Share a favorite poem

Poetry is something that I have enjoyed casually over the years with a handful of works finding a place in my heart for, hopefully, forever.

From the most eloquent to the commonly simple, poetry exists in many many forms.

This thread serves as a place to share poetry that speaks to you. I hope we all might find some inspiration here.

If you can keep your head when all about you  
   Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,  
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
   But make allowance for their doubting too;  
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
   Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
   And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;  
   If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;  
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
   And treat those two impostors just the same;  
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
   Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
   And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
   And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
   And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
   To serve your turn long after they are gone,  
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
   Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,  
   Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
   If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
   With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,  
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,  
   And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling "If"
Published in 1910

I'll share two readings of poems that I'm sitting with a lot recently - one by a modern authoress, and one of the "old classics."


"We Are: A Spell For Cracking Shells" by Anonsee Storyweaver, a "cut-up" style rearrangement/remix of another poem, "I Am" by Laurin Dechae. Read here by Anonsee herself with other members of performing collective The Kallai, acapella with some sound editing and design.


"Desiderata" by Max Ehrmann, read here by Leonard Nimoy with instrumental accompaniment, released as "Spock Thoughts" on his album 'The Two Sides Of Leonard Nimoy." (Fun fact: I initially didn't know this poem wasn't written by Nimoy, upon discovering the recording)

Spock wasn't the only one to write poetry on Star Trek - Data did too!

In fact, it inspired one of my dragons to write his own version (dragons plagiarise terribly...) to welcome Spot the Chamelon.

I should warn you that dragon poetry has been compared to Vogon poetry, though I think a little unfairly...

ODE TO SPOT



Furcifer oustaleti is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an ectothermic quintuped, insectivore by nature.
Your colour changing, vision and olfactory senses
contribute to your hunting skills and natural defences.

I find myself intrigued by your dermal fluctuations,
an iridescent way to aid communications
that illustrates your need to show us how you're feeling
then back to green and pleasant leafy tones to aid concealing.

Your tail is quite stupendous and helps you in your climbing
a true fifth limb which seems to me more use than all this rhyming...
And when not being utilised to aide in locomotion,
it too changes tint and hue reflecting your emotion.

O Spot, the complex wisdom and compassion you display
tell me how awesome it will be now you are here to stay.
For while you're here to teach me things and help me comprehend
I hope that I can be to you a true and trusted friend.

Written by Iggy. Mr Data helped.

Here's a link to the original version.