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Benjamin Scraps joined the group
”BACK TO POETRY BASICS”
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redzone wrote a new post
11 Comments-
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You turned the poem into something else with this, “and all the common words of my peasant’s pen.” Following the next verse, IF you didn’t brilliantly did this, it would have been just a strong sensual poem, but with how amazingly You brought a higher level with the last two line of verse one, then the gorgeous verse two, is what makes the poem very special to me, exploring and expressing a deeper connection. I believe Pablo would admire this🤍
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One of the things I love about Neruda’s poetry is his use of everyday words. With them, he word paints images, metaphors and a feeling of LIFE that exists and surrounds us with HOPE.
Light, thank you so much for your insight and understanding of what I wanted (no, needed) to express. If Neruda were still alive, I think I would be tempted to send this poem to him.
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Neville wrote a new post
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Passionately penned, Neville. Amazing imagery and dig your wordplay my friend. Appreciate you.
Damian
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Sometimes brevity is just as strong, like a passing kiss. Your short poem here is very strong in its imagery and how it effects the reader.
Well done. -
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Lust at its Best! a very alluring and strongly passionate picture you’ve worded here. You know how to write in few yet powetful lines, the last two lines brought the unquenched desire, the helplessness, the sigh that comes with the complete surrender… Love this❤️
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redzone wrote a new post
4 Comments-
What a raw and intense tribute to Africa!
I’ve never been but you put into words and song a powerful truth.
How do we aim to live with it. Just wow-
Hi Adelphina, thanks for your visit. I wrote this during a time when my poems had more of an ‘edge’ to them. I wanted my poetry to be part of and reflect a culture of resistance, that was not agitprop but still drove straight to the heart of the reader. To tell the truth about the world but not preach at people. This poem began that journey. I liked this poem and so workshopped it with a writers group at the University of Iowa, and then I submitted it to some literary magazines, but none of them printed it. Oh well.
Adelphina, thank you for your comment; it is truly appreciated.
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This poem is powerful. Both a song of mourning and a call to remembrance. I love how the repetition and rhythm make “Africa” itself feel like a heartbeat pulsing through each stanza.
The imagery is rich with longing and pride, and the movement from loss to reclamation is deeply moving. It feels like a spiritual homecoming through language itself.
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redzone wrote a new post
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Hi Redzone
I enjoyed how you put this.
How silence can be heavy and hard to escape.
Like it’s actively trying to sabotage you.
Killer ending amigo!-
For someone who suffers from depression, silent screams implode, leaving only a muted hollow, faraway look. Alive, but dead inside. This poem represents some of the things people have told me about their struggles with depression. And Adelphina, you are right, silence is “actively trying to sabotage you”. Thanks for your insightful comment.
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I love it when a poet covers all the avenues of a subject. Excellent writing here, Redzone. Good song too.
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Silence has been called golden. I once referred to it as prismatic. But you perfectly captured how it can be cold and have a pressurized weight that pulls one down. Many can relate this, I’m sure
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And sometimes there is a silence that is so strong that even your screams remain silent, internalized and damaging. I have had many a discussion with friends who suffer from depression. This poem came out of those discussions. They want to talk, to express what is on their minds, what they are feeling, but cannot. That “weight” is unbearable. Thank you Willow for your visit and kind words. Both are muchly appreciated.
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This poem beautifully channels Neruda’s sensual spirit. The union of passion, earth, and language. The imagery feels both intimate and elemental, echoing the way Neruda made love and nature inseparable.
It’s a stirring tribute that captures his essence…beautifully penned.