The spine part alludes to being an angel right? what pretty line - wherever your mother's shadow fall!! This whole thing is such beautiful longing to be something!!

That first autumn our home was ugly with dust;
infuriating with boxes, planks,
buckets we used to flush the loo.
We had no curtains.

Bed-level, you couldn’t see the building site.
We’d wake to a square of tree against sky —
leaves yellow as Pasteis de Nata;
dawn-lit paper lanterns.

On one branch a caught plastic-bag breathed;
on another pigeons, still trying to nap,
kept themselves tucked in —
plump grey jugs.
A great-tit would jiggle, head tilted
as though in understanding.

And below, of course, roots were gagging the drains,
graffiti-ing lightning on walls,
teasing cracks for rats,

and we knew, come New Year, the trees had to be felled —
just as we had to plaster, scrub, paint,
rewire, maintain, move on…

But still, each day you’d wake up
to those glowing tatters and smile.
Say: the tree looks lovelier every day.
And I’d nod, and push thoughts of winter away,
as all lovers must refuse the thought of winter.

​

New to reading poetry 32M and looking for a collection or suggestions of the greatest and most iconic or influential poems ever made

I recently found Darkness by Lord Byron and that was so good

Bonus points if I can get it all in one collection for my Kindle or paperback

Thanks guys :)

Green upon the flooded Avon shone the after-storm-wet sky

Quick the struggling withy branches let the leaves of autumn fly

And a star shone over Bristol, wonderfully far and high.

Ringers in an oil-lit belfry—Bitton? Kelston? who shall say?—

Smoothly practising a plain course, caverned out the dying day

As their melancholy music flooded up and ebbed away.

Then all Somerset was round me and I saw the clippers ride,

High above the moonlit houses, triple-masted on the tide,

By the tall embattled church-towers of the Bristol waterside.

And an undersong to branches dripping into pools and wells

Out of multitudes of elm trees over leagues of hills and dells

Was the mathematic pattern of a plain course on the bells.

A humble attempt to translate a masterpiece. One of the most profound poem I have ever read in my life. A painful reminder of the asymmetrical world we live in💔.

I have tried to stay true to the original . I am also reproducing the actual Urdu text for those who appreciate the actual Urdu poetry!

Freedom for everyone and love and peace for everyone 🦋🙏🕊️

I got rejected in 2 job interviews and want to read something that will help me accept the rejection and move on. All my fellow classmates seem to be getting placed so I also have this insecurity and feelings of envy and I want a poem that will help me resolve these feelings

Without you I’m just a doughnut without the dough.

It was about Lazarus, with a mood of dark bitterness/irony, emphasizing the horror of being brought back, the stench and decay of his resurrected body.

I'm pretty sure it was short, just a stanza or two, less than a page (unless I was just seeing an excerpt from something longer). I think at least part of it was in question form. (Like, a poetic way of saying, "Did Lazarus stink and feel bad about this experience?")

I think it was more modern in its speech. Didn't strike me as an older piece.

Thank you!

I’m in speech and debate, I am desperately looking for lengthy poems over child abuse. I’ve been looking and the only good ones I’ve found have been anonymous. All recommendations are just a big help!!