ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

A LIFE

A life begun, a much-loved son,
a daughter, but stillborn;
a father dies, a mother cries,
and turns away to mourn.

A life alone, a cairn of stone,
a cross upon a hill;
a photograph as epitaph
for all that time can kill.

© David Campbell 19/02/13

WOW - so much contained in so little - a perfect example of less is more

Wish I could do that David. The heartache is almost tangible in these words. It is a beautiful poem. Thank you.

Cheers

Maureen

Good one David.

You can do it Maureen activate the right side of the brain

Beautiful David.

Thanks Maureen, Neville and Heather. Sometimes a hint is better than the details. Leaves a lot to the imagination. As Heather has done, even more briefly, with her poem.

Cheers
David

Tops, David.
(Perhaps we could have homework specifically for really short poems, Maureen? That could be really interesting.)

the world's shortest poem, countless websites tell us, is this couplet:

Fleas
Adam
Had 'em.

Works for me and suggestion taken on board Glenny.

I like David's poem better Maureen..

I really like the poem David. It's the epitome of 'less is more'.
Robyn

Thank you, Glenny and Robyn.

Glenny's suggestion of a short poem challenge is a great idea. Enforced brevity teaches the importance of editing and making every word count. Sometimes we get carried away with an idea or a beguiling rhyme and pad our poems with stuff that isn't really necessary for narrative or quality. One thought, though, for Maureen to consider: if a limit is to be set, perhaps it could be done in terms of words rather than lines. Poetry competitions that set limits usually refer to lines, but lines can vary greatly in length. Of course, the challenge could be simply to tackle something as briefly as possible. Heather's poem, for example, is only 28 words.

Cheers
David