Poetry?

[2Scared]

Does anyone have any heartfelt, thought-provoking, or heartbreaking poems/poets to recommend? I'm trying to get back into reading and not turn to self-destructive coping skills like I usually do. Any recommendations (it can be your favorite poets too👍)

[mrmonk]

I'm not sure where to begin, there's so many...centuries of them! A few of my favorite poets from the past hundred years would include Philip Larkin, Elizabeth Jennings, Donald Justice, and (my HealthUnlocked profile picture) Sir John Betjeman.

Had you previously been a poetry reader? Do you have any favorites?

[2Scared in reply to mrmonk]

I read a lot of poetry in college and loveeeeed it (can't remember the names for the life of me but think 1930's😂). I love anything by Shel Silverstein or Rupi Kaur. If you have any specific poems by poets I'd love to check them out ❤️

[mrmonk in reply to 2Scared]

I wanted to add to my comment a few more contemporary poets that have recently published books I've read and enjoyed, including: Mary Jo Salter, Dorianne Laux, Taylor Byas, and the current United States poet laureate, Ada Limón.

Also, here are links to past threads where I've posted some individual poems that spoke to me:

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I hope one or more will speak to you, as well. 😺

[2Scared in reply to mrmonk]

Well...Wild Geese made me stop and sob 😂 It was so beautiful to read and gave me the tiniest glimmer that everything will be okay. I often feel like everyone would be better off without me and that I'm an unimportant waste of breath. But I think I want to start announcing my place in the family of things❤️❤️❤️

P.S: These are all absolutely wonderful poems. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to share them with all of us 🥰

[mrmonk in reply to 2Scared]

You are welcome; I'm glad you're finding poems in this thread with which to connect.

[Agora1]

2Scared, mrmonk is our man for poetry. You're in good hands dear. xx

[2Scared in reply to Agora1]

I didnt realize i was in the presence of the community poet plug 😂❤️ Can't wait for more recommendations!

[Nothing_but_books]

Here's one of my favorites:

poets.org/poem/lady-shalott

[2Scared in reply to Nothing_but_books]

I feel like I make everyone I date a Lancelot for a crumb of a compliment in return. Thanks for the poem it felt like reading a book 😊

[Nothing_but_books in reply to 2Scared]

You're welcome. There are a lot of flawed Lancelots out there.

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

[cashew78]

too much

too little

too fat

too thin

or nobody.

laughter or

tears

haters

lovers

strangers with faces like

the backs of

thumb tacks

armies running through

streets of blood

waving winebottles

bayoneting and fucking

virgins.

or an old guy in a cheap room

with a photograph of M. Monroe.

there is a loneliness in this world so great

that you can see it in the slow movement of

the hands of a clock.

people so tired

mutilated

either by love or no love.

people just are not good to each other

one on one.

the rich are not good to the rich

the poor are not good to the poor.

we are afraid.

our educational system tells us

that we can all be

big-ass winners.

it hasn't told us

about the gutters

or the suicides.

or the terror of one person

aching in one place

alone

untouched

unspoken to

watering a plant.

people are not good to each other.

people are not good to each other.

people are not good to each other.

I suppose they never will be.

I don't ask them to be.

but sometimes I think about

it.

the beads will swing

the clouds will cloud

and the killer will behead the child

like taking a bite out of an ice cream cone.

too much

too little

too fat

too thin

or nobody

more haters than lovers.

people are not good to each other.

perhaps if they were

our deaths would not be so sad.

meanwhile I look at young girls

stems

flowers of chance.

there must be a way.

surely there must be a way we have not yet

thought of.

who put this brain inside of me?

it cries

it demands

it says that there is a chance.

it will not say

"no."

***********

The Crunch, by Charles Bukowski

[Nothing_but_books in reply to cashew78]

Thanks, I love Bukowski. Wish HU was more accommodating to sharing poetry as written.

[2Scared in reply to cashew78]

"the terror of one person/aching in one place/alone/untouched/unspoken to/watering a plant." I felt this sooooo intensely. Absolutely breaking inside but having to keep pushing on, having to appear normal/functional to the rest of the world. Thanks for the great poem I really resonated with this one 😊

[Nothing_but_books in reply to 2Scared]

And this is one of his upbeat poems! 😆

[CL3V3R-G1RL]

Murmuration by Blake Auden