my face,and this was superiorto any description, idea,belief or faith.Spiritual poetry can try to point out some particular truth. It can also be more enigmatic, causing you to investigate an idea more closely to find your own truth. It can be an expression of love, or encourage you to relax and be at peace. Simple enjoyment, though, is enough reason to read spiritual poems.
About the Author: Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can find the rest of these poems and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com.

Poetry Is What?

2007-10-17T07:37:00.001-07:00

Poetry is more than just rhyming and prose that is in meters and verse. It is an art form. It is something that can not be judged by its cover and can not be critisized to the point where it just "sucks." Poetry is about expression. Poetry expresses the way we feel on a certain subject through imagery and other senses. It helps us deal with our daily problems, be it good or bad.The emotion which is put within the poem brings it life. A poem without emotion is not a poem at all but simply prose. Poetry is what makes us feel happy or sad, mad or gleeful, loving or broken hearted. Poetry is life on paper. It does not need to be of a certain subject or even rhyme.Poetry is poetry. It has its own mind. If it flows good if not... it needs work. The rules can be bent but not broken. Our life is our life and no one can tell us what we have been through but ourselves. We know best not some stranger reading our poems. Our poetry is our life, not what someone says.Rhyming in poetry is not always the best way to express yourself. Rhyming actually takes away many words that could have been used. If you try to rhyme it cuts your dictionary into little pieces. It doesn't need to be this way, choose flow over rhyme.As a result of this, poetry is defined as a way of putting flowing words together in meter and verse to show emotion or tell a story.
About the Author: Gary is the owner of Famous Poetry

What is Poetry?

2007-10-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia, poetry is defined as the following:

Poetry is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. Poetry may be written independently, as discrete poems, or may occur in conjunction with other arts, as in poetic drama, hymns or lyrics.
Poetry, and discussions of it, have a long history. Early attempts to define poetry, such as Aristotle's Poetics, focused on the uses of speech in rhetoric, drama, song and comedy. Later attempts concentrated on features such as repetition and rhyme, and emphasised the aesthetics which distinguish poetry from prose. From the mid-20th century, poetry has sometimes been more loosely defined as a fundamental creative act using language.
Poetry often uses particular forms and conventions to expand the literal meaning of the words, or to evoke emotional or sensual responses. Devices such as assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve musical or incantatory effects. Poetry's use of ambiguity, symbolism, irony and other stylistic elements of poetic diction often leaves a poem open to multiple interpretations. Similarly, metaphor and simile create a resonance between otherwise disparate images—a layering of meanings, forming connections previously not perceived. Kindred forms of resonance may exist, between individual verses, in their patterns of rhyme or rhythm.
Some forms of poetry are specific to particular cultures and genres, responding to the characteristics of the language in which the poet writes. While readers accustomed to identifying poetry with Dante, Goethe, Mickiewicz and Rumi may think of it as being written in rhyming lines and regular meter, there are traditions, such as those of Du Fu and Beowulf, that use other approaches to achieve rhythm and euphony. In today's globalized world, poets often borrow styles, techniques and forms from diverse cultures and languages.

Poetry Blog

2007-10-17T07:09:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my Poetry blog.