Rate:4.7 / 3 votes

My Existence Flattens

Ludy Bührs

Dizain
How do I pull myself up from darkness,
where is the light, will my eyes find a hold?
My cold hand is but searching, baseless
without its fit, it slides in my shade’s mold
and it reaches just to find an untold
empty space of uselessness, gruesome void.
No place to stay, drifting like an asteroid
how much is left of me then, who am I?
The night takes long, no second to avoid,
my life’s flushed, in hollow strokes goes by.

About this poem

Poem in the form of a dizain, inspired by a work of art. This particular form was a favorite of 15th and 16th century French poets, but it has also been employed in English by the likes of Philip Sidney and John Keats.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by ludy_b on November 15, 2021

Modified by acronimous on November 18, 2021

27 sec read
146

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABBCCDCD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 431
Words 90
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 10
Full analysis for My Existence Flattens »

Ludy Bührs

 · Amsterdam

The topics she writes about are very diverse, so are the poetry styles she applies. As a Dutch translator and poet, having lived in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh for 2.5 years, in 2008 she published "Op de ruïnes van een rijk" (On the Ruins of an Empire) ISBN 978-90-8834-483-1 with 60 poems based on her experiences there. In 2007 she received a Certificate of Accomplishment as one of The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 issued by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry for her poem Choked Truth, her own translation of "Verstikte waarheid", one of the poems in the book. Born in 1956, she still works as an independent translator, translating from English into Dutch. more…

All Ludy Bührs poems | Ludy Bührs Books

44 fans

Discuss the poem My Existence Flattens with the community...

2 Comments
  • Dougla$Irishman
    Dougla$Irishman
    This poem depicts a life looking at itself all the time and seeing a life devoid of purpose. Living to one's self will produce this but a giving life will enhance others.
    Seek and you shall find ! But having a name like Ludy is priceless ! Win some and lose some ! 
    LikeReply 12 years ago
    • ludy_b
      ludy_b
      This poem depicts the feelings a drawing gave me, trying to put myself in the place of the drawn figure and its shadow.
      LikeReply2 years ago
  • Soulwriter
    Soulwriter
    How interesting :)
    LikeReply3 years ago
    • ludy_b
      ludy_b
      You mean the poetic form or the content?
      LikeReply3 years ago
    • Soulwriter
      Soulwriter
      the form in particular :)
      LikeReply3 years ago

Translation

Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"My Existence Flattens" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Dec. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/114074/my-existence-flattens>.

Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

Become a member!

Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

More poems by

Ludy Bührs

»

December 2024

Poetry Contest

Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
22
days
5
hours
15
minutes
32 entries submitted — 118 remaining

Special Program

Earn Rewards!

Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

Our awesome collection of

Promoted Poems

»

Browse Poetry.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

Quiz

Are you a poetry master?

»
How may lines and syllables are in a Japanese Waka poem?
A 31 syllables in five lines
B 30 syllables in every other line
C 15 syllables in 7 lines
D 50 syllables in 7 lines