I wrote a poem/song

[ScarletBegonias]

It's funny that it's been four years since I wrote it, but I still feel the same way. Excuse the grammatical errors if you read it. I think I was trying to make it flow smoother, but in retrospect that's what we have punctuation for! Haha! :P

(currently untitled) 12-22-06


sun rises, pastel to neon glow

her heart warms in the light, and she lets her love show

in a twirl and a dance with the rays

she gives her love away, surrenders to a dreamy haze



breeze turns from calm to lively wind

she sets her love free, it carries, knowing no end

plays in the soft sun, whispers through the trees

and sings a sweet melody, so her lonely heart can breathe



leaves change from green to crimson-brown

her love follows each one as they glide to the ground.

until the last leaf drops, joining the rest

to make a patchwork of colors, Mother Nature at best



sun sets turning fiery red

she catches a glimpse, before the vibrance is dead

and watches her love as the daylight fades

into a collision of hues, that sets heaven ablaze



wind goes cold, to roll in a storm

she dreams of her love now, just so she can keep warm

gave most to the day, but saved some for night

when the sun is gone she keeps loving to keep herself bright



sky shifts from black to pale gray

she wakes up to find she's given it all away

nothing remains, but the words to this song

and a pile of dried up leaves, that blow off, one by one

 

[Oxajil]

A man inspired me to write this poem, though I never told him that or even showed it to him. He was dyslexic, but worked for the local newspaper, which I thought was very adorable at the time! :) It's funny that it's been four years since I wrote it, but I still feel the same way. Excuse the grammatical errors if you read it. I think I was trying to make it flow smoother, but in retrospect that's what we have punctuation for! Haha! :P

Don't worry that much about grammar mistakes! I wrote one with quite some in them, and it still happened to connect with some people. In the end I won a contest with it! But I did learn to pay more attention to grammar, from that moment on. Just because it feels cleaner ;D
In the end it's your poem, your creation, written with your own rules. Somehow, I also keep external consideration in mind :D

(currently untitled) 12-22-06


sun rises, pastel to neon glow

her heart warms in the light, and she lets her love show

in a twirl and a dance with the rays

she gives her love away, surrenders to a dreamy haze



breeze turns from calm to lively wind

she sets her love free, it carries, knowing no end

plays in the soft sun, whispers through the trees

and sings a sweet melody, so her lonely heart can breathe



leaves change from green to crimson-brown

her love follows each one as they glide to the ground.

until the last leaf drops, joining the rest

to make a patchwork of colors, Mother Nature at best



sun sets turning fiery red

she catches a glimpse, before the vibrance is dead

and watches her love as the daylight fades

into a collision of hues, that sets heaven ablaze



wind goes cold, to roll in a storm

she dreams of her love now, just so she can keep warm

gave most to the day, but saved some for night

when the sun is gone she keeps loving to keep herself bright



sky shifts from black to pale gray

she wakes up to find she's given it all away

nothing remains, but the words to this song

and a pile of dried up leaves, that blow off, one by one

Wow that's beautiful!!

Do you still write?

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Wow Oxajil, that's really cool that you won a contest with your poem! Congrats to you for that! :D And I guess you're right that I create my own rules when I write. Thanks! To answer your question, I've started lots of poems, but haven't finished one since mid 2007. My main creative outlet is painting, but part of me would like to begin writing poems again. Thanks for your kind feedback about this one and for inspiring me by posting some of your own creations!! :)

 

[shijing]

I really like the imagery in this, Scarlet -- thanks for sharing :)

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Thank you for making the effort to read it and write a comment, Shijing! I plan to draw today, but maybe I'll work on some more lines for a poem at the same time. :D

 

[ScarletBegonias]

This morning I was inspired to write a haiku:

You bring the sunrise,
With your luminescent eyes.
Love, your spirit flies.

 

[Harold]

Oh I like that haiku very much.... both poems are so warm and inspiring Scarlet.... way to go!

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Oh I like that haiku very much.... both poems are so warm and inspiring Scarlet.... way to go!

Thank you for reading them and providing this feedback, Harold! Over the years I have learned that focusing on positive elements when creating is more cathartic for me than it is when I focus on the negative. With that being said, I can relate to poems of struggle and despair and have also written countless that I would consider depressing. I just think the brighter side of the coin is more inspirational for me and others, so I stay focused on this kind of energy when making art. It's just my sensitive soul at work here, I think..;)

 

[HowToBe]

Your poems remind me of my mom's poetry a whole lot! This is cool! :D

Over the years I have learned that focusing on positive elements when creating is more cathartic for me than it is when I focus on the negative. With that being said, I can relate to poems of struggle and despair and have also written countless that I would consider depressing.

This also sounds just like my mom.

I've started lots of poems, but haven't finished one since mid 2007.

This is also just like mom, although she hasn't been painting either. She had a major surgery a number of years ago and we just recently discovered she's been allergic to soybeans all her life (which was never noticed because all of her doctors were testing her for low blood sugar, and it was getting triggered constantly by mainstream foods so she thought it was just "normal" for her...). She used to do oil paintings, though, with the Bob Ross method. She was pretty good! She can't deal with the mess anymore, though, so she wants to experiment with watercolors and maybe acrylics.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Your poems remind me of my mom's poetry a whole lot! This is cool! :D

Over the years I have learned that focusing on positive elements when creating is more cathartic for me than it is when I focus on the negative. With that being said, I can relate to poems of struggle and despair and have also written countless that I would consider depressing.

This also sounds just like my mom.

I've started lots of poems, but haven't finished one since mid 2007.

This is also just like mom, although she hasn't been painting either. She had a major surgery a number of years ago and we just recently discovered she's been allergic to soybeans all her life (which was never noticed because all of her doctors were testing her for low blood sugar, and it was getting triggered constantly by mainstream foods so she thought it was just "normal" for her...). She used to do oil paintings, though, with the Bob Ross method. She was pretty good! She can't deal with the mess anymore, though, so she wants to experiment with watercolors and maybe acrylics.

Hello HowToBe and thanks for your kind remarks here! I'm sorry your mother just barely learned of her food allergy, but it's great to know about it now!

Well, I know you weren't asking my input, but as an art teacher I am paid to "know" what my students need to further their creative developments in the visual arts. Therefore, I would like to offer some input regarding your mother. If your mother is anything like me, which you describe her to be, perhaps she would respond very well to making some more artwork again. I used to paint with oils, but there are multiple reasons I don't use them currently. Some that come to mind are, the setup and cleanup times required, the heavy metals in some of the paints, the smell of the solvents, the slow dry-time of the paint, etc.

To me, oils are a very sensual paint medium, but using oil pastels is another way to achieve these effects. If your mother has liked painting with oils, perhaps she might be interested in trying out oil pastels. If you coat a sheet of paper with linseed oil and then draw on it with oil pastels, you can achieve the same creamy blending effects that you can with oil paint. When the linseed oil dries the oil pastels will harden, which is a quality you won't get with oil pastels by themselves.

I enjoy the smell of linseed oil and my bottle has not lit on fire in the decade I have owned it either, but I want to warn you that it is a highly flammable substance. One of my former professors burned his studio room down because he left a rag soaked in linseed oil out. What happens is when linseed oil dries, it gets warmer. This is not a problem on a flat surface, like a drawing. However, the heat generated in a crumpled up rag of drying linseed oil is enough for it to spontaneously combust. Soaking the rags in water can prevent this and I have never had problems with it, but I don't want anyone else to learn this the hard way, like my professor did!

Acrylics and watercolors are also fun, but acrylics are quick to damage brushes and there is also some setup/cleanup time involved that tends to keep me less inspired to work with them. Personally, I prefer watercolors of the paint mediums because of their transparency and fluidity. I can also keep everything set up and there is no cleanup time other than rinsing the brushes since I have the space to just leave it all out.

Well, if you have any questions I am happy to offer more input here! :)

 

[HowToBe]

I read your post to her, and she's interested in the linseed oil idea. We actually happen to have some on hand because my brother does electronics/audio stuff and has used it to coat some speakers before. For that reason it's very good to know the safety info! Anyway, my mom is interested in the idea, so we may try it sometime.

I was looking on Youtube just now for examples of this sort of painting and discovered this product called the Oilbar: http://youtu.be/fAqhp5JZjZU It seems like something in-between pastels and oil paint. The linseed method is probably cheaper.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I have oil bars too and played with them again recently. They are similar to fat oil pastels, but I believe they dry on their own, unlike oil pastels. It's interesting that you mentioned this because I did two drawings last month with oil pastels and linseed oil. I like that I can get more details with oil pastels than with the oil bars. There is also a much wider range of colors to use and they're much cheaper, I believe. :)

 

[Aneke]

Thank you for your poems, Scarlet. They are lovely.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Thank you, Aneke. :) I wrote one in the end of June that I think the members might appreciate:

Although my mind may contemplate the many ways of truth,
And my heart may weep in shame for all I cannot do,
Still my feet will tread upon the one path I must choose,
And the only one I can take along is the one that I must lose...

 

[Harold]

When you cannot tread,
and the path is gone,
your friends will carry you along...