An Offering to a Goddess



In thine eyes is peace
Burdened with solitude

In thine smile is joy
Muddled by loss

How many things are tinged with grief?
How much is hidden by sadness?

When they say that there is beauty in pain, surely they mean you
And if there is no love without loss, what must I lose to gain your affections?

I cannot offer peace
I can try to bring you joy
But I fear I am all pain
And my beauty has left me behind

Grief is my name
And sadness is my mistress

Yet your smile weakens my blackened heart
Flowers grow from the cracks in my soul

What to offer the burning of your sunshine?
What can I sacrifice to the crushing calm of your oceans?

I offer my company
A sword through your solitude
I will carry your burden
To lighten your loss

For if I must drown
I would do so for you

If I am buried alive under the weight of our sins
I will do so for you

Oh! To see you smile
To hear your laugh
It is worth a thousand sorrows

And while your beauty causes me nothing but pain
I walk on this bed of nails for you

A sunflower amongst roses, my love
You stand alone
But I bask in your shadow
In the hope that you will mourn at my grave

And I’ll wither away
In joy at the last sight of your face

About this poem

A sapphic love poem written in traditional format, heavy with imagery.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on 2020

Submitted by ShyDiaz on November 19, 2021

Modified on March 30, 2023

1:18 min read
20

Quick analysis:

Scheme AB CD XE FG ACHX XE XX XG XBXD XF XF XXX HF XXXX XX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,194
Words 263
Stanzas 15
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 4, 2, 2, 2, 4, 2, 2, 3, 2, 4, 2

Discuss the poem An Offering to a Goddess with the community...

0 Comments

    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

    "An Offering to a Goddess" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/114264/an-offering-to-a-goddess>.

    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!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    12
    days
    6
    hours
    14
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

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

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who is credited with creating the first poetry slam event?
    A Grand corps Malade
    B Kerry James
    C Marc Smith
    D Victor Hugo