... just a small sampling:

  • I’m untouchable. People think my shadow Has PTSD land mines. They keep their distance, Heads down, Safe behind the line Of yellow Traumatic Hazard Tape. No one wants to get blown to hell. Look what it did to me.   Life gave me chains To wear on my ankles. I broke them and made wind […]

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a sampling:

Welcome to the Poetry Church.

WHY POETRY?


Because language arises from experience.

Because each of us is an experience of life itself.

Because meaning is only found in the inner life, conveyed not just in words that give our inner lives their labels, but in the actual feeling of life itself. The joy and sorrow and all in between.

Because poetry is a way to not just speak about those inner realities, but to convey them. To share them. To not just make them known, but make them felt.

Because language gives birth to our inner lives.

Because poetry is resurrection.

WHY CHURCH?


Because church is people.

Because the most eloquent sermon is worthless if it doesn't help us see the hearts and souls of those around us.

Because when words are used merely to convey  rigid dogma at the expense of individual experience, our inner lives are diminished.

Because by writing, sharing, and gathering together we reclaim the ground in which language reaches its fullest potential- the human heart.

Because all people are the image of God.

Because every voice matters.


 

  • Poetry Archives

    Enjoy our extensive poetry archives from all of our contributing authors where you can filter the poems by themes, authors, and writing styles.

  • Contributors

    Get to know our contributing authors (and sometimes even their cats). Enjoy their poetry archives too (the authors' not their cats' archives).

  • Gatherings

    Check out our poetry gatherings, get to know the authors, and check out their group archives to get a sense of which flavor of lunatic fringe is to your liking.

WHY POETRY?


Because language arises from experience.

Because each of us is an experience of life itself.

Because meaning is only found in the inner life, conveyed not just in words that give our inner lives their labels, but in the actual feeling of life itself. The joy and sorrow and all in between.

Because poetry is a way to not just speak about those inner realities, but to convey them. To share them. To not just make them known, but make them felt.

Because language gives birth to our inner lives.

Because poetry is resurrection.

WHY CHURCH?


Because church is people.

Because the most eloquent sermon is worthless if it doesn't help us see the hearts and souls of those around us.

Because when words are used merely to convey  rigid dogma at the expense of individual experience, our inner lives are diminished.

Because by writing, sharing, and gathering together we reclaim the ground in which language reaches its fullest potential- the human heart.

Because all people are the image of God.

Because every voice matters.


Featured Poems

The Whole Wide World

by Matt Beard
They were married here Beneath the cypress And my only job My one simple job Was to gather up the scene Many months later And weave it together In humble cotton Beneath the surface Of the paint So I set about collecting threads…   I found unceremonious tatters of silk ribbon hanging from the boughs I found tourists eating sandwiches in eleven different languages I found needles scattered along discarded railroad tracks I found the...
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Green Duct Tape

by Jeff Woodke
We who’ve been broken, are not easily seen. We are hard to understand We make people uncomfortable. Unspoken questions Beneath standard issue smiles; “Aren’t you better yet? It’s been two years now, Get over your fears now. No more tears now.” Their get-well wishes are for themselves Not for me. Not for the one they cannot see. They give me advice on healing; “Just spray some spiritual weed killer On that root of bitterness And...
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I Found You Here

by Matt Beard
And as I wondered what fears I was about to face When I peered over the ledge Of my own dark and troubled heart And leaned over to look inside I heard a quiet voice speak these words   “Do not be afraid, Whatever you find here Is only a mirror with which To see yourself more clearly”   After an awkward moment of silence I ventured my reply   “Well, I found YOU here...”...
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No Mere Maid

by Matt Beard
Part I: She Found Me   I saw the ocean’s waves Advancing like an army to war I heard each marching wave Perish in the cannon’s roar Each one a soldier of the sun Born of water, and nothing more   I saw the howling wind Performing calculations in the sky I heard the voice of the wind Reciting computations cold and dry I saw it carrying the zeros From the problems facing you and...
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Spring

by Els W
Spring Oh that day That glorious day The birds were all atwitter and the flowers bloomed their best in pinks and purple, yellow and white and the trees blossomed their promise of plenty The children were laughing The people were smiling The wind caressed us tenderly on that day that the sun spread out her arms and embraced us with her warmth.  
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Love is in the Heart of the Beholder

by Els W
Love is in the heart of the beholder And sees beyond the veil Love yearns for connection And covers imperfection It clothes the world with splendor And hears the distant songs Love climbs up to the summit Where the heart belongs.
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Lost… Or Just Displaced

by Matt Beard
The glossy pages of outdoor magazines are the admission tickets. Nylon and Gore-Tex nomads. Lovers of the adventurous life with paid time off. Communing with nature while eating astronaut food under the stars. Always keep it moving. You have to match the speed of gravity to stay in orbit. Don’t stop, or you might get lost… or just displaced.   Back to the land hippies spring up like flowers in shelters built from the ruins...
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