Metaphor Poems
Spelling
by Margaret Atwood
My daughter plays on the floor
with plastic letters,
red, blue & hard yellow,
learning how to spell,
spelling,
how to make spells.
I wonder how many women
denied themselves daughters,
closed themselves in rooms,
......
The Rape Of The Lock: Canto 5
by Alexander Pope
She said: the pitying audience melt in tears,
But Fate and Jove had stopp'd the Baron's ears.
In vain Thalestris with reproach assails,
For who can move when fair Belinda fails?
Not half so fix'd the Trojan could remain,
While Anna begg'd and Dido rag'd in vain.
Then grave Clarissa graceful wav'd her fan;
Silence ensu'd, and thus the nymph began.
"Say, why are beauties prais'd and honour'd most,
The wise man's passion, and the vain man's toast?
......
Easter Reply
by Rhys Clement
Oft did she ask with serious mind,
Where will I be when this be shorn,
Will this be the all there is?
The questions made her quite forlorn.
She left at last her earthly frame,
And that, which was the one we thought,
passed into the holy ground,
Which she and husband Sam had bought.
Easter! And to the holy ground,
We pilgrimaged - but heavy stepped.
......
The Forerunners
by George Herbert
The harbingers are come. See, see their mark;
White is their colour, and behold my head.
But must they have my brain? must they dispark
Those sparkling notions, which therein were bred?
Must dulnesse turn me to a clod?
Yet have they left me, Thou art still my God.
Good men ye be, to leave me my best room,
Ev'n all my heart, and what is lodged there:
I passe not, I, what of the rest become,
......
The Politics Of Narrative: Why I Am A Poet
by Lynn Emanuel
Jill's a good kid who's had some tough luck. But that's
another story. It's a day when the smell of fish from Tib's hash
house is so strong you could build a garage on it. We are sit-
ting in Izzy's where Carl has just built us a couple of solid
highballs. He's okay, Carl is, if you don't count his Roamin'
Hands and Rushin' Fingers. Then again, that should be the
only trouble we have in this life. Anyway, Jill says, "Why
don't you tell about it? Nobody ever gets the poet's point of
view." I don't know, maybe she's right. Jill's just a kid, but
she's been around; she knows what's what.
......
My metaphor - Sanja Atanasovska, North Macedonia
by Sanja Atanasovska
My metaphor – a robber who takes hostages,
a free picnic in nature,
a tent that can be placed
between two encyclopedia covers,
a rainforest with giant lungs,
my metaphor – a pharmacy with medicines
for all possible diseases,
a simultaneous translation booth,
a noblewoman who waltzes
with even and odd numbers,
......
Ribbons
by Nora La King
They are pulled from me;
Stretched, knotted, and
Burned in a fireplace
Where trust and human emotions,
Are turned to blackened ash
I am left an empty roll.
The ribbons of my feelings,
Manhandled, manipulated
Mitigated, and misunderstood.
......
The Marriage Proposal
by Richard Randolph
I built my house of wood and stone.
I built my house with sinew and bone.
I built it strong to withstand war,
but I put a welcome mat at my door.
I built it here near the sea,
so I can watch the ships sailing free.
And I built it with windows wide
to better understand the world outside.
From here you can feel the ocean breeze
and hear the songbirds singing in the trees.
......
The Birdfeeder
by Tyler Morello
A bird goes to a feeder
And finds it full of seeds
He seeks to grab a mouthful
Of the sustenance he needs
But to the bird's displeasure
The seeds are stale and old
Some spicy, moldy, soggy
Some too hot and some too cold
......
A Fruitful Fusion
by Evelyn Judy Buehler
I was aspiring to be a professional dancer, which had long been my dream,
As rogue planets head out on their own, from the stars that reign supreme.
I was awash in unbounded enthusiasm, like yellow sunshine's fresh sheen,
Or premier, perennial days of springtime, the time all is budding and green.
But, despite my unfailing readiness, I had a likely insurmountable problem,
In the fact that my dancing was mediocre, artless to the beat of the drum.
Though this was somewhat discouraging, I continued practicing and trying,
......
