Rate this poem:5.0 / 4 votes

Words Come Out But The Essence Stays Within

Ludy Bührs

The precious brain keeps arranging thought
in clusters making sense of outside things
and while with words a hold is always sought
the overload is leaving mouths on wings.
But deep inside the traces still remain
of what the eyes and ears with shock received.
Messed up seems order as the sticky stain
is often conscientiously perceived.
Burdensome when seeking clearer views
the wiping off may be the main process
because each day the smudge itself renews
and in the mind all sparks of light get less.
Pity those who take the evil in
due to fictional elicited sin.
Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by ludy_b on August 25, 2013

Modified by ludy_b on May 02, 2021

29 sec read
528

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCDEFEFGG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 551
Words 99
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Full analysis for Words Come Out But The Essence Stays Within »

Ludy Bührs

The topics she writes about are very diverse, so are the poetry styles she applies. As a Dutch translator and poet, having lived in Cambodia's capital city Phnom Penh for 2.5 years, in 2008 she published "Op de ruïnes van een rijk" (On the Ruins of an Empire) ISBN 978-90-8834-483-1 with 60 poems based on her experiences there. In 2007 she received a Certificate of Accomplishment as one of The Best Poems and Poets of 2007 issued by poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry for her poem Choked Truth, her own translation of "Verstikte waarheid", one of the poems in the book. Born in 1956, she still works as an independent translator, translating from English into Dutch. more…

All Ludy Bührs poems | Ludy Bührs Books

12 fans

Discuss the poem "Words Come Out But The Essence Stays Within" with the community...

7 Comments
  • teril
    teril
    I am so impressed by your ability to express yourself. This poem flows deceptively smooth because its images should stop it dead in its tracks!
    LikeReply 16 months ago
  • BU3
    BU3
    It never ceases to amaze me how some things are so deep down and so far away that it takes the power of poetry to summon them. to the light. Prose will never have this ability. EXCELLENT, ludy-b
    LikeReply 11 year ago
    • ludy_b
      ludy_b
      Thanks Ted! Yes, poetry brings people together by leaving 'space' for interpretations
      LikeReply1 year ago
  • Dougla$Irishman
    Dougla$Irishman
    Thanks Ludy, the only school I have ever graduated from was the school of hard knocks and it shows, as the saying goes you can't make a purse from a sow's ear ! Quit school at 16 and worked until 65. In retirement since and not enjoying it either ! My body is broke and everything else doesn't work ! Cheers 
    LikeReply1 year ago
    • ludy_b
      ludy_b
      Cheers to you too!
      LikeReply1 year ago
  • Dougla$Irishman
    Dougla$Irishman
    Being a very novice poet, I apologize for my remarks and hope to be more observant in the future !
    LikeReply1 year ago
    • ludy_b
      ludy_b
      You've not offended me, Douglas. I'm just explaining.
      LikeReply1 year ago
  • Dougla$Irishman
    Dougla$Irishman
    Ludy, just having a little levity, sometimes poets get too serious and we need to smile at the world and say, why not ?
    LikeReply1 year ago
    • ludy_b
      ludy_b
      Sure, I do like to smile at the world too. This poem however was written to express how I felt about raped women being condemned.
      LikeReply1 year ago
  • Dougla$Irishman
    Dougla$Irishman
    Ludy it is your duty to do your best, nothing more or nothing less !
    To be a poetess you must confess you are hooked in all this mess !
    Et Tu Brute.
    LikeReply 11 year ago
    • ludy_b
      ludy_b
      This poem is not about me, but I'm fine with your interpretation
      LikeReply1 year ago
  • Soulwriter
    Soulwriter
    Wow Ludy. Powerful - one of your best.
    LikeReply 11 year ago
    • ludy_b
      ludy_b
      Thank you! It is my first ever English sonnet. I felt very motivated when writing this.
      LikeReply1 year ago
    • Soulwriter
      Soulwriter
      It truly comes through in your writing.
      LikeReply 11 year 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

"Words Come Out But The Essence Stays Within" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 2 Jun 2023. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/91633/words-come-out-but-the-essence-stays-within>.

Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

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!

More poems by

Ludy Bührs

»

June 2023

Poetry Contest

Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
28
days
14
hours
59
minutes
6 entries submitted — 144 remaining

Our awesome collection of

Promoted Poems

»

Browse Poetry.com

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Quiz

Are you a poetry master?

»
Which of these poets was not American?
  • A. Rudyard Kipling
  • B. Ezra Pound
  • C. Emily Dickinson
  • D. Walt Whitman