Unsent love poems- publishable?

Smilemaker100

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Over the years, I have had crushes and fallen in love and written love poems/compositions to my muses but most were not read by their eyes. I am thinking of publishing a collection of my art work with 40 or so poems ( most of them are spiritual but some include the themes of romantic love). Here is a taste of a few. Of publishable quality (that could be questionable :rolleyes: )?

Unreachable Love (1994) -For G.
Unreachable love is like a plastic flower.
You see its beauty but it isn't real.
You cannot feel the satin texture
You cannot smell the aromas
As you would if the flower were live.
Unreachable love is like being unable to sing opera.
Though you understand and passionately feel
The meaning of every sentimental note,
You cannot feel the thrill of having a voice
That will capture the hearts and imagination of an audience.
Unreachable love is like possessing eyes
But being a blind artist with inspiring ideas
Who will never see the colors and shades of Mother Nature's splendors.
Unreachable love is like a caged hummingbird
That has wings but has never known the joy of freely flying
And drinking the nectar of lillies in spring.
Unreachable love is like a violin locked in its case.
You are the instrument and long for fingers to stroke you
But this cannot be since
Your beauty is hidden, unknown to the world.
Unreachable love is like dancing with nobody and with no music.
Unreachable love is dreaming without living.
Unreachable love is a candle that will not glow.
Unreachable love is when you know
You must sadly look away
Watch the moon fall and the sun rise the next day.
In hope that you will find another face among the sea of people
That will break all these spells
So that you may feel and smell roses, sing opera, see colors as the master painters did, be freed from captivity to soar in the heavens and savor the sweetness of nectar, play the violin like a virtuoso, dance in someone's arms with music, dream and live your dreams and be a burning candle that will bring warmth and light on a cold dark night.


First Kiss (1994)- For C.
The moonlight played in the waves.
A speckle of moonlight was in your eyes.
A zephyr played through the trees.
A zephyr kissed my brow.
The waves kissed my feet.
I heard a bird warbling in my mind.
My soul was singing.
My soul was a burning candle in a storm of passion.
You were the fire that lite me.
My lips and hands were numb by your touch.
Rivers of honey and wine flowed in my mouth.
These rivers drowned me and rendered me speechless and faint.
In your tight embrace, I saw the stars dancing above.
My heart leaped and the music of your heart muffled the words I could not speak.
My first kiss has chased my childhood away...
Chased my childhood toward the setting red sun.
Never to rise again.
The dawn will bring a new song.


A New Light (1999)-For A.
I met an Earth Angel
And was enlightened by his presence.
His voice was as soothing as a mother's lullaby
And as musical as the purling waves of the sea.
He awakened me from my long slumber
And introduced me to a new reality.
His face was as radiant as the sun
And as peaceful as night , when the day is done.
I remember his watery eyes...
I nearly drowned in them because of desire.
I felt like a sinner
For I wanted to taste his lips, savor the curves of his smooth face
And run my fingers through his curly locks of hair.
I wanted to hold him like a baby
As the Virgin held the Prince of Peace to her bosom.
I was lured by his divine light
But I recoiled in my shell, in fright.
For I would intimidate him with my revelation
That his existence gave my soul its liberation
And his touch would bring me salvation.


Mermaid (1999)-for A.
I imagine myself as an ageless mermaid ( you called me your mermaid) swimming in pure warm waters and you...you my beloved, as the purling waves. Forever in coexistence yet apart.
We know what the other one thinks but dare not pronounce it...time must orchestrate when we will reveal ourselves.
There is so much sadness weighing on your soul but I know that when we are together, I radiate with sunlight in your presence and I like to believe that such solar power can alleviate your pain.


For L...the first one I ever loved (2003)
Because of your death, I learned what it was to live. Your death awakened me from my slumber. I found the infinity in one moment and an entire lifetime in one breath because you ceased to breathe. When you expired, I inspired your dying breath and your dying words which cried to me," Live! Live!Live! Love!Love! Love! Forgive!Forgive!Forgive!"
Each day, I see old buildings being torn down and new ones being rebuilt in their place...at times it seems things are being built and destroyed simultaneously. Each day, I see or hear new names and faces replacing those of yesterday. As surely as the waves that hit the shore remove our footprints in the sand, so will our names and faces be forgotten with time -and yet, one thing remains-LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!
I will live-if not for my sake, then at least yours...for I loved you for so long and still do even though you're gone. My love for you over all these years was pure and eternal. You will live through me my love. Each day I will feel thankful for all that I have and I will try not to desire too much except for strength and inspiration to propel me forth. All I need for one happy day is this-to see the sun, to hear the song of the wind and the birds, to taste the sweet fruits of Mother Earth, to feel the rain upon my face, to feel the tender kiss of a loved one. Any wealth I have will mean nothing if it is not shared. I will not measure my wealth in dollars but in smiles, in acts of kindness, through my friends, through my family and my art.


"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented , fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciouly give permission to other people to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."-Nelson Mandela

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priyanka said:
....

hey... beautiful beautiful poems...i wish someone had written em for me....i wish the one i love will have this deep of sensitivity of love...i wish...that...( i wont say it because love is divine... loses its authenticity by talk..

Thanks. Well, whoever the ONE is (if that is in my destiny), he'll be lavished with love poems and love letters continuously because I am a hopeless romantic...and many other little things...because every day is a treasure and every day must be celebrated and one must tell their loved ones they love them every day. But I don't think there are many men who appreciate those little things anymore...which is why I haven't met the ONE yet- those type are a rarity - a needle in a haystack.
 
You cannot publish this. Unlike what they teach you in high school, writing from your heart will not suddenly make you a good writer. If you're really interested in making this a career/serious hobby, you need to learn from the masters first. Unless you fully understand the structure and symbolism behind The Iliad, Beowulf, The Song of Roland, Shakespeare's stuff as well as contemporary poets such as John Keats, Pasternak, Edgar Poe, etc. you cannot even begin to hope to be taken seriously. Innovation, even revolution, comes from standing on the shoulders of giants.
 
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CoffeeMug said:
You cannot publish this. Unlike what they teach you in high school, writing from your heart will not suddenly make you a good writer. If you're really interested in making this a career/serious hobby, you need to learn from the masters first. Unless you fully understand the structure and symbolism behind The Iliad, Beowulf, The Song of Roland, Shakespeare's stuff as well as contemporary poets such as John Keats, Pasternak, Edgar Poe, etc. you cannot even begin to hope to be taken seriously. Innovation, even revolution, comes from standing on the shoulders of giants.

beowulf sucks. poe sucks.

literary taste is subjective. wholly subjective.

how many of the writers CoffeeMug listed studied the "greats" before writing their own? probably less than half of them.
 
Smilemaker100 said:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented , fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciouly give permission to other people to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."-Nelson Mandela

This quote reminded me of the part of the Desiderata that states, "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars." So I looked it up and found a lovely quote for you, Smilemaker!

"Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass."

The whole thing is quite lovely and I enjoy reading it when I need a pick-me-up or a nudge back onto the path. :)
 
CoffeeMug said:
You cannot publish this. Unlike what they teach you in high school, writing from your heart will not suddenly make you a good writer. If you're really interested in making this a career/serious hobby, you need to learn from the masters first. Unless you fully understand the structure and symbolism behind The Iliad, Beowulf, The Song of Roland, Shakespeare's stuff as well as contemporary poets such as John Keats, Pasternak, Edgar Poe, etc. you cannot even begin to hope to be taken seriously. Innovation, even revolution, comes from standing on the shoulders of giants.

Art, like beauty, is a very personal thing. Who made you the expert on the science of aesthetics? Are you some Nobel Prize winning poet? Ernest Hemingway received so many rejection letters when he was starting off his career as a writer that he said he could use the letters as wall paper for his bedroom! And look how the literary world views him today!!!!! In any case, I believe in my writing and write mostly for my own pleasure and catharsis. I am always changing and expressing myself in new ways. And I personally don't give a DAMN about what people think ! I am what I am and that is enough to me...I don't need YOU to validate the quality of my writing! You sound sort of frustrated to me on some level...
 
alison_in_oh said:
This quote reminded me of the part of the Desiderata that states, "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars." So I looked it up and found a lovely quote for you, Smilemaker!

"Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass."

The whole thing is quite lovely and I enjoy reading it when I need a pick-me-up or a nudge back onto the path. :)

Thanks for that little lovely quote. I am shameless and maybe vain in a way... I don't care about what people really think about me and always have felt that way- I am not going to change for ANYONE! I know who I am and no one can tell me what I am or what I am not.
 
Smilemaker100 said:
Art, like beauty, is a very personal thing. Who made you the expert on the science of aesthetics? Are you some Nobel Prize winning poet? Ernest Hemingway received so many rejection letters when he was starting off his career as a writer that he said he could use the letters as wall paper for his bedroom! And look how the literary world views him today!!!!! In any case, I believe in my writing and write mostly for my own pleasure and catharsis. I am always changing and expressing myself in new ways. And I personally don't give a DAMN about what people think ! I am what I am and that is enough to me...I don't need YOU to validate the quality of my writing! You sound sort of frustrated to me on some level...

Although I think CoffeeMug's tone was a bit harsh, didn't you ask for people's opinions on your poems in your original post? I think he's just saying that he doesn't think your poems are publishible.

Don't let one person's opinion get you down of course, but perhaps reading some of those aforementioned "greats" wouldn't be bad, if you truly wish to pursue a career, no? (unless you've already read them)

G'luck :):)

-Ice
 
Smilemaker100 said:
Art, like beauty, is a very personal thing.
Success = talent + hard work + discipline + luck. When it comes to poetry you lack at least three of the four. The act of writing itself does not add any worth to your poems. Poetry is as much science as it is art. It requires deep knowledge of literary, linguistic and philosophical devices as well as extremely hard work and dedication.
Smilemaker100 said:
Who made you the expert on the science of aesthetics? Are you some Nobel Prize winning poet?
I don't pretend to be the expert. However, you asked for an opinion and I gave it to you. I'll give it again. You cannot publish something you write every time you have a hormonal imbalance.
Smilemaker100 said:
Ernest Hemingway received so many rejection letters when he was starting off his career as a writer that he said he could use the letters as wall paper for his bedroom!
It is very likely (and probably is the case) that Ernest Hemingway's early work was garbage. He improved by dedicating every moment of his life to learning from great works and practicing. Unless you plan to do that, you cannot publish your work.
 
delchrys said:
how many of the writers CoffeeMug listed studied the "greats" before writing their own? probably less than half of them.
Definetly all of them.
 
alison_in_oh said:
This quote reminded me of the part of the Desiderata that states, "You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars." So I looked it up and found a lovely quote for you, Smilemaker!

"Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass."

The whole thing is quite lovely and I enjoy reading it when I need a pick-me-up or a nudge back onto the path. :)

I just read the "Desiderata" and it really follows along the philosophy of life I try to follow. Thanks for telling me about it. I never heard of it before. You sound like you have had some sort of psychology or philosophy major , am I correct?
 
CoffeeMug said:
I don't pretend to be the expert. However, you asked for an opinion and I gave it to you. I'll give it again. You cannot publish something you write every time you have a hormonal imbalance.

Regardless of the context, this is brilliance.
 
Idiopathic said:
Regardless of the context, this is brilliance.

You mean it? You know what idiopathic, my poetry and even my paintings have been criticized (my poetry mostly) and regardless of what people say, I have this inner faith that one day, my poetry and my art may mean something to someone ...at least one person and touch them in a way that they may see the world through my eyes and come to understand my human experience.

It is in the process of creation that I come to understand not only myself and others but life itself. It is in creating that I feel closest to the Divine One. It is in expressing myself through the mediums of writing, drawing, music and dance that I feel connected to the rest of humanity. Being an artist is almost like being a religious figure...art is a form of prayer to me (especially when I write or illustrate a theme related to spirituality-see the thread entitled "Justice exists" to read these spiritual poems). It is mostly in the state of creation that I find God.

Everyone is entitled to their own tastes. There is not ONE artist in the world
either in the past , the present or the future ( in the fields of dance/music/visual arts/writing) that had/has/will have universal appeal. I am a realist. I know that I can't please everyone.

I know that my path and development as an artist is still in its embryonic stages. The true artist is never satisfied and is restless...always seeking to evolve and push their limits even further. I look back at a lot of the stuff I did in the past and realize how infantile I was...I still have some growing to do.

Thank you for the compliments, idiopathic!
 
Smilemaker100 said:
Thanks. Well, whoever the ONE is (if that is in my destiny), he'll be lavished with love poems and love letters continuously because I am a hopeless romantic...and many other little things...because every day is a treasure and every day must be celebrated and one must tell their loved ones they love them every day. But I don't think there are many men who appreciate those little things anymore...which is why I haven't met the ONE yet- those type are a rarity - a needle in a haystack.

Indeed, those men are rare. I found one! But I'd be willing to say that there are only a few more who still possess a heart pure enough to appreciate your whimsical writing.

I'll be completely honest with you. You have beautiful visions that could possibly be published. Sometimes though, the most passionate poem may not be your best written. Don't take offense to rejection and learn to view your poetry critically. Think of yourself as a musician... you turn out songs all the time, pour your soul into your music, but not all your work ends up on the album. Sometimes it's not quite up to par, too repetative or maybe too personal to share with the world.

Anywhoot, if you've the will to write- you will be a writer. Never lose your positivity and remember that rejection is a big part of the process. But if you keep pushing your ideas, eventually they'll get through. Start submitting a few. JUST DO IT! The publishers will judge you better than any of us can. Just don't let opinions of others skew your view of your work and worth.

Good luck. :luck:
 
Smilemaker100 said:
Over the years, I have had crushes and fallen in love and written love poems/compositions to my muses but most were not read by their eyes. I am thinking of publishing a collection of my art work with 40 or so poems ( most of them are spiritual but some include the themes of romantic love). Here is a taste of a few. Of publishable quality (that could be questionable :rolleyes: )?
You have a gift of being able to touch the heart and evoke emotions. The poet, artist, musician, craftsman, inventor all see things differently and make all the difference in the world. They make us see, hear, feel, smell, touch, experience, and remember that it is the exception that makes all the difference. Then there are the special people in our lives that somehow find a way to touch our hearts and souls.
Follow your heart, ignore the critics, create your own website and post them. Share your gift with the world.
:thumbup: :thumbup:
 
neanyc said:
Indeed, those men are rare. I found one! But I'd be willing to say that there are only a few more who still possess a heart pure enough to appreciate your whimsical writing.

I'll be completely honest with you. You have beautiful visions that could possibly be published. Sometimes though, the most passionate poem may not be your best written. Don't take offense to rejection and learn to view your poetry critically. Think of yourself as a musician... you turn out songs all the time, pour your soul into your music, but not all your work ends up on the album. Sometimes it's not quite up to par, too repetative or maybe too personal to share with the world.

Anywhoot, if you've the will to write- you will be a writer. Never lose your positivity and remember that rejection is a big part of the process. But if you keep pushing your ideas, eventually they'll get through. Start submitting a few. JUST DO IT! The publishers will judge you better than any of us can. Just don't let opinions of others skew your view of your work and worth.

Good luck. :luck:

Hi neanyc,

Thanks for the compliments!

If no publisher will accept my works, I don't care! Eventually, when I have enough money, I will self publish my poems, certain diary/inspirational writings and photos of my art work. I will donate most of the money from those publications for philanthropic causes.

Anyhow...those are all future plans. Day by day, I grow as an artist and as a human being. When you cease to evolve, you cease to live. All my life, I have had people oppose me in certain areas of my life, and I have THRIVED under opposition! It only makes me prove them wrong but mostly prove it to MYSELF!!!!

You're lucky to have found yourself a man with a pure heart. Most men don't think with the heart but with another organ. Most men are not cultural...they simply sit in front of their TVs, get drunk and think of ways of seducing women for one night stands. How many men do you know appreciate things such as poetry? musical shows? classical concerts? opera? museum exhibits? The finer things of life...ART - the very substance that defines a society in a given period in history. This is the very reason why I can't meet someone who peeks my curiosity. I am not looking for an "art connoiseur" but someone who can appreciate a poem I write to them or can give me their insights about my art when I show it to them...simply appreciate. Most men don't care. *sigh* Men who display sensitivity yet are still men? Where are they? A man with many passions? Now THAT can excite me! :D
 
GrandPa! said:
You have a gift of being able to touch the heart and evoke emotions. The poet, artist, musician, craftsman, inventor all see things differently and make all the difference in the world. They make us see, hear, feel, smell, touch, experience, and remember that it is the exception that makes all the difference. Then there are the special people in our lives that somehow find a way to touch our hearts and souls.
Follow your heart, ignore the critics, create your own website and post them. Share your gift with the world.
:thumbup: :thumbup:

Like anything else, I will take the criticism with a "grain of salt" but follow my heart! I believe that all human beings have "gifts" to give to the world but don't care to explore them. I don't know why but painting, writing, dancing and playing music (and even singing lousily) have always been activities I have been innately attracted to since infancy. I can't imagine not having all those things in my life which is why it would be hard for me to ever be married to a man who didn't have an inkling of interest in anything related to the arts. Because being an artist is a part of who I am...actually more than being a health professional. I had to attend school to be a health professional, but art has been something I have assimilated from the depths of my soul and my environment ( but of course having teachers did help me).
 
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