Submit your work, meet writers and drop the ads. Become a member
 
Brian McDonagh May 2018
It’s not a command
But an imperative instruction:
“Don’t worry, don’t fear!”
When fear enters a place,
The greater sin is on the ones who fear
Rather than on the ones who are being feared.
Fear is a test; though not a thrill to be a part of,
We fail if we do not rise against fear in some way,
Even as just an attempt.
Direct harm is the evil of the trespasser,
But remaining idle is of the onlooker and witness
And those with kinetic potential.
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself."   ~Franklin D. Roosevelt
Also, credit is due to a friend of mine who reminded me to keep trying to
push troubles aside as there are many and I am only one.
Brian McDonagh May 2018
I heard it once,
I don’t need to hear it again,
But the first to tell me
Had no clue you would have the same lesson,
The same advisement,
But that doesn’t change the fact that I am still annoyed.
I get it!
I get it!
I get it!
I get it!
Please stop! The repetitive words and their unnecessary radiation
Overheat my thoughts, and I want to leave,
To break free from the bonds of this conversation.
Get me out!
But your voice yanks my guilt,
Pulls me to stay
By the “What-will I-tell-my-children-someday?” rope
Around the torso of my guilt.
Just sigh and get by, I circulate within me.
Another peeve that makes a life appearance; when someone instructs me one way, I'm reminded of that same advice from someone else as if there was some plan to do so that took place behind my back.
Brian McDonagh May 2018
Not to make too many other announcements, but I recently came across this meditation in my inbox by Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan author, who talks more deeply about spirituality on his site called Center for Action and Contemplation.  The reason why I share Richard Rohr's name today is because his meditation for today ties spirituality and poetry together, which I had to share with this poetry-rich online community!!  I apologize if it seems too "Christianized" for those who  have other beliefs, but I encourage all to keep the poetry topic in mind more as I am not seeking to promote any outside or irrelevant source on this site.  To access the specific meditation on poetry from the CAC, here is the link:  https://cac.org/poetry-2018-05-22/     If anyone experiences trouble in accessing the meditation write-up, let me know.  Peace fellow poets! :D
Brian McDonagh May 2018
Whenever I find myself singing a song
That circles my heart
Like a double-helix of staffs and notes,
I can’t help but worry
That setting my worries aside
Will actually lighten me to flight.
Sometimes I actually think I will start floating (not that I'm saying it's impossible though lol).
Brian McDonagh May 2018
To me, poetry is easier written
Than read.
If reading poetry is more difficult
To come by,
Why do I read poetry still?
See, that is the point:
It’s when I don’t understand a poem
That I want to read on.
For poetry proclaims
That there will always be those quirks in life
Which will never be understood fully
Unless we confront the author for which the work came to be.
Yes, that's the truth: I can understand what I'm reading grammatically but not always for the moral or lesson or whatever reasoning a poem contains.
Brian McDonagh May 2018
When one listens, one interprets sound
And obeys or adheres;
When one only hears, sound is received
But betrayal and ignorance
Intertwine the reverberating waves.
It's interesting to hear people say "Listen to me!" when really there is listening, just not obedience, the reason for the emphatic repetition.
Brian McDonagh May 2018
If a picture’s worth a thousand words,
Then a window contains a library.
A window is set apart
From any canvas or oil painting.
You can see artistic scenes through a window,
Unlike most other art forms, which, of course, can be windows,
But they lack an outside,
A tangible and believable portal,
Sustaining the natural need of an environmental presence
Even within closed confines.
A student seated in a classroom with windows
Is more likely to gaze out a window
(Imagining escape, perhaps?)
Than to glance at even the best possible art around the interior space.
One purpose of art is escape,
And windows are a visual escape from where we are,
Luring us with the bait of what stares beyond.
Like all art, be a steward to windows,
Keep them clean and free from breath fogs.
Be grateful that a window
Gives you a view and protection from any disturbance
That may hinder your admiration.
Take advantage of a windows feature:
Open them up!
Feel the wind of the art on the other side!
To clarify the title, take it as either a possessive or a contraction such as "A Window IS Art" or "A Window WAS Art."
Next page