My Life On Earth
Soman Ragavan said:


My comments on the poem \"My life on earth” by Bella Shapard.
“symbiotic” : one needing the other.
You link yourself with creatures on land, in the sea and with vegetation and flowers.
“(…) in regard to external nature he has a refined sensibility and a feeling of communion; (.....) (P : 199). (Section by F. W. Thomas). \"THE LEGACY OF INDIA.\" (Edited by G. T. Garratt). Introduction by the Marquess of Zetland. Oxford : The Clarendon Press, 1937. Full acknowledgements are made to the authors, publishers and rights-holders.
Poets have a communion with nature and this enables them to detect and write about the hidden beauties of nature.

“WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770-1850). Wordsworth was not only \"Nature\'s priest,\" revealing to us \"the wonder and bloom of the world,\" but also an interpreter of human life both in the poetic and philosophic expression of his own views of life and also in his narrative poems….” \"AN ANTHOLOGY OF LONGER VERSE.\" (Edited by T. W. Moles and A. R. Moon). London : Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd., 1966. Full acknowledgements are made to the authors, publishers and rights-holders.
The poet wants to discover the bloom of nature and transmit his findings to humanity.
“I am one with the moon and the stars…” Your communion does not stop on earth; it goes beyond and reaches the sky and the planets. The shining planets are a source of poetic inspiration.
“(…) In his treatment of nature, Browning, like most of his contemporaries, was inevitably influenced by the nature poetry of the Romantic era. Certain notes in his work are reminiscent of his early master Shelley. The love of a wide expanse, of the open sky and the wind, a keen eye for effects of light and colour, especially for the transformations worked by dawn and sunset, a power of seizing the more ethereal qualities of a landscape --- these characteristics he has in common with Shelley. (…)”
The love of the sky and the heavens enables poets to capture the beauty found in there and transmit it to humanity.
“My life on earth it seems so small…” Compared with the vastness of the firmament, human life appears so small, as almost to be lost in the universe. Yet, the poet acknowledges that the view of life itself is a grand one, as it is part of the expansive universe.
“I gaze with upward eyes
Take in the marvel of the skies…”
The marvel of earth-bound life is increased by the marvel of what we see in the skies. Stars and planets seem so far away as to be inaccessible. We can only wonder at and dream about the marvels in the skies. They are rather beyond our grasp, but the poetic mind will still try to capture their beauty and write about it.
“I think I will never know
The meaning of life below”
Both what we see on the face of the earth and the mysteries and marvels of the skies make us realise that we will never truly understand the complexities of life on earth.
“(…) Literature does not, of course, concentrate on a particular area of knowledge, as, for example, does Chemistry or History. Literature, we can say with some reason, is concerned with all aspects of Man and the universe in their entirety. (.....) (P : 7). H. L. B. Moody : \"THE TEACHING OF LITERATURE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.\" London : Longman Group Ltd, 1971. (\"LONGMAN HANDBOOKS FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS\" Series). Full acknowledgements are made to the authors, publishers and rights-holders.
The poet looks at the entire universe and tries to decipher its meaning. Soman Ragavan. 9 October, 2023. //
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October 9th, 2023 09:48

My Life On Earth
orchidee said:

Good write Bella.

October 9th, 2023 09:05

My Life On Earth
novaa said:

Loved it!

October 9th, 2023 08:46

The Flicker of Life
SureshG said:

In cosmological time, we are still attached to the umbilical cord -
a fascinating read

October 8th, 2023 20:40

The Flicker of Life
Teddy.15 said:

Oh my dear Bella, you got the best ever senryu, I\'d say you are an inspiration. ❤️

October 7th, 2023 12:29

Swan Lake
L. B. Mek said:

\'All faded from her fragile mind\'

\'The legs to heaven once did climb
In her mind mark perfect time

And having reached the final act
The lovers perish in a pact\'

\'In vacant eyes a feeble light\'

!Brilliant!
(I am so glad I found this
This is curated with such care
Sensitive ink, imbuing empathy
In every syllable, lavish poetry
Painting a life\'s legacy for all
To witness and to offer
A special individual a little jolt
To help inspire one last pirouette)

October 6th, 2023 05:09

Mamma\'s Winter Coat
L. B. Mek said:

Brilliant!
so vivid, such clarity, effortless accessibility
(you would give Proust and his madeleine
a good run for their money)
I bow to your superior talent
dear cherished friend
and most admired Poet
(captured that child in your poetic voice so well)

September 22nd, 2023 03:11

Mamma\'s Winter Coat
Pop64 said:

Absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way! Fantastic memory, imagery, rhyme and flow, just perfect!

September 18th, 2023 05:51

Mamma\'s Winter Coat
Neville said:


made me think of my Fathers old jacket ..

I didn\'t need to squeeze a tear from my eyes while reading .. they came from out of nowhere all on their own ..

this is a magnificently crafted poem Bella that truly took me on a far too brief journey back in time .. and for that alone, I thank you .. Neville

September 18th, 2023 01:13

Mamma\'s Winter Coat
LIZ said:

Oh my God Bella!!! This is beautiful!!!!! Mommy\'s hug!!!!! Loved it!!!

September 18th, 2023 00:26

Mamma\'s Winter Coat
Christina8 said:

A great poem and a wonderful memory. Thank you for sharing with us! Such powerful imagery. And I remember what it was like to have a mom.

September 17th, 2023 14:22

Mamma\'s Winter Coat
sorenbarrett said:

A wonderful memory and metaphor of how we look to the strength and comfort of the past; our mother, that took away all of our fears and gave us a vote of confidence that we wish we could still feel today.. A touching and poignant poem.

September 17th, 2023 11:45

Mamma\'s Winter Coat
Teddy.15 said:

Well of course this is a wonderful poem, a beautiful scene hiding inside your mom\'s coat superbly written and left me smiling from ear to ear dear Bella. Dolly Parton\'s coat of many colours also came to mind. I adore that song she also wrote it for her mom. 💖

September 17th, 2023 10:00

My Little Fantasy
Neville said:


one can only imagine .. in the wake of a wish .. and wonder slow .. delightful in its brevity dear Bella .. Neville

September 15th, 2023 01:21

Memories
Pop64 said:

While a beautifully formatted and flowing read, it contains the maudlin ideal of memories, how we might lose them and how we can gain them and treat them. A treat for the reader, but a sad truth for he or she suffering from this dilemma.

September 13th, 2023 13:46