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I Came To Believe In My Higher Power

~by Gregg Rowe~

 

 

Chronic life -- day by day – determined dour

April sixteenth two thousand eight – faced my death

I’ve come to believe in my Higher Power 

~

With my chronic illness I’ve ne’er cowered

But this night – thought – this is my last earthly breath

Chronic life -- day by day – determined dour 

~

Sadly I thought – it is my final hour

An opposing auto – side swiped my travelling bed

I’ve come to believe in my Higher Power 

~

Pitch blackness surrounds, my life’s moment  -- soured

Flash of bright light, “Not now!” -- I scream in my head

Chronic life -- day by day – determined dour 

~

From air to earth I land – greeted rain shower

Felt my body -- weeped -- and  cried:  “I am not dead!”

I’ve come to believe in my Higher Power 

~

It has been four days and I will not glower

Glad to be alive -- witness --  life’s tragic weds

Chronic life -- day by day – determined dour 

I’ve come to believe in my Higher Power

~

 

A contest entry

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Comments


  • dericlee
    May 5
    Edit | Reply

    A bit of last-minute coaching.




    This message goes out to all entrants:

    Finalists as shown on the contest page are preliminary choices.

    With three days left before contest closes, I’d like to take a moment to remind all entrants; a villanelle is a metered form, not just a ‘rhythmic’ form, and meter is a prime portion of the judging in this contest! Meter is not just “how many beats in a line” but a set pattern of stressed versus unstressed beats.

    While no particular meter is specified for the villanelle, it IS crucial that the meter be even. Whether iambic pentameter, anapestic trimeter, double-dactyllic meter, whatever meter, each line needs to at least loosely follow the same metric pattern as the others.

    Another strong facet if judging in this contest is demonstrating an adaptive use of the repeated lines; the best villanelles can’t be achieved by making the repeat lines sentences or independent clauses, but by using them in varied meanings as different parts of different sentences. I refer you to Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle into that good night” for a fine example of how this is done. (For those unfamiliar with the work, I’ve now included it in the text of the Contest Page at http://allpoetry.com/contest/2401901 ) Please revisit the Contest Page…more information has been provided for your use in these last three days.

    If enough of you feel the need, contact me. For as few as (oh, lemme think… ) six requests, I’d be willing to stretch the contest by an additional five days so you can present your best work. In the interests of keeping what anonymity remains (glower!) please make those requests on the contest page, NOT by IM!

  • dericlee
    April 27

    Edit | Reply
    Looks fine now to me...but even as a block, I would have been able to c/p and impose stanza breaks in Word Pad. (In fact, that's how I read it the first time.)

    Don't drain yourself worrying about format...just keep your head in the poetic expression. No sweat.

  • dericlee
    April 27
    Edit | Reply

    Standard notice (going to all entries)


    Given that many "first day" poems often suffer some revision before final judging (which will take place during the final three days before close) I won't comment on this poetically yet. The contest ends May 8th...I'd like to see all editing done and your product "finished" by the fifth if possible, to aid me in judging in a timely manner.

    • lordoftherings gold member
      April 27
      Edit | Reply

      I've tried for two hours

      Eric:

      I've tried for two hours to fix this poem into the stanza braks and three times it has wiped out my Author's Notes that I had written. Now I'M frustrated, but still wondering what to do, delete this and tgry to start over?

      Gregg