Poetry

Love’s Prophecy
by Earl Bergland, 1971

There will blow a gale
Of such an icy frost
All glittering glimpses of you
Brittled, cracked and lost.

In my chest warring blizzard
Of numbing cold and snow deep,
The blossoming flowers beckoning
Will be blanketed for rigid sleep.

Bubbling rivers of summer love,
Happy warm in their flowing,
Will turn into steel glaciers
Without a current knowing.

The eyes of an artic sphinx
With more compassion than mine
Will watch a flake of snow,
Your life, travel in time.

The rogue fires of the sun
Blazing at their vilest
Will never rouse Winter
For a Spring's concert bliss.

Why Poetry? Poems are written by people who are too lazy to write a book. Most people who write poetry would do more good for the world by growing flowers or painting old barns. But we need to have patience because many young poets just need a few years of practicing as do musicians.
What are the three basic requirements for a quality poem?
A. The topic must be very important.
B. The poet must express thoughts with clarity.
C. The poem must create a dramatic impact (create an emotional feeling) in reader.
Is poetry a waste of time? That is a tough question. We can wonder the same thing about fishing or watching a football game. A poem provides the poet with a means of expressing ideas and feelings by a very personal means. Playing basket ball or cooking is also a means of personal expression.
What kind of an attitude should we have about reading poetry? Imagine sitting in a park on a spring day listening to your friend discuss ideas with you. Poets love waterfalls and country fried chicken.