Hello PoetryVoting

Vote

Voting-Boards

Home

HomeFollowingInboxNotifications

Read

ReadLiftedFeedsHeartedHistoryMy poemsNew poem

Explore

ExploreOrbitsWordsTagsClassics
Log in
0
Stars
0
Embers
0
Alerts
0
Inbox

Vote

Voting-Boards

Home

HomeFollowingInboxNotifications

Read

ReadLiftedFeedsHeartedHistoryMy poemsNew poem

Explore

ExploreOrbitsWordsTagsClassics
Log in
0
Stars
0
Embers
0
Alerts
0
Inbox

Poets Dont Write About Their Greatness BY: Martin Listowell Hanson

Poets do not write about their greatness.

The moon does not announce its beauty

before silvering the rivers at night.

The ocean never kneels at the shore

to recite the depth of its own heart.

Even thunder speaks only once,

then leaves the trembling sky

to explain its power.

 

A true poet

wears silence like a second skin.

He hides galaxies inside ordinary words,

plants eternity in fragile pages,

and walks away

before applause learns his name.

 

He writes about broken windows,

about mothers whose prayers

hang like tired curtains in poor homes,

about boys who smile loudly

to bury the funeral inside their chests.

He writes about rainwater

washing dust from forgotten streets,

about lovers who promise forever

with hands already learning goodbye.

 

Yet hidden beneath every verse

is a fingerprint of the poet himself

not his pride,

but his wounds.

Ink is only blood

that has learned to speak politely.

 

The greatest poets

are rarely the loudest men in the room.

Mountains do not compete with rooftops.

The sun never argues with candles.

What is truly magnificent

has no hunger to be seen.

 

A poet understands

that greatness is not a trumpet.

It is a quiet lamp

left burning for strangers.

It is giving your soul to language

without demanding a statue in return.

 

So poets do not write about their greatness.

They write about humanity instead

because only small minds

stand in front of mirrors forever,

while great souls

become windows

through which the world

finally sees itself.

 

22/05/26

Ghana 🇬🇭

Request permission to use this poem
Written by
MartinListowell
M / Ghana
Published
May 23
Lines·Words
51·254
Notes

This poem explains that real poets do not praise themselves openly. Instead, they use their words to reflect human experiences such as pain, love, suffering, and hope. The poem also shows that true greatness is humble and does not seek constant attention. Literary devices like metaphor, imagery, and symbolism were used to deepen the meaning of the poem

Tags
#poetry#literature#humility#humanity#symbolism#metaphor#greatness#creative#writing
Permission

Request to use this poem

Tell MartinListowell how you would like to use it. We review requests before forwarding them.

AboutBlogFAQPrivacyTermsContact
© 2009-2026 Hello Poetry/v27.0 by @eliotyork
Explore
Hello PoetryVoting
Write