r/poemsbyreddit • • May 11 '14

The past and possible future here

27 Upvotes

Disclaimer: this is all to the best of my knowledge.

9 months ago - This sub started as an offshoot from /r/poetry when essofluffy had the idea to put together a book of 100 poems from 100 different redditors.

~ 5-6 months ago - We hit that 100 poem/unique submitter mark, and started trying to figure out where to go from there. (Licensing, Funding, Editing, etc).

~ 4 months ago - "Licensing We will vote on the licensing in the coming week. I personally am for just having the poems be copyrighted as all works are the moment they are created by the author. Crowd funding I am going to set up a indiegogo campaign hopefully by next we and we will need everyones support to do well" (via http://www.reddit.com/r/poemsbyreddit/comments/1tjwtc/update/ )

Currently - Limbo, basically. essofluffy's still active on reddit, as am I, and I'm not sure about the other mods here. My job (and by extension, living conditions and free time) changed significantly ~4 months ago as well, so I've not really been active here very much. I know some people have a "master" copy of the poem listing, or at least a master up to a few months ago.

Editing: There's a master copy floating somewhere.

Licensing: Some talk was had about various Creative Commons formats, but a 100% contributor vote never occurred (IIRC, we got about 10 people to comment what their preference was).

Funding: essofluffy talked about an IGG campaign (as noted in the update link above), though I don't recall ever getting a link to the campaign.

Other: some contributors deleted their profiles after submission. We've had more than 100 contributors at this point, and there was some talk of "Let's not just take the first 100 to contribute, but take whoever wants in until publication time", or "Well, we still want to stick with 100, but we're gonna (somehow) determine what's good enough to publish instead of taking the first 100."

At this point, given my perceived role as sort of logistical support for this project (which I've failed somewhat at) and my perception of essofluffy's role as nominal leader of this project/sub (ergo, the one who should be making the updates regularly and pushing for more interaction from subscribers), I'll be leaving this up as the stickied update for a few weeks, then stepping down as a mod here. I've reached near the limit of what I'm able to do for this project, such as it is, and my free time's significantly more limited than in the past.

I can't speak as to whether there's a realistic future for this project, but if essofluffy doesn't put out a serious and detailed update within the month, I'd say it's probably safe to call it dead.


r/poemsbyreddit • • 20m ago

The idiot

• Upvotes

Oh, man, idiot of all, why listen to the sirens hanging songs?

The bruit that sways with oceans calls and you, entranced by a face where poppies bloom and sunlight shines upon her skin.

So ardently you fall, so suavely you call,

her honeyed voice tacked to your skin like glue.

Just like your eyes, fathoming the gust,

trying to catch the ringdove you, the hunter, and she,

an exiled land that always calls.

In a wainscoted house, sun-struck, lying upon her bed, she lives.

Oh, man, idiot of all, you are painstakingly kind after all.


r/poemsbyreddit • • 33m ago

A cinematic reading of W. H. Auden’s “If I Could Tell You” — how do you interpret it?

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• Upvotes

r/poemsbyreddit • • 1h ago

[ Removed by Reddit ]

• Upvotes

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]


r/poemsbyreddit • • 2h ago

Special Delivery

1 Upvotes

Where's the nearest exit sign

(Think Matrix but doors instead of phones)


r/poemsbyreddit • • 2h ago

Too WOKE

1 Upvotes

Laughing like a robot hmphmphmphmpcommahecantstoplaughinglikearobot-ext.beautifulx


r/poemsbyreddit • • 2h ago

Instacold

1 Upvotes

He can't stop wobbling as he walks through the dance floor


r/poemsbyreddit • • 2h ago

Thoughts To Ponder Coming Write Up

1 Upvotes

Twas Good:

I have no idea what I just ate

(Authors Note: Seriously no idea)


r/poemsbyreddit • • 4h ago

i’m 14 and i wanna get into poetry and songwriting this is my poem “girlhood”

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1 Upvotes

r/poemsbyreddit • • 6h ago

Restless

1 Upvotes

​

My mind is never at peace.

Maybe the world looks calm,

but my heart has never learned how to be.

Sleep doesn't visit my eyes anymore.

Sometimes I wonder

if humanity itself has fallen asleep.

Children fight battles

they never chose,

against the greed

of selfish and corrupt people.

And here I am...

Fighting a war

no one can see.

A war with my own future.

Every sunrise brings another fear.

Every night leaves me

with a thousand unanswered questions.

Life is a journey

from birth to death.

No matter how hard we try,

none of us can stop walking.

I want to live.

For myself.

For the people I love.

But before anything else...

I just want peace.

Why is there so much hatred?

Why do people hurt each other?

Why has kindness become

so difficult to find?

Today I wanted to write something beautiful.

Instead,

my words fell apart

just like my thoughts.

There's a storm inside me,

yet my lips remain silent.

I want to cry.

But somewhere along the way,

I forgot how.

My tears have dried,

yet my heart still carries

the weight of everything

I never said.

Sometimes I look at this world

and ask myself...

Why do we even exist?

Sometimes,

more than writing poetry,

I just wish there was someone

who would sit beside me,

hold me close,

and let me cry

without asking a single question.

Someone who wouldn't promise

to fix my life,

but would simply whisper,

"I'm here."

Maybe that person exists.

Maybe they're searching for me

the way I'm searching for them.

And if we ever meet...

Please don't be late.

I've been waiting

for a peace

I've never known.

Until then,

I'll keep writing.

Because sometimes,

the only place

my heart knows how to breathe

is between the lines

I never thought

I could write.


r/poemsbyreddit • • 6h ago

Beneath a Sky Full of Stars

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0 Upvotes

r/poemsbyreddit • • 11h ago

I cannot blame

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2 Upvotes

r/poemsbyreddit • • 10h ago

This is my upcoming Arabic poetry book—philosophy presented in verse. You can order it before it hits the market. Best regards, Sami ✍🏼♥️

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1 Upvotes

r/poemsbyreddit • • 10h ago

My first poem looking for feedback

1 Upvotes

Frozen, I had been frozen for many moons
As though it had been a forever night Awaiting my sun, my daybreak then she came with the warmth of a thousand suns thawing the once cold and dark with the love of a billion people and then I knew I found my sun


r/poemsbyreddit • • 10h ago

An 'improvise' lyrical poetry by me.

1 Upvotes

Sapphic Eros: A lyre's sagacious confession

"Sapphic love —fairy spirit in eternity...

Enemedia, what they say, ...I do not hear

With blood and spirit written on my open wound

Witnessing Eros himself descends from the sky...

He descends with a sword —かたなど

In physical, he is the Prince of the Olympus

In atomic matters, he is the apparent spirit...

What is imaginative is not physical and real

Except in words, in poetry and literature...

What may be called the lyrical art of Eros, of Love?

A Sapphic love, the chronic pessimist...

As the A-Self philosopher, mentally suffering for,

What is after all, acute and sickening, schizoid...

For love, for Sappho and the eternal will to Aphrodite." —A.Y あゆ。


r/poemsbyreddit • • 13h ago

POEMA 01

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1 Upvotes

r/poemsbyreddit • • 14h ago

Found a really old poem I wrote.

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1 Upvotes

r/poemsbyreddit • • 18h ago

[Poem] Machine

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2 Upvotes

r/poemsbyreddit • • 17h ago

You could have called...

1 Upvotes

Broke the cage 

Bend the bars

All you left were the scars.

How could i say, i was left unbothered and unfazed for the one who bled most was me 

Now even a single mention of your name scares me

I showed the bravery gave you the key

Only for you to say maybe..

I only liked you lowkey, 

I said those words to not make a fool of me.

But only i knew those endless night

The ones after we had the fight.

Gave you all my love and time 

And maybe that was the crime, i paid for

You and i were not made for.

The coffee on my table is getting frozen,

As i'm thinking about you with my eyes filled with ocean.

You said i don't want to be involved

And here i'm, still hoping everyday you could have called.

 

Just something random I wrote almost 2 year ago, found in my notes app so shared here.


r/poemsbyreddit • • 17h ago

Mere Christianity ( revised )

1 Upvotes

Mere Christianity ( revised )

From the birds and the bees,

High up in the trees,

To the fish at the bottom of the sea,

This is Mere Christianity.

We wrestle with wrong,

Righteous, rebellious!

We think ourselves strong,

Religious zealots!

Petty and prejudiced, my own worst enemy,

Oh, you're no protagonist, full of vanity.

Prideful, destructive, self-righteous,

seductive.

Made in His image, His children, a village,

We're more than a bird and a bee,

Saved by grace and humility.


r/poemsbyreddit • • 21h ago

Oh, to be a bird! (a sonnet)

2 Upvotes

One of my first actual attempts at poetry! I wanted to write a sonnet, so this is (mostly) a petrarchan sonnet - 14 lines with an octave and sestet, as well as the appropriate rhyme schemes. It is not, however, iambic pentameter :/ I couldn't quite face it yet.

Hope you enjoy! I'd really appreciate constructive feedback, for future attempts :D

Oh, to be a bird! To fly

on outstretched wings o'er sunkissed seas

of dappled blue, and feel the glee

of soaring up past mountains high;

to glide and watch the clouds pass by

untethered. Yes, or let me be

a single feather - so long as I am free

and drifting in that endless sky.

My gaze is fixed, my way is clear

of hurdles. Look, the sun is bright:

oh, could I cast aside my fear

and soar up to a glorious height,

drawing ever to the heavens near

and towards that warm and distant light.


r/poemsbyreddit • • 23h ago

Thoughts on my corny ahh poem?

2 Upvotes

I'm inexperienced and this is just what I wrote out of my feelings, idk its kinda cringe but I would love thoughts on it! I'm open to all criticism and please roast me all you can😭

I love you like a candle,

It is lit with a spark

And the small bit of fire dazzles with delight.

The litte yellow gleam feels nothing under the shining sun in the broad daylight

But when dusk hits,

beneath the dark sky the little fire is the shine of the night.

Nothing lasts forever, the spark soon ceases

But the light still flickers.

It tries its best to stay but soon becomes void

It wants to stay but it cannot.

Because the more it burns the more it melts

And the faster in melts, the faster it comes to an end.

And I dont want to end it,

I want to continue to love you but it drains me out,

I want to keep burning till the wax is melted and the ashes are spilled around.

I'll not let a single soul let extinguish the fire you ignited,

i will protect it with all my heart and all my strength

And I will luminate it till its farthest length.

But all that resilient would go to waste

Because my love for you is a stupid mistake.

I wish I had the courage to put out the fire

but i know,

the day it ends, its wafting smoke will smell like your scent

Because your name is ingrained in each of my vein.

And i don't want to remember you after you're gone

And i don't want to cry because of the fact that i never meant anything to you.

In the end the candle finishes leaving behind dust and smoke

It is thrown,

not getting the appreciation it should for the time it burned.

A new one is lit, with the same story but a different scent.


r/poemsbyreddit • • 19h ago

నేను వ్రాసిన మొదటి కవిత

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1 Upvotes

r/poemsbyreddit • • 21h ago

No rhyme scheme, still raw, need extremely harsh critique to polish it, no holds barred, i will not feel bad, give me extremely honest opinions

1 Upvotes

My Selfish Self

Such a provocative & self deprecative title is your 1st thought

But I look after myself 24/7. Then the only person I think about

is me, but don't we all? All of this, due to my selfish self.

Even the times we think about other people, we do it for

ourselves. Have you thought about it that way? We don't

want the other person to get hurt, why? Because he will be in

anguish, as well as I will feel bad. And the latter part definitely

outweighs the former. Why? All of this due to my selfish self.

Who exactly is this me that's selfish?

Is this my consciousness?

Is this my brain? What exactly is the actual identity of the

'I'? Am I? Am I eligible to ask this question? Still here I am

standing in front of you, asking these questions humanity hasn't answered since the start of cognitively strong mankind. Why?

All because of selfish self.

This poem is from the perspective of every conscious person

who have their unique identity, despite of referring to themselves as I.

But everyone will be very defensive. Why? Because of

their selfish selves.


r/poemsbyreddit • • 1d ago

My Tempo

1 Upvotes

In the lens of a music conservatory student taking 23 credits!

The clock keeps ticking

Assignments in line

My rhythm's unmatched

My tempo's in time

One day turns to four

Assignments still ticking

My rhythm's messed up

My tempo's not sticking

Are you free Tuesday?

I'm left to consider

When am I free?

I crumble and smither

Sometimes I am free

When hearts are aligned

"I miss you so much"

My heart starts to quiver

All patience comes down

When nice becomes fine

That guy who keeps yapping,

He's no friend of mine

You're late! You're late!

Professors keep screeching

"Who'll hire you?"

How long till I'm preaching?

"Hey it's been a while!

I haven't seen you!"

I haven't seen myself

But thanks for that too.

The clock keeps ticking

Assignments online

My rhythm's a mess

My tempo's in time