MYKUWorld BlogFor Language Lovers Who Converse Poetically

Our MYKUWorld friend and top contributor, FWTHO2, sent me this quote from poet Patrick Muldoon: He said,

‘The point of poetry is to be acutely discomforting, to prod and provoke, to poke us in the eye, to punch us in the nose, to knock us off our feet, to take our breath away.’

Yes. And sometimes, what I read in MYKUWorld does take my breath away. It stops me in my tracks and I have to share it with my friends.

But, let’s take it a little futher. How about writing — in coming weeks — about what we hold in common. On our planet we face challenges from oil spills, to a broiling economy, to global warming, and continuing crisis in countries like Haiti and Afghanistan. Let’s challenge ourselves to write our brief, pithy poems about the issues. I want to know what you think.
Check out my board: Oil

All the best,
Summer

The oil spill in the Gulf Of Mexico is devastating. I find myself angry and sad; torn between the horror of what has occurred and a sense of responsibility to do something about it. We as humans have the power to destroy and to rebuild. Here are two poems. The first, describes the devastation; the second: hope.

DEAD ZONES by Mollie Day

Went down to the ship,
set keel to tempest, forth on the oily sea, and
swung our oars in the maze of pipelines.
Searing winds from the south and
our bodies heavy with weeping, but we
pulled fast over Gulf to day’s end. And there,
where moon’s eye sees nowhere,
platform corpses darken the water.
Night cowls the fish bones
in hot, filthy backflow. Rowed
through the fosse, open
for sacrifice. Black
blood flowed from a well.
Our hull snared on the cracked
oil vein, mired in swelling waters.

Here is a poem that gives me hope and reminds me of how each of us can give back to the earth and it’s beauty.

Thich Nhat Hanh offers a fine example called “Kiss the Earth”

Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Bring the Earth your love and happiness.
The Earth will be safe
when we feel safe in ourselves.

What is it about a melody that, when coupled with words, lets us say things and open up in ways we wouldn’t do otherwise? Lyrics to songs may be the most universal way of connecting people through poetry. Here are some great examples of really touching lyrics. They can give hope, make you laugh, or cry; they can even show you how much you have in common with someone from a completely different background.

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

“Let it Be” is credited to Paul McCartney and John Lennon; several websites say McCartnery wrote it.

Music is magical. Here is another example of lyrics that express love and emotion in a beautiful and connective way.

Look into my eyes - you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there you’ll search no more
Don’t tell me it’s not worth tryin’ for
You can’t tell me it’s not worth dyin’ for
You know it’s true
Everything I do - I do it for you

By: Bryan Adams

Do you have any favorite lyrics — or any mykus that you think could spark a song?

…Olivia

I’ve come across so many funny mykus lately that I got to thinking that comedy here in MYKUWorld is the best!

That’s why May is Comedy Month. I’m joining with a few other seasoned mykuers to pick the funniest myku written between May 5 and May 30. We’ll announce the winner and send him or her a MYKU mug and T-shirt. I’m sure everyone will want to win one!

Okay, so my goal for this week is to find the funny in me. Maybe we can all give it a go and see how light we can force life to be! So, write on! Now, here are a few of my favorites. Cool and so true!

One square cannot wipe a nose
Provide a pad for painting toenails
wipe a grimy glasses lens
or anything remotely like the end
-From hadditup2here

Cows are huge,
and like to moo.
and pass gas,
too.
-From fwtho2

A blast from your horn.
Make them aware,
that one badass music man
soon will be there.
-From tpanner

Went to bed with wet hair
woke up to quite a scare
Found nothing to tame it yet
except again, to get it wet
-From shadygal80

I read some myku’s today and came across some real gems. I love spring time and these jumped out at me and just made me want to lie in the grass…

hadditup2here

Time and space
layers in a delicious parfait
I dip my spoon in and voila’
I taste them both

I love this one! What a wonderful way of describing life!

Mila

this is how spring begins
with a fresh, biting flashback
of first flames
embers emerging after the thaw

Spring reminds me of first flames too… they never really die…

likefire

soft and sweet the grass
trilling frogs and chickadee
in your eyes the sun
the evening sun rises

Wow… I am right there; I can smell the grass.

By the way everyone I am Olivia, the new site administrator. In addition to this, I am a country songwriter. If you would, maybe write some mykus about music, or how it has affected your life!

Robert Frost, the great American poet of the 20th century, spent his childhood with his family in the city of San Francisco, but lived a rural life whenever he could. With images that reflected his love of nature, he wrote both long and short poems. But I like the punch of his short poems best. Here are two of my favorites. What are yours?

Nothing Gold Can Stay
By Robert Frost

Nature’s first green is gold
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower
But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down today.
Nothing gold can stay.

A Question
By Robert Frost

A voice said, Look me in the stars
And, tell me truly, men of earth
If all the soul-and-body scars
Were not too much to pay for birth

…by Olivia

Before his death in 2007, Indian spiritual master Sri Chinmoy wrote more than 1,000 books, 20,000 songs, and 115,000 poems. His poems won numerous awards and inspired countless writers and musicians.

Clearly a fast writer, he reached his pinnacle when he wrote Transcendence-Perfection, a collection of 843 poems – in a 24 hour period.

What’s your record? How many mykus have you written in a set period of time?

Let’s have some fun next week. Join us for a myku slam at 5pm Eastern Time, March 30 for one-hour of speed poetry.

According to legend Ernest Hemingway once bragged to his fellow writing buddies that he could write a captivating tale with a beginning, middle, and end, in only 6 words.

They placed their bets and then Hemingway quickly scribbled 6 words on a napkin and passed it around. Each writer conceded their $10 bets.

The napkin read: “For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.”

The “Baby Shoes” legend has inspired countless six-word memoirs and story competitions, proving that a story’s brevity is no limit to its power.

In MykuWorld we certainly understand THAT!

I’ve been thinking about lyrics that I love. The best are layered with meaning. They are understated and catch us off guard, making us pause and think. And more than that, they have beats that are unmarked by words. You can hear the rhythm in Garth Brook’s “Dance”.

Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I’d ‘a had to miss
the Dance.

Here’s another one from singer/songwriter Carolyn Wonderland:

Our eyes met in Babylon, wild wind held still by your gaze
We danced without moving, words…they’d escape us for days
When your lips parted, words started but stopped when mouths paired
‘Twas a kiss and a promise, love poems could never compare

Ooooo. That’s a good one.

Let me know what lyrics you love. And, I’ll see you in mykuworld. I’m “Olivia”.

I am transfixed with the Vancouver Olympics. I just watched the Chinese married couple, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo, who finished first in the short program. Theirs is a beautiful story. They were paired together when Zhao was 13 and Shen was only 8. Then, just a few years ago, their relationship evolved to a new level and they were married. After so many years together! And their skating is such an expression of power, lyricism, elegance, and symmetry, that I am moved. Who are you watching? What is moving you? Let’s myku about the Olympics this week. I look forward to hearing from you!