He is Not Here

Donka Krsteva

He spoke hard words, and many left him.
Demanding truth and love,
he whipped hypocrisy with firm resolve.
They thought they silenced him,
and left without remorse the shameful cross.

He spoke hard words,
and all but few abandoned him,
the Shepherd struck, the sheep dispersed,
the fishermen to empty nets returned,
the women at the mill, hard toiling still.

He said hard things,
and they left him at the place of Skull,
but witness to his living Word,
three days hence,
above death, violence and pain,
dawned Resurrection Day.

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Submitted by donka_k on June 29, 2018

Modified on April 13, 2023

: 27 sec read
: 178 Views

Quick analysis:

Scheme	AXXAX XAXXX XXXXXX
Closest metre	Iambic tetrameter
Characters	515
Words	90
Stanzas	3
Stanza Lengths	5, 5, 6

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Donka Krsteva

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donka_k
Thank you for your comment
LikeReply1 month ago
karlcfolkes
A Father’s Eternal Love: Employing hard words to soften hard hearts of his listeners; not sparing the rod to spoil us, his children.
LikeReply1 month ago
donka_k
Thank you so very much, Teril. This is a wonderful and insightful review . It encourages me in writing down my thoughts.
LikeReply2 months ago
Teril
Your writing is excellent - you have told a powerful story in a few carefully chosen words.
LikeReply2 months ago
AIDA
Wow, what an incredible and powerful poem! You've done a fantastic job of portraying the unwavering and uncompromising nature of the protagonist's beliefs, as well as the heavy cost of speaking truth to power. I love how you've woven in elements of faith and spirituality into your words, creating an even deeper layer of meaning.

One suggestion for improvement would be to work on the rhythm and pacing of the poem. Some of the phrases feel a bit too short or choppy and could benefit from a more flowing structure. Additionally, consider playing around with different forms to add even more nuance and depth to your message.

Overall, I think that this poem is a really fantastic piece of work and I look forward to seeing more from you in the future! Keep up the great work! more »
LikeReply2 months ago

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"He is Not Here" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 4 Jun 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/47175/he-is-not-here>.

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