Tweetspeak Poetry

  • Home
  • FREE prompts
  • Earth Song
  • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • Teaching Tools
  • Books, Etc.
  • Patron Love

Poems of Complication 3

By Glynn Young 5 Comments

Below are seven additional poems based on the tweets from last Tuesday’s poetry jam on Twitter.

Poems of Complication 3

By @mdgoodyear, @llbarkat, @PoemsPrayers, @mxings, @togetherforgood, @cascheller, @mmerubies, @MonicaSharman, @DancinButterfly, @thegypsymama, @TchrEric and @KathleenOverby. Not to mention @shrinkingcamel. Edited by @glynn_poet.

The Moon Goodess and the Man in the Moon

It shall be a game with fluff and
pulp and the moon goddess in the
rain. If the moon danced a jig
would she spill wine like words
down the back of her skirt?
No, not down the back of my
skirt, not now… I can’t reach that far.
I am stained. The red wine is all over
me in intricate patterns. Will you stay
despite my stains?

If she fell , the man in the moon would
catch her with his wan hands and hopeful
eyes. The man in the moon is overlooked.
We are blinded by bright sun and forget
that he will burn us to our cores.
Trapped between my own quotation
marks, glowing like the moon, now waning,
now giving way to a dawn of
not one shade, not one hue,
not one slice of the moon.

The Grief of Famous Poets

All that I thought would come is
now decomposing. I will have to
rebuild. I will have to rebuild.
Milton?
Keats, Hopkins, Tolkien.
Tolkien?
(Italy.)
( Italy?)
Sidney. Sir Philip? Shakespeare.
Shakespeare? Who quoth thee
beneath the shoulder of the moon
tonight?
But Horace stuffs his grief beneath
Tolkien and Keats. I stuff my grief
under the lavender in the herb
garden by the little silver stones.
I stuff my grief into words
scattered on pages, tapped into
computers, spoken over the phone.
I stuff my grief under Psalms and
between the strong lines of Isaiah 61.
And you?
Where do you stuff your grief?
I have forgotten the place of stuffing,
but it cushions my seat.
Browning. Browning?
Milton stuffed grief into serpents,
bit Eve’s lip with his ink. I do not hide
my grief; I write it on my arms, living poetry
a testament to my story.

I Want to Meet Nikki Giovanni

I want to meet Nikki Giovanni and write
new words with her. I want her to
write her poetry all over me.
Forget Nikki; you have rainbowed friends
in Oregon, New York, Texas. They will
write poetry all over because we praise the
things that are not here, the lost, the
washed, the legal briefs.
I fear I have not read the poet who speaks
of rainbows. I have not trailed my skirt
in his ink. (Or is it hers?)

A Rainbow in Tupelo

Last week, a full rainbow formed over the
houses here in Tupelo. I thought of running
for the gold, but I have a treasure already.
I have never seen a house in Tupelo, never
wrung my skirt of the moonlight under its trees.
I stopped in Tupelo to visit the king, he was not
There, and I have lost my map. I have lost the
street, even the horses feet.
Oh, the King is alive in Tupelo. It says so on the
building downtown, three miles from his birthplace.
He’s arrogant as ever, sideburns scattered down
his jaw; they are not one whit wise.
So I moved on to Memphis for a brief glimpse of
grace, got lost, and found Graceland.

The Grace I Have Received

We know not our fate and yet we strive,
sailing tumultuous seas, each in search of
the great white whale.

You are not allowed to march back into
my life and be as important as you once
were. Serve me up a splash of something
hot, fried, covered in sticky poems and
whispered pauses. Had your way, you
would have traced your issues all over
my body in black thick strokes of needles
and ink, the ink speaking 1000 words on
each shoulder.

I am sick unto death of serving two masters,
three masters, many more masters than I can
count or keep accountable to. Instead, God
wrote His word on me. He called me, He called
me beauty. He gave me beauty for my ashes.
He replaced you with the crown of a faithful
loving husband. His love is inked around my
ankle in visible strokes and written on my heart
in the way it matters most.

I am stained and smeared, my colors bleed with
rainbow tears. Come Lord Jesus, come and take
my stains away. I am sick to death of loving them.
In Christ there are only two colors, blood and snow,
I paint in both, and we are, each day, painted in
both, offering up to grace. Here are my hands and
here is my heart, I am ready for your words to be
written there. I am tired of my own.

Refresh the screen, relive the lines, remember the
words of life and grime. I want to be a walking
testimony to the grace I have received.

Weaving with Sand

Someone weaves with sand. We hold our
breath while the sun is setting on this sand
and sea, the sea or a mirage shimmering
gold late in the season. Time is running like
sand, unless you by some magic can weave it into beauty, as
sand weaves through an hour glass, through the glass in hand;
like a soap opera, so are we the days of our lives.
These pictures of sand and soap tell me nothing; you are
wasting my time.
Perhaps, yes.

Blue Jogging Shorts

Time wears blue jogging shorts and runs at a quiet clip
down the suburban street at dawn. Time is in better
shape than I, clip clopping down the street.
I can dance, I can tap, I can jig, I can jog like
a laptop love letter. My feet and my fingers
dance their parenthetical tattoo, 50-yard-dashed
across miles.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn
Glynn Young
Editor and Twitter-Party-Cool-Poem-Weaver at Tweetspeak Poetry
Glynn Young lives in St. Louis where he retired as the team leader for Online Strategy & Communications for a Fortune 500 company. Glynn writes poetry, short stories and fiction, and he loves to bike. He is the author of Poetry at Work and the Dancing Priest Series. Find Glynn at Faith, Fiction, Friends.
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn
Latest posts by Glynn Young (see all)
  • Do You Remember the First Poetry Book You Bought? - September 26, 2023
  • Poets and Poems: Yvor Winters and “Selected Poems” - September 19, 2023
  • “The Battle of Maldon” by J.R.R Tolkien, Edited by Peter Grybauskas - September 12, 2023

Filed Under: poetry

Get Every Day Poems...

Comments

  1. Kathleen says

    May 18, 2010 at 7:26 pm

    Packed. Stuffed with flair. 🙂

    Reply
  2. n davis rosback says

    May 18, 2010 at 7:53 pm

    mr. midwest man,
    aka glynn,
    you work wonders with these words,
    and it is so enjoyable to read them.

    Reply
  3. L. L. Barkat says

    May 19, 2010 at 11:52 am

    That grief poem makes me catch my breath. It goes deep. I love the way you crafted it from our play.

    Reply
  4. Heather says

    May 22, 2010 at 11:31 am

    The Grace I Have Received turned out beautifully. And from the poets one, I love this line:

    Milton stuffed grief into serpents,
    bit Eve’s lip with his ink.

    I don’t know which of you wrote it, but it is genius.

    The Blue Jogging Shorts made me giggle.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Finding Your Writing Voice on Twitter says:
    June 21, 2010 at 12:02 pm

    […] The Grief of Famous Poets […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For the Writer in You

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

get the sample now

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café. You're a regular? Check out our September Menu.

Patron Love

❤️

Welcome a little patron love, when you help keep the world poetic.

Your Comments

  • Do You Remember the First Poetry Book You Bought? - Tweetspeak Poetry on T.S. Eliot at the British Library, Part 1
  • Bethany on Poetry Prompt: Back to School, in the Second Person
  • Megan Wheeler on Poetry Prompt: Back to School, in the Second Person
  • Bethany R. on Poetry Club: Coffee Shop Collage—”Do the Shells Still Hear”

Join the Year of the Monarch

How to Write Poetry

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

The New York Observer

Tumblr Book News

Stay in Touch With Us

Categories

Learn to Write Form Poems

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

5 FREE POETRY PROMPTS

Get 5 FREE inbox poetry prompts from the popular book How to Write a Poem

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

See all 154 Shakespeare sonnets in our Shakespeare Library!

Explore Work From Black Poets

About Us

  • • A Blessing for Writers
  • • Annual Theme 2022: Perspective
  • • Annual Theme 2021: Generous
  • • Our Story
  • • Meet Our Team
  • • Literary Citizenship
  • • Poet Laura
  • • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • • T. S. Poetry Press – All Books
  • • Contact Us

Write With Us

  • • 5 FREE Poetry Prompts-Inbox Delivery
  • • 30 Days to Richer Writing Workshop
  • • Poetry Prompts
  • • Submissions
  • • The Write to Poetry

Read With Us

  • • All Our Books
  • • Book Club
  • • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • • Literacy Extras
  • • Poems to Listen By: Audio Series
  • • Poet-a-Day
  • • Poets and Poems
  • • 50 States Projects
  • • Charlotte Perkins Gilman Poems Library
  • • Edgar Allan Poe Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Blake Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Shakespeare Sonnet Library

Celebrate With Us

  • • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • • Poetic Earth Month
  • • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • • Poetry at Work Day
  • • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • • Take Your Poet to School Week
  • • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • • Every Day Poems
  • • Our Shop
  • • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • • Donate
  • • Blog Buttons
  • • By Heart
  • • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2023 Tweetspeak Poetry · FAQ, Disclosure & Privacy Policy

We serve poetry with our cookies. Because that's the way it should be.
We serve poetry with your cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you... accept the cookies with a smile.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
update cookie prefs

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT