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Had the Heart A Certain Language

October 6, 2011
By Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
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Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;il piu nell&#039; uno,&quot; (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)<br /> <br /> &quot;Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality&quot; ~Emily Dickinson<br /> <br /> &quot;The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain&quot; <br /> ~Kahlil Gibran

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Had the heart a certain language
I’d learn to speak the same
To translate joy, and analyze
The dialect—of shame
Orators would speculate
“What spirit fills his lungs?”
Then seal their lips in honor of
The tenderest of tongues

If history was but a hound
I’d have him at my heel
To fetch fish caught on hooks of time
On lines which never reel
When I made meals of memory
I’d let him have the crumbs
Then take him hunting in pursuit
Of moments yet to come

Were that gladness was a bluebird
I’d hold it to my chest
Or gather twigs beneath the dew
To build for it a nest
How sweet to hear its homely tune!
To hear its vocals roll!
I’d try to tempt the flighty bird
To perch within my soul

Could one condense the Universe
I’d keep it in a tome
What fields of deepest knowledge
My mind would ever roam!
I’d contemplate infinity
Find wisdom where it’s stored
In the pages which resemble
The journal of the Lord

If love produced a blossom
I’d take it in my palm
What a blessing, the bright color!
How soothing, such a balm!
I’d keep a petal for my own
The rest, drop from my hands
For such a flower would multiply
And populate the lands

© lily H., Kekaha, HI

The author's comments:
Written to be read at a high school coffeehouse, where there was (disappointingly) no coffee.
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This article has 22 comments.

DreamWeaver BRONZE said...
on Dec. 3 2013 at 1:27 am
DreamWeaver BRONZE, Coarsegold, California
3 articles 0 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
Writing is nothing more than a guided dream.<br /> Jorge Luis Borges

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Your poetry is truly beautiful. It's the kind of writing that I would like to create. It's inspirational. Amazing job. 
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND said...
on Feb. 23 2013 at 8:11 am
SaphiraBrightscales DIAMOND, Islamabad, Other
75 articles 16 photos 1136 comments

Favorite Quote:
I&#039;ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. <br /> - Maya Angelou <br /> When i was little/I used to point a chubby finger toward the dark sky/And ask my father/why some stars moved and others didn&rsquo;t/He would laugh and explain that some were airplanes/I still wish on them today ~ Laugh-It-Out<br /> The feathers of a crow are black/The ink of my pen is blacker/The pain of my heart is blackest~ Mckay<br /> If love produced a blossom/I&rsquo;d take it in my palm/What a blessing, the bright color!/How soothing, such a balm!/I&rsquo;d keep a petal for my own/The rest, drop from my hands/For such a flower would multiply/And populate the lands~ thesilentraven<br /> And I began to rival legends/Long entombed before my birth./But for all my much envied fame/The lust for more would not abate./The plaques and prizes with my name/Will, like all things, disintegrate. ~ TheEpic95 now known as Helena_Noel

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THis one dragged me to read it. As soon as I read the title I knew I had to read it and it surpassed all my expectations, it was even better than I'd imagined it would be...This one is definitely going into my favs!!  And the last stanza : I adore it!! WOW just open-eyes, open-mouthed, slack-jawed WOW...
leafy said...
on Feb. 16 2013 at 10:21 pm
leafy, City, Other
0 articles 0 photos 682 comments

Favorite Quote:
Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion.&nbsp;<br /> Ernest Hemingway: I hate it.&nbsp;<br /> Gil: You haven&#039;t even read it yet.&nbsp;<br /> Ernest Hemingway: If it&#039;s bad, I&#039;ll hate it. If it&#039;s good, then I&#039;ll be envious and hate it even more. You don&#039;t want the opinion of another writer.&nbsp;

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I must say, this poem particularly struck me, though I'm not quite sure why. I loved your metaphors, especially history/hound and love/blossom. I suppose I've been thinking about both lately.

Currently I'm taking an AP Modern Euro course, which I find very interesting, and with Valentine's Day just a couple days ago (and with especially my English teacher making a big fuss of it, having everyone "define Love" as an assignment), I've been thinking about Love (particularly Love versus Lust).

It probably won't be for a while, since I've given up blogging for Lent, but would you mind if I shared your poems on my blog? I'll give you your credit, of course.
Kestrel PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 5 2012 at 11:00 am
Kestrel PLATINUM, Warrenton, Virginia
29 articles 11 photos 189 comments

Favorite Quote:
-There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. (Shakespeare, Hamlet)

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There are three types of people in my mind when i read this poem: ones who know words and abuse them uselessly, those who know words and rearrange them the form half-hearted thoughts with some success, and then those who know words, enjoy words, and understand how to unlock words to show passion and elegance. You are the third type. 
Kestrel PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 5 2012 at 10:53 am
Kestrel PLATINUM, Warrenton, Virginia
29 articles 11 photos 189 comments

Favorite Quote:
-There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. (Shakespeare, Hamlet)

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I think that's a very good way to put it, haha. this is an amazing poem, Raven, I think it's one of your best. 
bluhs said...
on May. 19 2012 at 7:58 pm
bluhs, E, Alabama
0 articles 0 photos 111 comments
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I want to be like you when I grow up. You're work is incredible.
A_shy_dove GOLD said...
on Feb. 28 2012 at 11:17 pm
A_shy_dove GOLD, Hubli, Other
10 articles 1 photo 76 comments

Favorite Quote:
Never compare your life with others, as you have no idea what their journey is all about.

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Hello Raven... I always have a shortage of words to praise your works because I just forget everything else to be drowned in the words of your works... They are just incredible...
savetheplanet PLATINUM said...
on Jan. 21 2012 at 1:20 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

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Although it took me rather a long time to get back to you, I've read it again and think that at least some of it, I understand. I refuse to try to understand it all, for that would defeat the purpose. It is not written plainly, that it why it's poetry and not prose. But if gladness was indeed a bluebird, and it wore the sea on it's back, I'd say you soul rumbles with tsunamis and the storms of whimsical beauty.
RedFeather GOLD said...
on Dec. 9 2011 at 8:20 am
RedFeather GOLD, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
12 articles 0 photos 155 comments

Favorite Quote:
Prose is like walking but poetry is like dancing.<br /> &mdash;Paul Valery, poet (1871 - 1945)

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"Had the heart a certain language/ I'd learn to speak the same." stands out the most to me. I don't know why. Had the heart a certain language, I'd say that you've mastered it. Your poems are so deep and moving. I'd thought that my work was good, but now I see that I need a lot of work if I want to get there. Compared to all this, mine is like a flaslight to your sun.
Rayne GOLD said...
on Nov. 24 2011 at 11:59 pm
Rayne GOLD, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
17 articles 0 photos 46 comments
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Deep. I love the line "When I made meals of memory/ I'd let him have the crumbs/ Then take him hunting in pursuit/ Of moments yet to come"
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 26 2011 at 5:20 pm
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM, Lothlorien, Utah
44 articles 16 photos 2206 comments

Favorite Quote:
Boredom instigates extreme creativity. <br /> ~Amoniel<br /> <br /> "Bowing gratefully to all of my subjects, 'thank you. Thank you. The pleasure is mine." Nah, I'm just kidding. We're all kings together.'" <br /> ~Thesilentraven

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I seem to remember you telling me about not reading a poem at a coffeehouse, or something like that... 
Thesilentraven PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 25 2011 at 5:12 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;il piu nell&#039; uno,&quot; (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)<br /> <br /> &quot;Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality&quot; ~Emily Dickinson<br /> <br /> &quot;The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain&quot; <br /> ~Kahlil Gibran

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Remember something of what?

Yes, it was an event; not a real coffeehouse.

I'll tell you why I asked, then...

Thesilentraven PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 25 2011 at 5:11 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;il piu nell&#039; uno,&quot; (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)<br /> <br /> &quot;Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality&quot; ~Emily Dickinson<br /> <br /> &quot;The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain&quot; <br /> ~Kahlil Gibran

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Remember to get back to me after thinking on it. :)
Thesilentraven PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 25 2011 at 5:10 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;il piu nell&#039; uno,&quot; (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)<br /> <br /> &quot;Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality&quot; ~Emily Dickinson<br /> <br /> &quot;The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain&quot; <br /> ~Kahlil Gibran

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(Blushing)

 

Aderes47 GOLD said...
on Oct. 25 2011 at 4:59 pm
Aderes47 GOLD, Cambridge, Massachusetts
11 articles 0 photos 897 comments

Favorite Quote:
You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love. <br /> Henry Drummond

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It's wonderful! :)
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 24 2011 at 9:27 pm
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM, Lothlorien, Utah
44 articles 16 photos 2206 comments

Favorite Quote:
Boredom instigates extreme creativity. <br /> ~Amoniel<br /> <br /> "Bowing gratefully to all of my subjects, 'thank you. Thank you. The pleasure is mine." Nah, I'm just kidding. We're all kings together.'" <br /> ~Thesilentraven

View profile

I seem to remember something of this. Huh.

There was only one day on which you could go?

I was out in my field, enjoying the sunset and thinking about dancing. I ended up watching a boy in the yard on the other side of the block play basketball. Only recently did I finish and title it.

savetheplanet PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 24 2011 at 8:01 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

View profile
Extremely thought-provoking, I shall have to read it again at another time and think on it.  But wonderful all the same :)
Boosflash DIAMOND said...
on Oct. 24 2011 at 6:07 pm
Boosflash DIAMOND, Papillion, Nebraska
55 articles 0 photos 2066 comments

Favorite Quote:
What the front door.

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.......All over
Thesilentraven PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 24 2011 at 5:23 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;il piu nell&#039; uno,&quot; (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)<br /> <br /> &quot;Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality&quot; ~Emily Dickinson<br /> <br /> &quot;The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain&quot; <br /> ~Kahlil Gibran

View profile

Alas, I wrote this prior to the coffeehouse, not knowing that I would be too sick to be there that day. :(

Some agent of God delivered to me a beautiful message in the mail today, and I'm just about to respond to it, but I intended to ask you: from whence comes the image of the boy playing with the rusty-orange ball?

Thesilentraven PLATINUM said...
on Oct. 24 2011 at 5:20 pm
Thesilentraven PLATINUM, Mableton, Georgia
40 articles 2 photos 1632 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;il piu nell&#039; uno,&quot; (according to Emerson, an Italian expression for beauty)<br /> <br /> &quot;Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality&quot; ~Emily Dickinson<br /> <br /> &quot;The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain&quot; <br /> ~Kahlil Gibran

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Why, I'm touched, your Excellency.