This week: Poetry As a Gift Edited by: ~Minja~  
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"Always be a poet, even in prose." ~ Charles Baudelaire
"Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift." ~ Mary Oliver
"The Gift of Truth excels all other gifts." ~ Buddha
"Every gift which is given, even though it be small, is- in reality- great if it is given with affection. ~ Pindar
"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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t is my birthday today so I looked back into past in order to understand the value differences between gifts then and now. A gift itself is a subjective term—what matters the most to you, doesn't really matter to someone else—so there is no ground rule which defines the most valuable gift. However, we can all agree that gifts should be something that is given from the heart. Only in this case, it has its real value and purpose.
Of course, a giver needs to be considerate toward the receiver. Even though the old saying goes don't look a gift horse in the mouth a gift supposed to be something you know receiver will accept dearly and definitely not something random only because you wanted to get it off of your list. It is, though, easy to slip into a routine of giving today without truly thinking about the receiver himself. Take only for example Facebook birthday notifications and how people today are programmed to react only because they're being told to do so and not necessarily because they truly want to. On Facebook, you are told to write the birthday message to a friend's wall or simply to send the message if that's their preferred setting. In today's world with advanced technology this is alright-ish because we have so many friends who are far away and then people who we never met and who are considered as online friends only. But we often put our true friends in the same box. Many of us wouldn't even remember a friend's birthday if there are no notifications. We completely rely on the Facebook source. But, think about this for a moment: You can't remember a friend's birthday by yourself and you need a Facebook reminder to tell you. What an awful thought, is it not? And if you can't even remember a dear friend's (or even family member) birthday then how will you be able to give them something valuable?
Working on the cruise ship had its highlights, it wasn't all just hard work. One specific moment from 2012 that I will always remember is having a group of women from Las Vegas who brought their girlfriend named Ingrid on a Caribbean cruise in order to celebrate her 5 years of being cancer-free. When I talked to her she said October 16th, 2007 is when she had the last surgery and since then cancer didn't return. I told her October 16 is my birthday and there was this immediate bond between us at that very moment. I remember thinking how strange it was that different people have different experiences that BOTH ended up with life. The next night, at dinner, they arranged a small birthday cake and gifts for me which was completely surprising and something none of the guests did before. It's the usual practice that workers on the cruise ship know birth dates and acknowledge these kinds of occasions properly but it's very rare that a guest does the same for a crew member. So, it was quite surprising to have the entire dining room singing happy birthday to me. They gave me a present which included some jewelry and a birthday card. I told Ingrid I, too, wanted to give her something but she only said that to her is enough that we share a special day and remembrance of a good service. Besides, crew members are sort of forbidden to give and receive material things while on duty. You can sneak in but it's a NO according to company's policy.
Anyway, I promised to remember her every year and I kept my promise to this day. Every October 16 I remember Ingrid, hoping she's still lively somewhere in Las Vegas. It is beautiful and strange at the same time that cancer in this story got people together instead of kept them apart. Led by remembrance I wrote a poem "Dear Ingrid" for "Letters of Life, Love & Hope" back in 2015 and that way honored our meeting.
My personal birthday experience was itself a creative journey that ended up me preserving it deep in my memory and on a paper and I'm aware that the others perhaps didn't have similar experiences. But, that doesn't mean you can't create a beautiful one. Homemade and self-made things are a little bit extra special because you sprinkle it with your own effort and time. Since the audience I'm referring to in this newsletter mainly consists of writers, why not listen to Charles Baudelaire's advice and be a poet even in prose? I know we're used to those robotic/generated birthday wishes but it's never too late to surprise your dear ones with your own writing. Writers often use I'll kill you in my novel threat but writers are also capable of being inspired to create lovely characters based on real people. Use your creative imagination in order to write down how you feel about them, how you see them, how they affect your life, etc. I truly believe all people are a little bit romantic in heart even though they don't show that side of them so often simply because they like to be on solid ground rather than on a poetic cloud. Ever since ancient times, famous historical figures wrote letters and poetry for friends and lovers. Yes, it's a bit old-fashioned but it still doesn't reduce its value. Words can never go out of style.
Three poetic forms that make a great gift are:
 An Ode
Ode is an elaborately structured poem praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. ODE: INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY by William Wordsworth is often referred to as Great Ode and is ranked among the best by Wordsworth.
A Sonnet
The word sonnet is derived from the Italian word "sonetto," which means a "little song" or small lyric. In poetry, a sonnet has 14 lines and is written in iambic pentameter. Each line has 10 syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme, and a volta, or a specific turn. SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER’S DAY? by William Shakespeare is a hugely influential and often quoted work, and there are several double meanings in the poem which give it greater depth.
An Acrostic Poem
An acrostic poem is a type of poetry where the first, last or other letters in a line spell out a particular word or phrase. The most common and simple form of an acrostic poem is where the first letters of each line spell out the word or phrase. AN ACROSTIC (Elizabeth) by Edgar Allan Poe is composed around 1829. This is "one of several acrostics Poe wrote for the amusement of female admirers," according to the Poe Society of Baltimore.
Whatever form you choose the act itself will always be a gift of treasure, a chest of wonderful memories that will probably be kept in heart forever.
Until next time, dare to be eloquent
~Minja~
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Excerpt: Strength isn't bred in the way you hold
your head a little higher than everyone else,
smiling in the faces of those who appear
to have exceedingly better lives,
but you're seeing them at their best,
comparing their sun-soaked freedom
with your lonely-laced nights.
_________________________________
Excerpt: A stubborn mule he has been called,
This father of mine with his unshakeable pride
He opened my eyes to the beauty of the world,
To people and places of all types and creed.
'We are one,' he'd say, beneath the moonlight and stars.
'Never forget that, my little baby girl.'
'Many hardships might come your way, and you will cry along the way
'But you will make it through, you'll see, because I have all my faith in you.'
_________________________________
Excerpt: The sweet bleach on her hands,
her life's work scrubbing pans.
Knuckles blistered and cracked,
true beauty she did not lack.
_________________________________
Excerpt: This friend of mine,
Who always had the time,
And would give me a smile,
Was Kmurphy,
Better known as Kathy Smile.
_________________________________
Excerpt: You pick those roses for me
so that I will not feel their thorns.
You made nights into days
To make me become one of the stars.
You let the sun rays shine into my face
when my eyes were misty and sad.
_________________________________ |
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Poetry: October 16, 2019 Issue [#9808]
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