My Favorite Couplet

The Comfort of Nite

The day was beautiful, the twilight is long
off in the distance, I hear a bird's song.

He's saying goodnight as the light passes by,
and darkness approaches to cover the sky.

But the cover of night is no reason for woe,
for it filters out trouble from the world down below.

Night seems to bring comfort and peace,
and turmoil and tension just seem to cease.

Away from the world, in the comfort of home,
our problems drift off, our minds free to roam.

You close your eyes and relax just a bit,
all at once the puzzles seem to fit.

The answers to problems that once were not found
are dancing like asters in the air all around,

for darkness slips by and a new day is here,
promising hope and a day of new cheer.

So darkness you see has a mystical power-
from a troubled seed it brings a bright flower.

So don't look to twilight with fright or despair,
for night plus the dawn brings love, hope and care.
~Bob Cray

The words of this couplet, in the order they follow one another, invokes a swell of emotions. The way the words rhyme at the end of each stanza flow together effortlessly. A clear message is conveyed, and punctuation is used as a subtle guide, not a glaring map. I feel if the lines were combined, it would lose most of its message; it would look to simple and feel too complex. While this poem certainly will not appeal to many readers, the use of form is clearly, undeniably, well done. Bob Cray intentionally put his "best words in their best order."

Basho's Haiku

Evening darkens. Hunched
On a withered bough, a crow.
Autumn in the air.

It amazes me how in thirteen words, everything that needs saying is, simply, said. As a young and inexperienced writer, it seems difficult to stop at a specific point, and it seems impossible to put the content into words that fit a specific pattern. This poem contains images that don't need an explanation of colors or textures. All is embodied in the chosen words. The words and lines work together as a team to create one magnificent piece. After reading this I am left with an image of a wooded skyline with a hint of red lingering in the blackness, and a bird resting on a ceder branch surrounded by hundreds of other tree's orange leaves.

Coincidence? Who knows?

"Is it still bad luck if a black cat crosses your path, but you hit it with a car? Don't you think hitting it would negate the bad?"* I was asked these questions in a tone that demanded serious attention. I was in absolute disbelief when I found myself pondering them. Even if one isn't superstitious, s/he still knows the rhymes and sayings. To name a few: step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back, find a penny, pick it up, and all day you'll have good luck, and break a mirror, and you'll suffer seven years of bad luck. Some people seem to find legitimate truth to these sayings, based on their personal experiences. Another topic from that category I ponder frequently is karma. Fortunately, I am at a point in my life where I do "good" things because I want to. Unfortunately, this a recent development. Previously, it seemed as though every time I went out of my way to be kind, I found myself in a positive situation. If I chose to do nothing, nothing ever happened. To this day, no matter how I've been wronged, I find myself punished for seeking revenge. These events could be complete coincidence. My question is, could statistical probability be considered proof of a fact? Either way, the thought keeps me from keying my ex's car.

*This same person wants to know, "If a turtle loses it's shell, is it naked or homeless?" A dear friend of mine called him an idiot for it, and supplied the answer "niether. It's dead."