A poem can spur our imaginations, evoke strong emotions, take us on magical journeys and help us to perceive the world in a distinct way. A story, a message or a thought captures the experience or interpretation of the human being… a poem can be everything.
With a heavy heart
When The Storm Passes, Mario Benedetti
And bright destiny
We’ll feel fortunate
Just for living.
And we’ll meet a stranger
We’ll count our luck,
For keeping a friend,
A friend not took.
(translated from the original in Spanish ‘Cuando Pase La Tormenta’)
I remember you as you were in the last autumn.
Poem 6, Pablo Neruda
You were the grey beret and the still heart.
In your eyes the flames of the twilight fought on.
And the leaves fell in the water of your soul.
(translated from the original in Spanish)
The owl looked up to the stars above
The Owl and The Pussycat, Edward Lear
And sang to a small guitar
Oh pussy my love,
What a beautiful pussy you are, you are
What a beautiful pussy you are.
Culture
Between languages and countries many sayings, phrases or songs exist inherent to the culture or the tradition. These can also be classified as rhymes or mini poems. Children often learn about the world through poetry.
Have fun searching for the translations for the following:
Sol solcito, calentame un poquito, hoy por mañana por toda la semana.
Find a penny, pick it up and all day you’ll have good luck.
Små grodorna, små grodorna
Är lustiga att se
Små grodorna, små grodorna
Är lustiga att se
Ej öron, ej öron
Ej svansar hava de
Ej öron, ej öron
Ej svansar hava de
Famous Poets
When we think about poets, at least in the western world we often tend to think of great names such as William Shakespeare, T.S.Elliott, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.
Let’s pack our suitcase and travel the globe. Here are some names of famous poets from across the continents with all their diversities…
May these poets lead us to new discoveries and adventures within the written word!
Africa
Chinua Achebe
Antjie Krog
Koleka Putuma
Dambudzo Marechera
North America
Maya Angelou
Leonard Cohen
Laura Hershey
Oceania
Tusiata Avia
Banjo Paterson
Europe
Charles Baudelaire
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Edward Lear
Asia
Matsuo Basho
Kalidasa
Rabindranath Tagore
South America
Mario Benedetti
Pablo Neruda
Rosario Aquim Chávez
Antartica
The Formalities
When people talk about poetry they often refer to the following terms;
Verse
Stanza
Chorus
Metaphors
Assonance Rhyme
Rhyming couplets
Consonance Rhyme
Heptasyllabic
Similes
Syntax
Sonnet
Haiku
and many others.
It can be a really confusing or maybe a boring procedure to go through. Particularly poetry or literature exams present in academic teaching.
But if you are feeling inspired, why wait…?
There are so many books and videos available to help you get started. Let the process commence, put the pen on the paper, maybe even break the rules. Read an inspirational poem, emulate it.
To My Beloved Poets
Get out of the darkness! Make your writing visible to the public eye! There are so many competitions now, some free to enter, some with an open theme.
You can check out a list of poetry competitions, in English, here.
And to my Spanish poets you can find some competitions here.
Keep an eye on The S.P.A.C.E for future activities.
Your Contributions
Thankyou very much to these people who gave me permission to display their work on the website. I hope to publish more of your writing in the coming months, check the art and creations gallery to see how you can participate.
The Sunbeam
The morning larks sings your praise
To welcome you in
The glistening grass bejewelled in dew
Reflects your beauty
A crowned deer bows his head
A thousand golden sunflowers tilt their heads to you
A party in the garden
Friends, joy, laughter
You warm the hearts of all that know you
Cows grazing on a pasture
Some black, some white (and some red too)
Penguins huddled on an icy plain
Even the furthest reaches of your touch
Embrace your warmth
Children playing in the sand
Couples waltzing along the promenade
Courts of green and strawberries sweet,
Here, a different kind of love
All are glad that you are here
Across the sea, lift a glass to toast
The wonder of you
Autumn leaves and churning falls
When you smile the world is brighter
You give us strength to carry on
And when the light begins to fade
Pink and purple hues adorn the sky
And you are up among those heights
And passing behind the hill
I feel not grief but thankful and content
For we now carry the light you shared
And tomorrow you will shine again
By Ghislaine Hamilton, April 2020
The Creativity Virus
Creativity has invaded me
Now I don’t know how to live without creating
From the small to the big
From the ordinary to the extraordinary
I have lived extraordinary days.
The world seemed frozen.
And the people didn’t go out in the street.
They talked to us about the pandemic
because a virus infected a lot of bodies.
Governments took random measures.
So, I had a lot of time without obligations.
I had time for me.
How could I get out of obligatory isolation?
How could I escape public fear?
What happened to me, then?
Well, a cloud of imagination stormed me.
I began to hear my body, my senses…
And… I let myself go: the ordinary had new things.
For example: the hidden began to dance, words were games in letters and new languages appeared.
My brain stepped out of the planned and I touched the clouds.
Dance, stories and poetry found each other and since then my activity is called CREATION.
Dedicated to my dancer and friend who I remember so well, Esther.
Anonymous, June 2020
Untitled
You’re more than just what if’s and almost
You are enough
You deserve the world
You deserve love when the rain pours down
or when the sun shines so brightly
You deserve every ounce of self love
that you once threw away for someone else.
You deserve to be well taken care of because you matter,
You are a beautiful kind soul
that is only looking for something ever so lasting
In the vast ocean of beautiful creatures
Take care of yourself and all will be well
By Jasmine Ng, June 2020
The Space 