Oh, Poetry.

My initial intention for this post was to simply share a small bit of poetry that I'd written earlier today. Then I got to thinking, what are some of my all-time favorite poems? What are some of yours?

When I was younger, I fell in love with Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein and I have never strayed from that book. It will, most likely, be my favorite childrens book until the end of time.

I can tell you, for sure, that my favorite poem of all-time is Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda. Something about it is so haunting and so romantic. It makes my heartbeat speed up and slow down all at the same time. Has that ever happened to you?

Another favorite of mine is The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. I have been in love with this poem since the first time I read it. I think it was the one poem, if I'm not mistaken, that got me interested in his work all together.

"How Do I Love Thee?" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. LOVE. Sylvia Plath. E. E. Cummings. Langston Hughes. Emily Dickenson. Charles Bukowski. I'm pretty sure I could continue for the rest of my life, but I think you get the point.

There's something so beautiful about the idea of stringing words together, creating scenes and/or memories for someone else to relate to. It's really a wonderful thing. So, here's to poetry. Write it. Read it. Live it. Feel it. LOVE it.

Eyes closed.

Behind lashes, she sees a wonderland

and she lives for the magic.

Wings of butterflies

calm her heartbeat and

she smiles at the sunset,

welcoming the moon.

Night falls

around her and

she sleeps, soundly;

without worry.

Magic allows her to believe

in the things she fears

the most.

- A. Michelle