Day One Poem by M... Berryann
Day One
Yesterday, the demon was at bay,
One with a generous debit card,
Now, its suffering's first birthday,
That which makes day two so hard.
A demon has multiple faces,
His smile etched upon a pill,
All the dreams, he burns and replaces,
Just a one way trip downhill.
From a distance, she cries to me,
Make me better, I'm so cold,
Day one, is suffering's reality,
Regret, anxiety, sleeplessness-behold!
How is strength drawn from weakness?
How weakness was drawn from strength!
There's reward beyond the bleakness!
Salvation at an arm's length!
Today, the demon is alive,
Feeding negativity into the mind,
A maimed brain in overdrive,
Fact and fiction combined.
Back and forth, tossing and turning,
From the pawn, falls a tear,
Every Day One, eventually learning,
How to make it to your first year!
Mark Berryann
2017 © All Rights Reserved
That's great you looked at the Fussell book and learned from it. Most formal poets just tell me to f**k off as if there's nothing to know about meter. It's an awfully complex skill, writing formal verse, and that's one reason I don't do it. You might also enjoy poetry by Richard Howard and Anthony Hecht; these contemporary poets are wonderful formalists. Good luck in your future poetic endeavors. Yrs, JC
Mark, there's strong emotion behind this poem, but the meter is a problem. If you're going to write formal verse. you need to know what you're doing. A good book for learning about meter is Paul Fussell's Poetic Meter & Poetic Form. If you have time, check out my new website: jeffersoncarterverse.com Tell me how you like it. Yrs, JC
JC, I worked on the meter per what I read in Paul Fussell's instructions. I'm sure it's nothing close to perfection but, after reading it in it's current state, it seems to flow much better than the original submission. What do think my friend?
Thank you for the feedback and advice. I have never received any formal instructions for writing poetry. For me it's an outlet. I'm self taught. I'll check out the information on meter as well as, your poetry...... JC: read your The Falling Man, WOW! I got chills from your words. Well done my friend. Well done. The books look great! You're an accomplished writer. You should be very proud to have come so far with your poetry. Thanks again M.L.B.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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8/28/2026 1:23:32 PM # rel_20260827T145718Z_a0f1bd3
A nice poetic imagination, A great start with an impressive poem. Thanks