The FishBy Elizabeth BishopI caught a tremendous fishand held him beside the boathalf out of water, with my hookfast in a corner of his mouth.He didn’t fight.He hadn’t fought at all.He hung a grunting weight,battered and venerableand homely. Here and therehis brown skin hung in stripslike ancient wallpaper,and its pattern of darker brownwas like wallpaper:shapesContinue reading “The fish”
Tag Archives: poems
Still here
Still HereBY LANGSTON HUGHESI been scarred and battered.My hopes the wind done scattered. Snow has friz me, Sun has baked me,Looks like between ’em they done Tried to make meStop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop livin’– But I don’t care! I’m still here!
Equipment
EquipmentBY EDGAR GUESTFigure it out for yourself, my lad,You’ve all that the greatest of men have had,Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes,And a brain to use if you would be wise.With this equipment they all began,So start for the top and say “I can.”Look them over, the wise and great,They take their foodContinue reading “Equipment”
For Annie
For AnnieBY EDGAR ALLAN POEThank Heaven! the crisis,The danger, is past,And the lingering illnessIs over at last—And the fever called “Living”Is conquered at last.Sadly, I knowI am shorn of my strength,And no muscle I moveAs I lie at full length—But no matter!—I feelI am better at length.And I rest so composedly,Now, in my bed,That anyContinue reading “For Annie”
While you weren’t here
While You Weren’t HereBy Janet MichaelWhile you weren’t hereI cried every night.A million tears fell,Still my heart wasn’t right.While you weren’t hereI did what I could,Hoping against hopeMy decisions were good.While you weren’t hereI gained some in age.Things just went onAnd life turned a page.While you weren’t hereI just tried to go on,Knowing what didn’tContinue reading “While you weren’t here”
Searching For HomeBy Brittney HemmandsHer eyes glowed with such ambition,And her mouth spoke words of love and kindness.She took pride in wandering;She walked to find the places her heart longed for.Oh, the places she searched to find her home.She made her way through crowded pathsAnd swam through salted waters.She danced in gardensAnd sweetly kissed strangers.SheContinue reading
Nothing stays the same
Nothing Stays The SameBy Carol A. AndrewsThe earth spins like a rolling ball.Stars shine bright then fade away.Darkness melts and turns to light.The sunrise starts another day.The sun dips slowly into the sea.The moon will wax and wane.The sea will rise and falls with tides.And you will love again.Nothing ever stays the same.Mountains change withContinue reading “Nothing stays the same”
Fear is what quickens me
Fear is what quickens meBY JAMES ARLINGTON WRIGHTMany animals that our fathers killed in AmericaHad quick eyes.They stared about wildly,When the moon went dark.The new moon falls into the freight yardsOf cities in the south,But the loss of the moon to the dark hands of ChicagoDoes not matter to the deerIn this northern field.What isContinue reading “Fear is what quickens me”
The thousandth man
THE THOUSANDTH MANBy Rudyard Kipling One man in a thousand, Solomon says,Will stick more close than a brother.And it’s worth while seeking him half your daysIf you find him before the other.Nine hundred and ninety-nine dependOn what the world sees in you,But the Thousandth Man will stand your friendWith the whole round world agin you.
The ships of Yule
THE SHIPS OF YULEBY BLISS CARMANWhen I was just a little boy,Before I went to school,I had a fleet of forty sailI called the Ships of Yule;Of every rig, from rakish brigAnd gallant barkentine,To little Fundy fishing boatsWith gunwales painted green.They used to go on trading tripsAround the world for me,For though I had toContinue reading “The ships of Yule”
