Poetry | Uniquely Yours Craft Journal

Sharing our favorite poems

27 Mar 2019 Comments Off on Sharing our favorite poems

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Paper Daydreams, Poetry Tags: sharing

Dear Fellow Journalers,

I am blessed to be sharing this blogging journey with such a loving and talented group of friends. Denise, Mary Beth, G and I decided to share our favorite poems with you. Enjoy!

~Sallie

My Treasures

Submitted by Mary Beth, written by Blanche Jones

I am not rich in lands or wealthy goods,

No jewels rare or hoards of yellow gold.

My treasures are a host of simple things

More precious far than boundless wealth untold.

I have the water tumbling over rocks,

A pine tree standing tall against the sky;

The burnished red and gold of autumn woods,

A snow-capped mountain rising proud and high.

The smell of roses blooming in the rain,

A rainbow flashing swiftly out of sight,

The sound of raindrops on a farmhouse roof,

A night-bird calling in the night.

The music of the wind among the trees,

A flaming sunset in the evening glow,

A garden when the dusk begins to fall,

A mother’s lullaby when lights are low.

I have the rapture of a baby’s smile,

A woman’s happy laughter and her tears,

A treasure that a king might hold in envy,

A wealth of dreams to last me through the years.

Afterglow

Submitted by Sallie, written by Helen Marshall

I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one.

I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when day is done.

I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,

Of happy times, and laughing times

And bright and sunny days.

I’d like the tears of those who grieve

To dry before the sun

Of happy memories I leave behind when day is done.

A Note of Appreciation

Submitted by G, written by Anonymous

This is NOT just a Note of Appreciation

This isn’t just an Ordinary thank-you wish;

It’s given as a Special token of Appreciation….

This note is filled with Endless thanks and gratitude,

And it holds the same good feelings That you gave to me.

You made me feel cared about,

And that is one of the most Important feelings in the world.

You gave of yourself In your time and interest,

And I want you to know that I will Always remember your kindness.

You are one of the special people Who goes out of their way for others,

And I am grateful that you were there for me.

Tiny Buds

Submitted and written by Denise

May the blue birds of happiness

Rest upon your white picket fence,

As they watch over your

Blossoming Family Tree.

May the tranquility

Of their jubilant bird songs

Magically captivate

Your children’s senses,

Luring them toward Sweet Lullabies!

Tend to your garden of seedlings,

Carefully guiding them,

Continue to nurture each other

Lavishing your tiny buds

With unconditional love.

For tomorrow…

Your seedlings will become trees,

Spreading their wings

To plant seedlings of their own.

Poetry Journal covers

20 Mar 2019 Comments Off on Poetry Journal covers

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Journal Covers and Pages, Poetry Tags: covers

A flower needs the Sun to grow

A half needs another to be whole.

By Sallie

The Greatest of these

Reason faces up to life,

And sees things as they are.

Hope sees things as they ought to be

And wishes on a star.

Faith dreams of miracles to come

That only God can do;

Love goes to work with patient hands

To make these dreams come true.

By Helen Marshall

….. ….. ….. ….. …..

For your inspiration:

journal cover

~Sallie

How to start a Poetry Journal

13 Mar 2019 Comments Off on How to start a Poetry Journal

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Paper Daydreams, Poetry Tags: Longfellow, Organizing, Poetry

“The tide rises”

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The tide rises, the tide falls,

The twilight darkens, the curfew calls;

Along the sea-sands damp and brown

The traveler hastens toward the town,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,

But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls,

The little waves, with their soft, white hands,

Eface the footprints in the sands,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the stress in their stalls

Stamp and neighbors as the hostler calls;

The day returns, but never more

Returns the traveler to the shore,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.”

………. ………. ………. ………. ………….

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Like all journals, the writing in it is more important than the outside but how do you start a Poetry Journal? If you want to draw pictures or doodle around your poetry, you need a book with blank pages. On the other hand, if you need to keep your words in order you need a journal with lines such as a spiral-bound journal.

The biggest challenge is organization. You could divide your journal in several different ways::

Emotions -joy, anger, sorrow, humility, pride

Seasons and holidays

Chronologically

Poetic form (limericks, sonnet etc.

Subject – friends, nature etc.

Next week some samples of covers and pages.

~Sallie

A Lovely Day

Actually I couldn’t say

What made this such a lovely day.

The air was chill, the clouds hung low,

Yet it was lovely – that I know.

Perhaps it was because someone

Smiled my way and brought the sun;

Maybe it was only that

A friend stopped by for a little chat;

Or that a neighbor passing by

Called a warm and friendly “hi!”

Possibly its special glow

Came from helping one I know –

Not much really just a hand

To let him know I understand.

Nothing happened, actually

To set this day apart for me.

Things went along the usual way –

But oh, it’s been a lovely day!

By Helen Marshall

The road you take

May the road you take along life’s way

Lead onward, upward, every day;

When you reach crossroads, like pilgrims of old

May you have vision to see, to behold

The road which leads to the evening star…

To horizons afar.

May you find courage when the day is long,

And in your heart may there be a song;

May you have faith to carry you through;

“To thine own self, May you ever be true;

May you find joy in lifting the load

Others are carrying along life’s road.

By Clara Reber

What is poetry?

06 Mar 2019 Comments Off on What is poetry?

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Paper Daydreams, Poetry Tags: Poetry

Dear Fellow Journalers,

I recognized the untitled book when I was cleaning out an old desk in the attic. It had been almost 50 years, but I knew what it was even before I opened the first page. Memories surged through me as I sat down to read the poetry journal written by a young idealistic and romantic teen –Me! Many of the poems were collected in high school, some in college and some just before I was married.

What is poetry and why does it stir the heart?

There are two definitions of this genre -one is noteworthy of a “Jeopardy” question and the other is akin to what, I suspect, we all feel. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary states that a poem is “a composition in verse” and Joan Walsh Anglund says that “poetry is the silent singing each man sings within his own heart.”

There are 50 – yup, you read that right – 50 types of poems. Some of these are familiar: Haiku, free verse, Epic, ballad, sonnet, acrostic, Elegy, limerick, ode, and visual. Some of the types I never heard of: sound, senryu, rhyme royal, and pastoral. (Walt Whitman??)

My poetry journal, as written all those years ago, has 50 poems in it. I will share some with you over the next few weeks. Next week we’ll talk about keeping a Poetry Journal.

~Sallie

“By any other name”

By Helen Marshall

To seek the heights and depths of thought

And pause in silence there;

Some call it meditation –

I like to call it prayer.

To look out on the troubled world

And find the true and fair;

Some call it contemplation –

I like to call it prayer.

To give oneself for others,