Of a life without love Embellished with nightmares hanging on the wings of a black dove Of horrendous, bold images full of disdain and cult Cries unfortunate shadowing unblissful nights of stench Bodies upon bodies of blood lost upon an alter Gutted and drenched.
Of a life filled with eternity What good is time if there is no joy Wrongful passion misconstrued on the rims of pain Innocence lost in the arms of guttural pleasures Death would be that heavenly key.
Spare us the lives of the newly born Another generation of newly dead!
Fair river! in thy bright, clear flow Of crystal, wandering water, Thou art an emblem of the glow Of beauty, the unhidden heart, The playful maziness of art In old Alberto’s daughter;
II.
But when within thy wave she looks, Which glistens then, and trembles, Why, then, the prettiest of brooks Her worshiper resembles; For in his heart, as in thy stream, Her image deeply lies, His heart which trembles at the beam Of her soul-searching eyes.
This poem is in the public domain
No Copyright Music – Chill Lo-Fi hip hop beat FREE music by LAKEY INSPIRED (Copyright Free Music)
She Walks in Beauty By George Gordon Byron – 1788-1824
I.
She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes: Thus mellowed to that tender light Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
II.
One shade the more, one ray the less, Had half impaired the nameless grace Which waves in every raven tress, Or softly lightens o’er her face; Where thoughts serenely sweet express How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
III.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow, So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, The smiles that win, the tints that glow, But tell of days in goodness spent, A mind at peace with all below, A heart whose love is innocent!
Written June 12, 1814. This poem is in the public domain
Music – Instrumental Piano and Violin [Copyright Free Music] – ‘Luz de Luna’ by Juan Sánchez
Haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a 5, 7, 5 pattern. Western haiku poets try to maintain a very simple form; free of all poetic trickery yet able to paint a picture with gracefulness.
In this Haiku fusion poetry book, I explore many themes and thoughts with an erratic modern edge and have accompanied each poem with its Japanese translation. Even though some of the poem’s depth might be lost in translation, I still think it only fair to give respect to the language haiku was originally penned in.
Read close to 90 poems, with an introduction to “The 7’s” where I express my take on Haiku describing authentic topics like: 7 Heat – Ups / 7 Deadly Sins / 7 Heavenly Virtues / 7 Modern World Wonders / 7 Ancient World Wonders.
Chriselda Barretto 