Light Dances on the Ceiling



Light dances on the ceiling
as remnants of a feeling
stay locked up in my mind
Despite what my belief means
there’s an ambiance that convenes
upon places only I can find
And still clinging to these thoughts
while wondering over lingering lots
of different space-times left behind
Those lights may shimmer and fade
but the shards of feeling don’t evade
incorporation into psyche newly aligned
(to illuminate a focus becoming refined)

About this poem

Since everyone seems to do it, I thought I’d try writing in the first person. This is nothing I wrote recently but I remember car headlights 'dancing' on my living room ceiling from the traffic always passing -as the traffic of my thoughts were also passing by.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by JokerGem on September 20, 2023

21 sec read
13

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCCBDEBFFBB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 436
Words 72
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 13

Jeffrey Powell

A bit of an introvert, Jeffrey enjoys using words and poetry as an outlet for expressing his thoughts and feelings. He tends to play by his own rules and darts in and out of the civilized world, as avoiding the conventional gathering is more his style. Jeffrey lives with his fraternal twin whom he enjoys sharing a laugh with at the opportune time. more…

All Jeffrey Powell poems | Jeffrey Powell Books

5 fans

Discuss the poem Light Dances on the Ceiling with the community...

1 Comment
  • Vixility
    I like how the experience of the crisscrossing (how my mind saw it) lights served as a springboard to reflect on the inner life going on in the narrator. That it pushes deeper down into a realm of contemplation is no surprise as your poems don’t tend to be superficial: dormant thoughts, memories and personal histories (‘space-times’) may ebb in and out of the narrator’s perception, but the emotions they evoke do not: “feelings do not evade incorporation” into the person the narrator now is … does that make sense?

    If I were to super-duper summarize the poem, I would say it’s about ‘apperception’ (vs mere perception) on a level that touches emotions.

    I especially love the closing rhyming couplet and its positive mental health message—this experience serves to ‘illuminate’ and ‘refine’ the narrator (period).

    … AND, speaking of rhyme! I’m constantly digging how you take up so many different poetic forms, styles, metrical and rhythmic patterns. This one you used (which the site’s ‘quick analysis’ finally got right) really made this a smooth read through; and the rhymes of lines 3, 6, 9, 12 and 13 held the entire work together perfectly!

    Good job J !!
     
    LikeReply7 months ago
    • Vixility
      I might have to try out the parameters you chose for your poem in a work of my own.
      LikeReply7 months ago
    • JokerGem
      That would be pleasing to read if you so choose to replicate this one.
      I tried to contrast the fleeting lights with acquiring more fixed perceptions while, I may dwell on the past it is not still here to be accounted for. Apperception...yes, I think my intuitiveness can best be described as, sorting it out, with that word.

      I do like to have a consistent, even flow.. it's almost puzzling to me how it effortlessly comes about. Everytime I say to myself, "I am not going to rhyme in this one," l wind up doing it regardless. But the rhyming really does help to get the message across so I am not apologetic about it.
      I wrote something a few nights ago that switches up the rhymes too. Thinking of entering that one -maybe next month.

      Thank ya for the analysis and honesty, please do keep coming back! ;>
       
      LikeReply7 months 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

"Light Dances on the Ceiling" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/169297/light-dances-on-the-ceiling>.

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.
2
days
20
hours
9
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?

»
A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using "like" or "as" is called a _______.
A metaphor
B hyperbole
C personification
D simile