Others Will Build Their Boats

Just some thoughts on what poetry is...and what it's not.

water from beginning to end

from sunrise east to sunset west

from one outstretched arm to the other

from ashy birth to dusty death

water from beginning to end

within the river of life

celebration hand in hand with laughter

emotional ebb and flow to and fro

heartbreak hand in hand with slaughter

within the river of life

everyone is in the river

and will experience these emotional crests

poetry is how we maneuver the river

and get to the final shore

everyone is in the river

some will try to swim

using raw feelings to stay afloat

they let emotional flow control their route

with no direction and no purpose

some will try to swim

but they won't get far

they would rather ride the waves

without protection from the naturally self-preserving current

and slowly sink in selfish subjectivity

but they won't get far

others will build their boats

solid ships with structure and strength

stability scoring the surface of the river

still carrying us over the blue

others will build their boats

an image as the figurehead

a tangibly beautiful object for people

to connect their preconceived notions to yours

and ultimately climb aboard your ship

an image as the figurehead

these we call the masters

their vessels can steer the voyage

and not let the river control them

but mindfully navigate their way home

these we call the masters

now we're sailing through life

don't let the river decide how

you'll get from one shore to another

be the master of your imagination

now we're sailing through life

Reviews

[Blunk]

I like it… but if I wrote it I'd work on the descriptions just a little. Good job!

[Brenden Taylor]

Thanks for the review, yo! I agree, I feel like I could've been more descriptive in some lines. But for fear of dragging on like a clanging cymbal, I tried to keep it short, sweet, and to the point (or at least short and to the point).

[Blunk]

I agree with your approach to avoiding too many words.