Home
a poem by Pete Marshall
The door is shut to all who knock
and force themselves upon my porch
for home is where my heart lies deep
where wars are planned and battles fought.
and home is where I take my mind
that hides beneath the flowing robes
but home is where I left my soul
within a room no longer known.
Upon the stairs I hear the cries
of manic laughs and wicked lies
for home to these is where they play
as thoughts destroy each greying day
And home is where I hear the shouts
of words that fight to pacify
for home is where I lay in wait
and tend the blooms of life’s few highs.
but blooms and weeds remain the same
as both will wilt before they die
for home is where we learn to rest
within the heart of ones desire.
***************
This Thurday, October 7th, is the Uk's National Poetry Day, (@poetrydayUK), to celebrate this day the theme "home" has been chosen. What does "home" mean to you - the building you live in, the place you came from, or a taste of home cooking?
Home to me is my M.I.N.D, a place that yearns for peace, a place that I wish could live in harmony with me. On Sunday, 10th October, it is World Mental Health Day, whose theme is "Urbanisation & Health", I therefore have written this poem to help unite both causes.
If you would like more information on any of the above please visit the following
M.I.N.D. - For better mental health http://www.mind.org.uk/
World Mental Health Day 2010 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/world_mental_health_day/en/index.html
World Federation for Mental Health http://www.wfmh.org/00WorldMentalHealthDay.htm
Uk National Poetry Day http://www.nationalpoetryday.co.uk/
@poetrydayUK on Twitter
*************
This poem is also for One Shot Wednesday, a great platform for poets from all over the world to unite, promote and explore poetry of all genres. Opens tonight 10pm UK time and all day Wednesday, write a poem and share!
image courtesy creative commons flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickchino/
52 comments:
wow pete - this is awesome! battle of the mind...sounds familiar to me..
very cleverly written poem here mate :)
No wonder... behind that door... what home hides only the host knows... great one SHOT
;)
Loved this, Pete - one of your best IMO
There is so much in a home. Great words. Powerful.
Thoughtful and introspective and good.
...for home is One Shot, and you my friend, have made all feel welcome. Deep poem, my heart goes out to those suffering in mind. cheers, mate. heartfelt flowing lines
There's a lot going on in that head. Excellent OS.
That's a good one. Weaves in and out of what home and heart mean to each of us.
hits home for sure.
Love the form and flow in this poetic exploration of what the word 'home' means to the writer. Matter-of-fact, perhaps, but there is a poignancy, not least here:
but home is where I left my soul
within a room no longer known.
Excellent writing. The consequences of struggles faced, and the turmoil within the mind, and still the knowledge of love and home. Very well done! ~April
so much goes on between the ears...vivid writing pete...great one shot!
Wonderful work, and excellent message too. =)
This is beautifully written, Pete. I especially like how you weave the refrain "and home is where..." into your lines, like a kind of incantation.
What a touching poem. It's great that you use your voice to bring awareness to such an important issue as mental health.
Beautifully written :D~ indeed there is no place like home :P
The mind, the desires and the thoughts get onto the front the moment one is alone and in familiar and comfortable environment... You have picturised this well... I liked it. Wonderful verse and I enjoyed it throughly.
Just one thing though, that is nagging me slightly, the use of "But" in as given below...
"... that hides beneath the flowing robes
but home is where I left my soul
within a room no longer known."
It some how break the flow of my reading... just a thought..
ॐ नमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Twitter: @VerseEveryDay
Blog: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com
I read this five or six times as your technique is always both intriguing and unique. As creative as your openers always are, your use of rhythm is equally well thought. Here it's clear you chose to write without rhyme to mirror the free flow of the mind and the metaphor of home; but you use meter as a counter point so that the reader expects rhyme and when it's not provided, it seems to show the inner conflict. Absolutely brilliant as always!
you deal with issues that have become so common in society. I'm certain the economy has shown some of the cracks not visible before.
Glad you are part of this crazy One shot thing
moonie smiles for a friend
Great write Peter...love the weaving of words and emotions...the blooms and weeds stanza my favourite...really nice ...bkm
I found these lines magical "but blooms and weeds remain the same
as both will wilt before they die"
You spoke home outstandingly, just how you felt it...and this image is not far from the general.
Nicely done, Cheers!
couldn't agree more Pete..home is in my mind..isn't ? i can so easily relate to that one..:)Excellent One shot!
I enjoyed this. Home houses so many simple and complex parts of us.
I love this. The cadence of your poetry always pulls me in. My One shot sounds as if I used the theme "home" as well, thought I didn't know about it.
This poem is very evocative and cerebral and the subject of the poem seems to be having quite a personal conflict.
I dig the juxtaposition in "words that fight to pacifiy" - nice One Shot, Pete!
"...within a room no longer known..." powerful line........wonderful poem. I love the "blooms and weeds"......and the ending is terrific. Wonderful poem.
Great poem! You have let us peek in to that clever mind of yours. Poems do that a lot, but this one was special.
Good one, Pete. The contrasts are vivid, and especially so int he context of one's home.
Really amazing Pete, I won't tell you what goes on in my dark place, I might scare you!
A gem, this poem. I liked these lines best:
"for home is where I lay in wait
and tend the blooms of life’s few highs."
PS: Happy National Poetry day, makes me wish I lived in the UK today!!
it seems this house is on shaky ground. But, most come with the highs and lows. You're desire is your destiny. great...
Reminds me of our American poet, Robert Frost. Very good, Pete. Evoking the things that matter in life.
Lady Nyo
A national poetry day you say? Hurrah! And a fine way to mark it. Clever, thoughtful words. We must all ask ourselves, when we close our eyes, to where does our heart carry us away? The home, the heart, as one...
great oneshot!!!
:)
i miss my home
Home is where my heart lies deep.
Mulling on that line. Beautiful poem.
This affected me in way. Many a times we wish to escape home although we also tend to come back to it. It is only familiar ground we know.
ecstasies
Greatly enjoyed reading this. Might be my favorite of all of your poetry that I have read so far. Thanks for posting it to 1SW, always a pleasure to check out your site. Hope all is well,
crb.
This is such a powerful piece, Pete. There are so many people who are assaulted within their "homes," and continually fight the battle to keep the wolves at bay. M.I.N.D. sounds like a very worthy cause. Too many think that to seek help in the battle against their demons is to admit failure or weakness somehow. I think it is a sign of strength.
First of all - wow! Loved this, absolutely. Second...great cause. Raising awareness for mental health issues is so important.
-C
Another great piece. Thanks for this.
Have a nice day, Boonie
I think it is a case of great minds think alike. I wrote a poem about home a couple of weeks ago, though i haven't posted it yet and it is not a patch on this one.
I don't know how you do it . It feels so real. A wonderful piece.
Christine
Pete, this is truly a mindblowing poem.. I loved each and every words penned down.. I may be late to hop in but enjoyed your take truly...
You are invited for Room for Romance..
--Someone Is Special--
(big emotional sigh) - this was awesome...
The first time I read it through, the fright of your words made me literally catch my breath because I thought, "How does this man know what goes on inside my head and why is he telling my story to the whole world?"
During the second read, it made me cry because for me as well... "Home to me is my M.I.N.D, a place that yearns for peace, a place that I wish could live in harmony with me."
Then I thought, dear pete, how comforting it is to know that I am not the only one who experiences the symptoms of a disease that tells me that I am the only one who experiences the symptoms of this disease.
Thank you for the reminder.
I'm visiting the founders of one shot. Glad I'm doing so, because I'm discovering treasures.
Your poem is lovely. It gives a glimpse of the internal mental struggles of a poet's mind.
a brilliant poem pete. a new way of describing home.
trisha
mydomainpvt.wordpress.com
Lovely write Pete :)
And when your mind finally betrays you in old age, you look for a home beyond. Loved this, my friend. Write on. :)
Enjoyed this visit to yr blog, Pete. It's been a while. Great poem... a mediation of what 'home' means to us... oh to think I forgot that Oct 7th was National Poetry Day...
Good stuff
Warmest Salad
Luke @ WordSalad
Really dug this. The rhythm is great, it reads really smoothly.
http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/10/23/6244/
Thanks a lot for the support to Jingle Poetry Potluck, I could not always find time to show how much we appreciate your support, here, three awards for you Happy Monday, Happy Blogging! xxx
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