APHONIC



breezes do not speak but
curl through bare trees.
hollow, they whisk
snow in its sleeping.

winter breezes cure,
cure normalcy so
we may swirl and
finish in silence.

finish. to finish our
breath peacefully,
cease suffering as
snow blankets, as it

sobs silently for spring.
winds that blow pale
long also for budding,
long also for pushing.

veins whisper in the leaf,
threads sewn by the jet
weep white in blue air.
breezes do not tell,

breezes do not speak.
they gently toss our hair,
make tears of our eyes,
tears of hollow eons.

About this poem

I have no idea what this poem is really about nor why I felt compelled to jot it down.

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Written on December 09, 2023

Submitted by rainydayrex on December 10, 2023

34 sec read
51

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXA XXXX XXXX AXAA XXBX XBXX
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 536
Words 115
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

John Perry Thompson

 · 1950 · Atlanta

Favorite cities where I have lived -- Atlanta, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, London, Paris and Amsterdam. Learned to surf in Huntington Beach, CA. Learned to SCUBA in Key West. more…

All John Perry Thompson poems | John Perry Thompson Books

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Discuss the poem APHONIC with the community...

3 Comments
  • jonsaviours
    This is so poetic and powerful. "tears of hollow eons." is such a beautiful line.
    LikeReply5 days ago
  • Jewoo525
    Well, reading the poem's background makes me re-think a lot of what I was interpreting from it initially... But overall I enjoyed this piece a lot during my first readings of the contest entries.

    I thought that all the mystique the piece generates with its almost cryptic lines is rooted in the structure and content of the writing. Speaking on what changes and what provides permanent "through-lines" in nature and the ever-changing seasons. The structure of the piece, with its disjointed line endings, lack of permanent rhyme scheme, and haphazard line breaks, drives the progression of ideas forward- occasionally resting on a few places, much like how the seasons would. My favorite lines were "threads sewn by a jet," and "cure normalcy so." It felt to me that despite all of these contrasting things, they are all ephemeral (seasons, elements, etc). Although they last for different times and are there by different means (snow, the jet artificially creating a streak in the sky, grief, and sadness), they all will pass.

    At least that's what I got from the words and the reasons why I enjoyed this piece so much! When I read these phrases, the content, and the unique way they were structured together, I couldn't help but conjure this association in my mind. If unintended cerebrally, perhaps it was the author's poetic intuition that took over to create such a genuine piece.

    Either way. Well written, I enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing and keep writing!
     
    LikeReply11 months ago
  • Kaytee
    I love that you have no idea what this poem is about. One of my favorites from the contest. Great job!
    LikeReply11 months ago

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"APHONIC" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/178165/aphonic>.

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