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In the Pale Brightness

Steven Maugham

Ballad
The Pale Brightness

Morning frost
Sleeping lost
Crunching grass
Magpies pass
In the pale brightness

Singing breeze
Breathing trees
Healing meadow
Soothing shadow
In the pale brightness

Gathering cloud
Hanging proud
Textured view
Hints of blue
In the pale brightness

Dampening rain
Forest lane
Leading light
Approaching night
In the pale brightness

If not some smile
To consider for a while
A brace of thought
Where creativity is caught
Release its energetic power
Like another unkempt shower

When feeling torn between the thoughts
Not wanting to be out of sorts
A furtive grin
Where exactly to begin
Start again and let it go
Swinging slowly to and fro

Falling sky
Straining eye
Seeking moon
Darkening soon
In the pale brightness

Calming dark
Quietly stark
Burning stars
No sound of cars
In the pale brightness

Dormant shout
Lights go out
Asleep in seconds
Dreaming beckons
In the pale brightness

Copyright: Steven Maugham 2023

About this poem

I have always had a penchant for coupling of words together that I think sound interesting and inviting, and this case as an oxymoron, it created an atmospheric quality that gave my the impetus to write this poem.

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Submitted by PaulSomerset on August 29, 2023

48 sec read
110

Quick analysis:

Scheme a bbccA ddeeA ffggA hhiiA jjxxkk xxllee mmnnA ooppA qqxxA x
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 937
Words 162
Stanzas 11
Stanza Lengths 1, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 1
Full analysis for In the Pale Brightness »

Steven Maugham

I'm a son of "10 pound Pom" parents, as they were called, who emigrated from England to Australia, during the 1950s and 1960s. We emigrated in 1964 when I was only 5 years old and, with the exception of several trips back to my country of birth over the years, I have lived my entire life here in Queensland, Australia. I have always enjoyed and been motivated to put pen to paper throughout my life and I have produced a number of poems, potential novels and other written articles which I am now keen to share and be published. more…

All Steven Maugham poems | Steven Maugham Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem In the Pale Brightness with the community...

3 Comments
  • JokerGem
    JokerGem
    A warm, soothing blanket of poetry....well done!
    LikeReply 18 months ago
  • B.mathislange
    B.mathislange
    Your writing caught my eye but your story was a whirlwind. All good.
    LikeReply 18 months ago
  • Vixility
    Vixility
    These days it seems hard for a poet to successfully use refrains in a repetitive manner throughout a poem—much less a rhyme-scheme. This poem does exceedingly well with both!

    The use of the refrain “In the Pale of Brightness” brought to mind Tennyson’s poem, “The Lady of Shalott”, where the repetition anchors the poem to the surrounding scenery.

    And, as the poet mentions, the coupling of words that are oxymoronic are cleverly used and do not at all distract from the poem’s theme of rural tranquility.

    Pleasant read …     
    LikeReply8 months ago
    • PaulSomerset
      PaulSomerset
      Thank you very much for your positive and constructive feedback. Really appreciated. Kind Regards Steve
      LikeReply8 months ago

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"In the Pale Brightness" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/167425/in-the-pale-brightness>.

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