Poetry Through the Ages for June

In the blocks below, please find your weekly poems written by me. There are two components to each poem: The poem I wrote as a child (I started writing poetry when I was 11) and an analogy of the lines and word use, using my current and adult understanding of poetic devices and how my lines conveyed the message using devices and styles I learned as an adult. If you have any questions or concerns about the poems, please reach out to me!

The poems I wrote in this period (from Gray to a few poems after that) were/are quite short compared to the other poems earlier on (and later on in that year). These are more internal thoughts instead of complete poems so the analogies for these lines are also usually longer than those in the 'longer' poems.

Week One:

Story—2004. Age 15

Every night is a lonely night.

For Those Who do not believe.

We look at each other with love between us,

I wonder why I don’t join her,

Forgotten by the world of technology.

Analogy

Every night is a lonely night.—

Who is the poet speaking to, and why do they care about lonely nights? This line is a statement and from the tone, this statement was probably written from a place of experience. After spending night after nigh on your own, a statement like this can almost act a self fulfilling prophecy because each night can be a lonely night if you act as if you are alone, even if you aren’t. Since ‘night’ is a part of this line, you, the reader, can assume that part of the story of the poem involves darkness and or the moon. Does this mean this story is a part of the previous poem about the moon or can this be seen as something separate yet linked to the previous posts, like the nights (lonely or not) that come and go with or without us paying any mind to them. If this line is indeed a self fulfilling prophecy, do you think the poet is aware of this or is this something that happened naturally? There is also the possibility that the lonely night exists because the poet believes that the opposite of loneliness is the night, who is accompanied by the moon.

For those who do not believe.—

Who does not believe? We as in the poet plus readers like you who are experiencing this poem (as young and short as the poem is) that a story can be told in the form of poem? Do you, as the reader, believe a story can be told through a poem or is that what prose is for? Another possibility for this line is to state that the ‘who’ in this poem is the poet themselves. What does the poet not believe? Is this a religious belief that the poet discusses in the ‘who’ or is this another set of beliefs the poet writes about for the sake of this poem? If the ‘who’ in this line includes you, the reader, do you know what you don’t believe in? Do you think you need to be sure something exists before you are sure that something doesn’t exist? For example, let’s take colors to prove a certain belief. If black and white exist, can you, the reader, be sure that gray will exist as a result? Can gray exist without black and white? If you, as the reader, don’t believe that white exists, how is it possible that you believe gray exists at all since white is needed to create gray? If you, a non believer, believe that gray can exist without white, what else don’t you believe in? Would you know what you don’t believe in purely based on what you are forced to believe in based on logic?

We look at each other with love between us,—

Again, who is this ‘we’, and in this line, another component has become apparent: Love. Do you, as the reader, believe this love is between the poet and the moon, or between the poet and you, the reader? Without you, the poet wouldn’t be a poet. They would be someone with ideas yet nowhere to share them. Isn’t it natural for someone to feel love or at least admiration for something or someone who gives them purpose? If this is the case, how would let the moon know you love her? Did you think I was going to ask “how would let the poet know you love them? This question has been asked before so it wouldn’t help anyone if it’s repeated, but if you, the poet, did understand the love the moon had for the poet, would you fall in love as well? You and the moon could be in love from an understanding perspective instead of a romantic one: How could anyone look up at the moon and not be in awe of the beauty of starkness, and the beauty of a ball of rock changing its position in the night sky to run away from what is chasing her: The sun, or could this be you and fellow readers? The moon lives in isolation so being admired by so many at night could be the reason she runs across the sky. Prying eyes and expectant stargazers don’t allow for solace in the sky for the moon or the poet.

I wonder why I don’t join her,—

This line seems deliberately written from the perspective of the poet compared to a line you, as the reader, which is the theme for many of these lines. We can assume that the ‘her’ in this line is the night (in comparison to the moon in the previous poems) and this means the poet wonders why the moon isn’t joined by her. The issue with this line is this, though: Shouldn’t the poet know why they don’t join the night instead of wondering why? Could this mean that the ‘her’ in this line is the poet and the wondering comes from the night itself? Do you, the reader, think it’s possible for an idea (the night) to join a tangible (and not tangerine) object like the poet? Speaking of the night, are we sure that this version of the night is time of day that comes after twilight? Could this be in a different poetic universe or a metaphor for something the poet is responsible for, like the question in the first place? If this night is a metaphor for not the day–night cycle, do you think the reader would use a light in the future?

Forgotten by the world of technology.—

Using the above analogies, how would you analyze this line?

What do you think? Do you agree with my understanding and symbolism? I’d love to know!

Please use this [ link ] to the optional forum to start a discussion about the poem. Alternatively, you can use any of the email links from the contact [ page ]

Week Two:

The Moon—2004. Age 15

I watch the moon,

A look of sorrow in my eyes,

I wait for the feeling to come again.

A feeling of happiness I lost more than a thousand years ago.

Although it will never come again.

Analogy

I watch the moon—

Who is watching the moon? The poet or their muse? Is the moon aware it’s being watched or observed? What do you, the reader, think would happen if the moon became aware it is the center of attention for moon gazers and chose to not be a part of this? Would the moon change it’s colour or shape once it’s aware of the voyeuristic tendencies of those down on Earth? Where is this “I” watching the moon from? From Earth or another planet? They could be watching the moon from the moon itself, since other parts of the moon will be visible from any angle where the “I” is standing. Could this line be another way to say that ‘eye’ watch the moon because this is how objects are perceived? What if the poet or an observer is blind? Will it still be a case of ‘eye’ watch the moon? Would there be another way for this blind person to experience the moon?

A look of sorrow in my eyes,—

Why is there a look of sorrow in the eyes of mine? Are these the poets eyes, the eyes of an observer, or the moon? Since the title of this poem is called “The Moon”, we can assume that the topic or at least part of the subject is moon related. This could mean that the “me” and ‘my’ in this line (and poem), is the moon themselves and any looks ‘of sorrow’ could be the moon itself looking down on Earth in despair at what has become of the planet. The moon might prefer the early days where it was just the moon and Earth, locked in orbit after a tumultuous beginning, looking into eachother’s figurative eyes without the worry of people trampling the once–clean crevices and oceans. The question is: Why does the moon have sorrow in their eyes? Have the witnessed something terrible on Earth and don’t know how to handle the strain of knowing what goes on yet being unable to do anything about it? What if the ‘I’ in this line is the poet instead and they have a look of sorrow in their eyes because they understand that their moon will never see them as the loving devotee they are, the poet will always be a speck of dust in a sea of sand and mud, rolling around from one place to another, trying to be the first one to get there. The ‘look of sorrow’ could also be the result of the realization that the moon doesn’t have eyes and will never see the poet parading for it with a point made to woo an ancient celestial body with the whims of some random speck of dust in the sea of sand. Can someone or something still have a ‘look of sorrow’ if they can’t see anything? What are they looking at in this case?

I wait for the feeling to come again,—

Do you, the reader, think the moon has feelings? There are different examples of feelings and emotions experienced by the human race but what about the race of the moon? These feelings could be feelings experienced because of the lack of atmosphere around the moon (unless this is in a different poetic universe). The craters and mountains on the moon could have their own story to tell because of the feeling of the harsh radiation from the sun and solar winds blasting columns of heat and wind on the unsuspecting surface. In this case, this line could be from the moon and the reason for these feelings could be the need for those on Earth (like the poet) to watch for changes in craters on the moon’s surface and admire the changes from afar. This would mean that people are paying attention to the moon and this could be the feeling the moon waits for: To be ogled by passers by who don’t understand that this is what the moon needs to survive. Why does the moon need the attention of the onlookers to survive? How else will the moon acknowledge it’s existence, other than existing to be admired. Are you, the reader, still 100% sure the poet is talking about the moon in this context?

A feeling of happiness I lost more than a thousand years ago.—

This line makes it clear that the ‘I’ and “me in this poem can’t be the poet or any onlookers, humans don’t live that long and even if they did, there is no guarantee that humans would still be happy after a thousand years. Being happy after a thousand years would imply that the human (poet or onlooker) knows what happiness is and how to experience it. The problem is that most people have no idea what happiness is, that’s why the entertainment and illicit substance business booms in certain countries (where these services are legal). How would the poet know what happiness is if they have never experienced it, let alone be able to compare their happiness to the existence of the moon. How would they tell if the moon was happy, or capable of happiness? Would this be a concept of ‘fewer craters and dark spots, the happier I’ll be’ from the perspective of the moon? In general, people prefer to be rid of craters in their skin (old pimples, old bullet wounds and surgery scars, etc.) and dark spots are also considered negative because this means their complexion isn’t perfect: In the year 2026, a non-perfect complexion can be seen as (social) Death sentence. This brings us back to why the moon was happy a thousand years ago. Could it be that there were fewer people so the moon could observe individuals more closely, or could it be that the surface of the moon had fewer craters so the onlookers could see a clean complexion and as the time went on, they could watch the changing face of the moon as a means to prove to the moon that it is still relevant, even after all these years.

I understand it will never come again.—

Given my explanations above, how would you analyze this line?

What do you think? Do you agree with my understanding and symbolism? I’d love to know!

Please use this [ link ] to the optional forum to start a discussion about the poem. Alternatively, you can use any of the email links from the contact [ page ]

Week Three:

The Moon’s Ending—2004. Age 15

I still wish it will.

I knew I lost that feeling when I lost my innocence.

I call to the moon,

She does not reply,

She sits high in the dark sky.

Analogy:

I still wish it will.—

Who is “I”? The poet, the moon, or the poem itself? This line could be a sentence fragment, and, while not uncommon in poetry, the poet’s choice of this as a first line is very deliberate. There are countless possibilities of the type of wish whoever this “I” is, but given the title of this poem, the wishing is most likely the wish that the moon will end. Why would the poet want the moon to end? Does this mean the poet is on Earth or in another poetic universe where a moon exists and it’s possible for the moon to die without major catastrophes on other surfaces? This still doesn’t tell us who this “I” is. It could be the moon itself if it knows their end is near: Sometimes getting things done quickly saves the heartache of waiting to see what would happen at the end. As a celestial body, the moon should know what happens at the end of life, at the end of the cycle of a planet or the sky itself. Only the moon and other celestial bodies knows what happens when the sky turns dark, never to be lit again. Does this mean the moon and other celestial bodies live in fear of darkness as most people from Earth do? What if this moon isn’t in the same poetic universe? Would the people in this new universe know as much darkness and fear? If they didn’t have a point of reference, would they know how to react to the dark? This implies that the dark (in both universes) could be seen as positive or negative body, depending on who looks at it.

I knew I lost that feeling when I lost my innocence.—

What feeling? And again, who is this “I”? Is it the poet? We can assume it’s not the moon in this line because what would the moon be guilty of? When bodies like these are so far removed from humans, they don’t have the option to be tainted by bad decisions and the loss of innocence. The question of what feeling this could be could include a feeling of loneliness once the loss of innocence has been felt: The “I” in this poem may lose a connection to others who are innocent, which could result in alienation from the ‘other’, as is the nature of humans to hate anyone who is different, regardless of how similar they were before the change started. What feeling replaces the loss of innocence, and more importantly, can the loss of innocence be felt by those who aren’t affected directly? If the “I” in this poem loses their innocence, can those around them feed on their guilt to give the moon the necessary life force it needs to not die?

I call to the moon,—

If the poet ended this line with “and the moon sees me” (from an old English lullaby) this could mean there is a sense of childlike wonder in this poem and possibly for the moon since many lullaby’s have a moon element as part of the baby’s night sky full of stars. The stars and moon are often used as motifs for nurseries (or at least they used to, during the thymes associated with Old English) because of what they meant for the babies in these rooms: That the world and space was up for their taking and their parents would do anything to make this happen. Why did the poet use ‘thyme’ instead of ‘time’? Thyme is a herb that was cultivated by the Sumerians up to 5000 years ago so it’s only natural that this aged herb would be associated with a baby that has the world and universe at their fingers. You, as the reader, might ask “What do babies have to do with the moon?” and the poet has no idea either. For now. If the poet calls to the moon, the moon might be able to look down at the world and the babies who are being put to sleep by their parents singing them lullaby’s, and if the poet calls to the moon, the moon could develop a sense of understanding that that they are about to die and cast a permanent dark shadow over those on Earth or in another poetic universe.

She does not reply,—

Is the moon in this poem a woman? Or is the “she” in the poem the poet or the poem itself? If the “she” is the moon, how would the moon be able to reply to anyone? This could be possible if the moon was closer to the poet, as in if the moon and stars were in the room from earlier, but does this mean the moon in this poem was never a celestial body and only in the room within reach of the poet and in the possible way of the poet killing the moon by removing the moon from the room. If this is the case, the moon can be killed, according to the title of the poem, by interference by humans or whoever else in this poetic universe. If the moon was indeed a celestial body and not found in a room in or out of the poetic universe, “she” could die by other celestial bodies and usual space debris, in the same way our own moon can be removed from the sky given the current solar winds and roaming meteors. In this way, you, the reader, can just as easily be removed from the universe, and when you do, are you going to take the moon and the room of stars with you?

She sits high in the dark sky.—

Given my explanations above, how would you analyze this line?

What do you think? Do you agree with my understanding and symbolism? I’d love to know!

Please use this [ link ] to the optional forum to start a discussion about the poem. Alternatively, you can use any of the email links from the contact [ page ]

Week Four:

Thank you for your interest in Write Remedy: Vial Blossoms where curiosity is key, and everything else falls into place.

The Becoming—2004. Age 15

When day becomes night;

Darkness.

People screaming,

Screaming for their hard lost life.

Analogy:

When day becomes night;—

How do you, the reader, know which is day or night in the context of a poem? Isn’t it the poet’s job to tell you what it looks like outside so you, as the reader, can experience what they want you to experience, or maybe not. As the poet, they can choose to have the reader experience what they are experiencing, or they can change their wording to have you, the reader, experience something completely different. In this case, the day and night in this line could mean that it’s day for the poet, and they want you, the reader, to experience something different. This could be because they feel uncomfortable in their own environment and skin and wouldn’t want anyone else to feel that way. To avoid this, the poet can try to change the background of their writing to feel more welcoming to themselves and to those around them, but what happens when the reader is uncomfortable with the word used anyway? In this line, the poet used “night” and “day” as opposites, so if we follow this logic, the poet is calling themselves light, or stating that light is what they have (and want to remove since they don’t want to feel like this anymore), and they are calling you, the reader ‘dark’ because in most cases, dark and “night” are synonymous. Most people dislike anything considered ‘dark’ or different because it forces them to think about things they usually wouldn’t: The other side of what they believe is right and acceptable. In this line, maybe that’s what the poet had in mind.

Darkness.—

Where is this darkness coming from? From the poet’s environment? From the environment of the reader? Or from the poet themselves? Does this mean the poet’s intention was to make you, the reader, uncomfortable from the start given the above explanation of unwelcome thoughts? Do you, the reader, think the poet used this to their advantage when pulling these lines from their poetic universe, or is this association all on you? If this darkness is from the poetic universe, how would the poet represent it in your universe? Would it be through a single line in the poem as you are reading, or a line you, the reader, think about long after the final line is read? As the reader, does “darkness” make you uncomfortable? Why or why not? If it doesn’t, what does make you uncomfortable? Is it the unknown questions of your life, for example ‘Where do I go from here?’ or ‘How did I get here? Can I change my fate?’ that make you uncomfortable, or is it the mundane signs of life that make you uncomfortable? The phrase ‘How are you?’ can mean so many things. The questioner most likely means well in asking how you, the reader, are doing, but they wouldn’t know that you read poems about darkness and screaming in your free time so the answer to that question wouldn’t be as simple as ‘Oh, I’m fine.’

People screaming,—

Who are the people and why are they screaming? Can the poet hear them screaming or are they visible from wherever the poet is observing their environment? What if the screaming people are those covered in the darkness from the previous line and they are screaming because they can’t see anything? The darkness in this context could als0 be figurative and they are “screaming” because they realise they have been in the light the whole time, and the blindness they experience because of this could be overwhelming to their senses. The issue with this theory is that ‘day light’ and ‘dark night’ mean the opposite for the poet and you, the reader. Which definition is the real one in this context? If this is an opposite meaning of light and dark, does this mean the screaming people feel unsafe because of the light that is now shining on their once-perfect disguise of darkness, a disguise the poet put on in these lines to distract you, the reader, from the real reason the poem is called The Becoming. The Becoming of screams and loss.

Screaming for their hard lost life.—

Given my explanations above, how would you analyze this line?

What do you think? Do you agree with my understanding and symbolism? I’d love to know!

Please use this [ link ] to the optional forum to start a discussion about the poem. Alternatively, you can use any of the email links from the contact [ page ]