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The Laughing Tides

Kathy White 1954 (CA)

October 23 
Free verse
The struggles are awesome,
but the yielding is more awesome.


All was of a grace unwhispered
in the avalanche,
uncommanded in the spider's web.
And we knew that there had been no mistakes,  leaving something without a name.

All children fail before the darkness.
I am only a little child, embroidered on the night.


And all the gongs blew back on time.
And all the thunders crushed out their scribes,
as we the bells in the crystal night
Dress down our roaring tribes.

The pillars of them that chained the breath
Are matchsticks to the winds.
The sword wherewith I split the hours
Bucks in the laughing tides.

About this poem

I wrote this poem after a breakup with someone I loved very much.

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Written on July 15, 2021

Submitted by kathy.white001 on October 08, 2023

37 sec read
45

Quick analysis:

Scheme AA BXXX XB XCBC XXXX
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 613
Words 125
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 2, 4, 2, 4, 4
Full analysis for The Laughing Tides »

Kathy White

I am a 69 year old wanna-be poet and songwriter. I love to play guitar and bass guitar. I write my own songs. Writing is my passion. more…

All Kathy White poems | Kathy White Books

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1 Comment
  • Jewoo525
    Jewoo525
    Very powerful imagery and the poem does a great job at not explicitly "describing" how the poet feels; instead, it uses metaphorical techniques to masterfully convey to the reader the complex whirl of emotions that probably comes from some post-traumatic incident. Seeing the poem description now that the contest is over, adds some context to the poem's meaning. I think this is a really good example of a poet showing and not telling, a crucial aspect of writing good (poetry) in general. I enjoyed the expressions and metaphors crafted by the author, they held a certain depth and grace when I first read it- very impressive. Well done and keep writing! 
    LikeReply5 months ago

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"The Laughing Tides" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/173162/the-laughing-tides>.

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