Welcome back to Poem for Your Thoughts, the column for all things poetry and philosophy. Last week we discussed the talents of Walt Whitman, as well as my poem “When the Stars Stop Shimmering“. There were a lot of flattering and intriguing comments and I thank you all for participating and hope you continue to do so. The top comment of the week was submitted by a member of The Uproar staff, Nick Giorgetti:

Davis, this is some Godfather level betrayal here at the end. It was sweet and romantic until the last two lines, where you were betrayed; just like when Michael Corleone betrays his brother Fredo in The Godfather. Sometimes people don’t deserve to be loved, and your poem demonstrates this well.

Thank you for the interesting and insightful comment! Remember, you can comment on my poem each week (anonymous comments included), and I will choose the most intriguing interpretation or opinion. Each edition will include two poems, the first being a featured piece written by a famous poet which will be analyzed and interpreted according to my point of view. Of course, everyone’s interpretation is different and valid, and the comment section will be open for any further discussion. The second piece is written by yours truly and will be open to complete interpretation and analysis. Go forth, enjoy and as you read, remember: “It is not what you look at that matters, it is what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau

Poem One: Nightsong by Adrian Henri (1932-2000)

So we’ll go no more a-raving
So late into the night
Though the heart be still as loving
And the neonsigns so bright

Ate my breakfast egg this morning
playing records from last night
woke to hear the front door closing
as the sky was getting light

No more fish-and-chips on corners
Watching traffic going by
No more branches under streetlamps
No more leaves against the sky

No more blues by Otis Redding
No more coffee no more bread
No more dufflecoats for bedding
No more cushions for your head

Though the night is daylight-saving
And the day returns too soon
Still we’ll go no more a-raving
By the light of the moon

Thoughts: Adrian Henri, a powerful writer and one of the “Liverpool poets”,  was a modern poet of the late 20th century whose style paints a picture of city life and passionate romance in this poem. Some may interpret Henri’s first line as a lament for lost love, but in fact, the speaker is dismayed because the night with his lover is ending. The night is time for running through the city under the “neonsigns” and eating “fish-and-chips on corners”. The speaker recollects his night of joy with the woman he loves over his “breakfast egg” the next morning, still listening to the songs they heard in the streets. This is evident in our lives as well, as our nights are filled with fun and our days are filled with busy school work. The night is time for adventure, love, passion, and joy, while the day brings forth productivity and focused work; we all wish the days would stay away when our nights are filled with so much fun. This poem truly highlights the love and affection the speaker has for his lover, as well as the simple times that make each night enjoyable together. A truly sentimental and beautiful poem.

Poem Two: Empire State of Love by D.C.

I regret to inform you, reader, I am dying.

My heart splits my throat with its incessant thumping,

My eyes are bursting for freedom from my sockets,

My hands quiver as they rot before me; a dead man walking.

It sorrows me, reader, that I shall die not knowing you.

You were the only love I ever knew, and yet you never knew.

My words never reached your lips to seep into your beauty,

My lips, the eternal messenger of my affection; failures.

Reader, I pray Death will do its worst; save its sweetness for you.

Death, the swinging sickle, strike me from the highest tower,

My plummeting body, the hair parting from my view,

So that I may see the final grain in the sidewalk; Godspeed, Death.

I regret to inform you reader, I am dying.

Not once did the light catch your eyes from this ring,

Not once did our breath intertwine like the fingertips of mother and child

But this final stroke, swift and strong, I fall dying for undying love.

Reader, I loved you.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Poem for Your Thoughts. What does the Henri poem evoke in you? What does my poem make you feel and imagine? Please, let me know in the comment section below and you might end up in next week’s issue! DISCLAIMER: Do not confuse the voice of the speaker with the voice of the author! This is a narrative piece that does not convey the actual thoughts of the author.