there is no sadness like my own

[constantine]

there is no sadness like my own
it passes from my heart
through my fingers, words
cascade, a waterfall
tears without moisture
dessicated, only
the salt remains

no voice but my own
i'm tired of its accent
it bounces and ricochets
mocks me, maudlin
it curses tourette
what i could've said
idle speculations
no vowels left
in my repertoire

the past reveals the present
the present, the past
an oracle of memory
split decisions
misinterpretations
there were prophesies
that toppled empires
a kingdom lost,
cassandra knew, but
knowing means nothing
in a world reeling

tonight, tomorrow
there is no sadness like my own

[gypsyjoker]

drowning in self pity

mocks me, maudlin

Keep um coming dino
let me look into your mirror

gracias

[constantine]

my mirror is your mirror.
in its beveled edge,
my face splits in two.

[gypsyjoker]

"bjzackly" (thanks j)
what I meant.

On a tangental note
it was the Cassandra allusion that triggered the mirror image, but in the myth I do not believe she had a mirror.

I am fan
I get to talk to the poet
it is bliss for me dino.

[Lightning Rod]

I usually don't bother with the poetry of self-pity or lonliness
it's a tired topic and besides I've written my share of them
that's why normally I would not have even opened this piece
the title announces that it's about self-pity
but since I am rarely disappointed by your work, constantine
I took a chance

you are a skilled and gifted poet
but it's hard to bring something new to this theme
'woe is a me bop' is the same in any language

(get a new title...haha)

[gypsyjoker]

what kills me is when I mock myself
so successfully
no one sees it
yeah the title is perfecto

[constantine]

i don't claim to bring anything new; i am expressing my emotions. the title suits me. i'm not an entertainer.

[constantine]

perhaps i was a bit terse. i thank you clay for reading it - despite the title - and for your compliment as well. what can i say. for me, at this time, the title encapsulates how i feel. basically, i write poetry for myself, to express - to clarify- what i truly feel at the moment of its creation. i try to remain honest to that feeling. the title is a repetition of the first line - my first title choice was in a world reeling, but i went with the first line instead.

[Lightning Rod]

Pardon me
I thought that one of the purposes of poetry was to entertain
It could be argued that entertainment is the highest purpose of poetry
Poetry was invented as a means to convey the news in an engaging way

Only in the past few centuries has it become so self-indulgent and boring

There are many exceptions of course and it is an ongoing challenge to merge the personal and maudlin and 'just writing what I feel' diary poetry with the universal.

and again let me say you made a valiant effort to vivify a tired subject

[constantine]

the purpose of poetry is the prerogative of the poet.

[constantine]

seems we posted at the same time. one of the many quirks of cyber - communication.

[Lightning Rod]

seems we posted at the same time. one of the many quirks of cyber - communication.

yeah, and I was editing at the same time

[gypsyjoker]

my two cents
you don't owe me nothing
just because I get your poetry (sometimes)
same goes to Clay

he tells me he gets me about half the time
if I am batting five hundred with clay I feel like ted williams

Even before entertainment
there was religion
before that was magic

before that was music



interesting dicussion

[Doreen Peri]

the purpose of poetry is the prerogative of the poet.

I agree.

I write poetry for myself, too, and for the same reasons... to express what I'm feeling about the world and life at the moment.

.....

I think Clay's mom named Clay Clay because it started with C for born Critic.




...

Still, it is the nature of the beast. If someone goes on stage, they open themselves up to critique.

....

I totally disagree with Clay, btw. Poetry about the poet's feelings and life can be universal. Everyone has felt what you wrote here, Dino, and the fact that you expressed it so well, made me, as a reader, feel connected ..... feel the human feelings you are feeling with you .... and that, my friend, is a powerful thing! To be able to take universal human feelings and express them in a way people can identify with is a gift. And you have the gift of poetry. You are a Poet, with a capital P.

This is a great piece! Bravo to you!

[Lightning Rod]

doreen, if I am Simon Cowles, then you are Paula Abdul