“Poems are made by fools like me…”

Hello everyone. This month is National Poetry Month and I have been posting a lot of famous poems and famous poets. I have also posted different types of poetry for my a-z challenge and NaPoWriMo challenge.

“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

“The One Who Got Away”

Two suitors asked me to marry them

And so sorry I could not marry both

And so I have to think, as long as I could

And looked at the first one who was rich and famous

And took the second one as shy but very bright

The first one seemed to be the popular one

Because he was always buying everyone a drink

The second one all so quiet

But finishing his doctorate

And so I weighed and weighed

And once I made the decision

I doubted if I should think again

I shall be telling you this with pride

Sometime thirty years ago

Two suitors asked me to marry them

And I took the one who spoke less

I took the one who was very shy

And even until this time, no regrets*

(c) ladyleemanila 2023

*inspired by “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost

Image credit; Gabby Orcutt

For the visually challenged reader, this image shows two pairs of hands, one larger, cradling a pair of smaller hands. In the smaller hands, the word FOREVER is spelled in letter tiles!

As you hold my hands

butterflies in my stomach

carrying all the love and

devotion we have

everyday of our lives

forever we always say

getting old together

having all the memoires

indeed we can do it

joined at the hip

kilometers and kilos added

listening to each woes

munching apples and

nuts and food we cook

over here and there

paying no attention to others

questioning the rules

reasons and so

staying put

together forever

U and I

violins we hear

windows we look out

xray vision and all

you are my forever

zooming in and out*

(c) ladyleemanila 2023

*abecedarian poem

“Everyone has that moment I think, the moment when something so momentous happens that it rips your very being into small pieces. And then you have to stop. For a long time, you gather your pieces. And it takes such a very long time, not to fit them back together, but to assemble them in a new way, not necessarily a better way. More, a way you can live with until you know for certain that this piece should go there, and that one there.”
― Kathleen Glasgow, Girl in Pieces

Photo Credits: Zvaella

If it’s goodbye
Then let’s do it right
I have no regrets
Thanks for being part of my life
You made me happy, you made me sad
You made me care, you made me cry
Listen, can you hear that?
It’s my heart, smashing into pieces
I know it will take some time
But one day, it will be alright
For now, let us part as friends
And leave some beautiful memories
Look after yourself
One day we’ll meet again….

PHOTO PROMPT – © C. Hase

I am here, you are there
Miles apart, half of the world
We have to cross the seas and lands
We have to endure the storms coming
You are there, so far away, unreachable
I say this, you say that, misunderstanding
Hard to communicate, different opinions
Upsetting one another even not intentionally
Causing pain in the heart and soul, shattering
Over the mountains, through seven seas
Enduring the pain, winter, spring, autumn
Summer comes, is there a flicker of hope?
Can we overcome the hurdles, the storm?
I don’t know, I really don’t know…

PHOTO PROMPT © David Stewart

As I was wandering

wandering in this block

block of dreams and promises

promises of hope round the clock

I listen to the call

call of life in stream

stream flowing so divine

divine as our souls gleam

No more suffering I pray

pray for us and the world

world full of hope

hope and never be hurled*

(c) ladyleemanila 2023

*Loop Poetry

Eighty five today, that’s so great

Time to celebrate a grand fete

Everyone’s happy saying cheers

Wishing with love many more years at any rate

You gave us hope and the rainbow

You guide us through life that we glow

All the love in the world for you

For the singing and things you do such a great show*

(c) ladyleemanila 2022

*The Florette, created by Jan Turner, consists of two or more 4-line stanzas.

Rhyme scheme: a,a,b,a
Meter: 8,8,8,12
Fourth line requirement of internal (b) rhyme scheme, on syllable 8.

For: https://alwayswrite.blog/2023/04/26/wq-17-abstract-really/