I am a poem, or: A poet

Poetry Partners #10

‘I am a poem’, by Chris Reilley of ‘Christopher Reilley Poems’

I am a poem.

I am more than a collection of random words.

I am much more than meter and rhyme.

I was wrestled from magic, fixed into place,
and spun like candy floss into being.

If I can live one day,
one single day
before moving down the list of poems
like me
that wish to exist,
I will have meant something.

If I can relay to you, and you and you,
something different,
something other,
in a way you not only understand
but feel -
I will have succeeded.

If I can become;
deep meaning in every line,
taught to future poets,
loved by one an all
I will have triumphed.

And win or lose, pass or fail,
I will happily
break down into words
to be wrestled into shape
for the next poem
at the top of tomorrow's list.

• Christopher Reilley: http://chrisreilleypoems.blogspot.com/

A cleave poem by ben Alexander of ‘The Skeptic’s Kaddish’

if I am alive, then		perhaps I am a poem
writing		itself
without any thought toward an end		hoping for relevance, which
is hard for me to fathom and		will always be limited by my ability
to actualize, for I want		to express myself in flowing words –
perhaps, impossibly, to transcend life		while somehow remaining down to earth
floating through time and space		even as my body gradually falls apart
like a soul that let go		in the attempt

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How to read a cleave poem?

Simply:

1. Read the left hand poem as a first discrete poem.
2. Read the right hand poem as a second discrete poem.
3. Read the whole as a third integrated poem.

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Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.

–Ben Harper (b. 1969)

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!

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