Pain and a Pen

Pain and a Pen

A Poem by William Liston
"

rhyming piece; similar to a kyrielle and ballade with internal rhyme

"
A poet heeds his aching needs;
if not, his heart would grow a hole.
His sorrow bleeds ... his spirit leads.
A poet's pen must bear his soul.

When pains emerge and lightnings surge
in violent storms he can't control,
there comes an urge to delve and purge.
A poet's pen must bear his soul.

He spills each word so cries unheard
can leak their blood upon a page.
His soul is stirred  a fiery bird
ascends its wings beyond pain's cage.
It's not mere ash from flaming rage,
but diamonds squeezed from blackest coal
that gleam their brilliance on a stage.
A poet's pen must bear his soul.

© 2017 William Liston


Author's Note

William Liston
Please leave an honest review. Constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged. I would like to know if the repetition of masculine pronouns (although this piece is meant for both male and female poets) was distracting. I would also like to know if the lack of internal rhyme in the last four lines off-set the flow and/or readability in any way.

Special thanks to mattavelli for helping me edit this piece.

My Review

Would you like to review this Poem?
Login | Register




Featured Review

Hello, William! :)
Eight syllable lines and a fun rhyme, I love it!
It looks like it was fun to write.
Your refrain hits like a hammer.
Suggestions:
In line two, replace "have" with something more pointed, like "grow".
While your thoughts are clear, your phrasing could use some tweaking where sections two and three meet.


Posted 7 Years Ago


3 of 3 people found this review constructive.

William Liston

7 Years Ago

Hello Matt :)

I'd like to thank you for your constructive review. I really enjoyed re.. read more



Reviews

and this bares the soul in more ways than one...i really like "diamonds squeezed from blackest coal"

no, the use of the male pronoun is not distracting....i just take that as the speaker being male...and when students of mine interpret poems i always tell them to pick either a male or female speaker...makes the pronouns in the essay easier to deal with.
the flow was captured right to the end...the internal rhyme was nice while it lasted..and very well done, but not needed toward the end.
the poem came to a nice conclusion both theme-wise and form-wise.
j.

Posted 4 Years Ago


Here he stands, a life warrior bard
holding his weapon, a special kind of a brand
whistles in the air, melodies to play
flowing ink still bleeds from his heart
a poet's pen, the imprint of pain
still...
a warrior bard, all he was, all he can~


Posted 7 Years Ago


every word is true...what an incredible poem indeed. you are one talented writer.thank you very much for sharing this wonderful art.

Posted 7 Years Ago


What a poem! I just loved the theme and also its deliverance..

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

William Liston

7 Years Ago

Thank you.
I'm glad you enjoyed : )
You have a wondrous way with rhymes, refrains, and ABAB structure. This is absolutely poetic and profound. Well done!!

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

William Liston

7 Years Ago

Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed, and look forward to reading your work.
I find this enjoyable on every level, both in content and in form. It has the gentle fluidity of a creek, its bed teeming with words of delight. Every poet can relate to this.

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

William Liston

7 Years Ago

What an eloquent way to put it ...
Thank you for your gorgeous review.
Truly beautiful William, it is something we all can relate to.
Thank you for writing this lovely poem.

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

William Liston

7 Years Ago

Thank you.
So very true,a poet's pen does bear their soul. :) And it is the colours of the soul that bring their pictures to life.

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

William Liston

7 Years Ago

Eloquently put.
Thank you for reviewing.
William, you have bared your soul beautifully through your words - Thank You for sharing yourself with us Sir. Angelheart

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

William Liston

7 Years Ago

I'm glad you enjoyed. Thank you, Angelheart.
this is brilliance in a bucket...thanks for sharing bruh

Posted 7 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

William Liston

7 Years Ago

What a lovely description. Thank you for your kind words.

First Page first
Previous Page prev
1
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Request Read Request
Add to Library My Library
Subscribe Subscribe


Stats

1641 Views
58 Reviews
Rating
Shelved in 8 Libraries
Added on December 12, 2016
Last Updated on June 10, 2017
Tags: poetry, writing, pain, soul

Author

William Liston
William Liston

About
Get your own valid XHTML YouTube embed code I'm an amateur poet who's been writing for about three and a half years. Some of my influences include Edgar Alla.. more..

Writing

Related Writing

People who liked this story also liked..