I Need Some Uplifting,Daily Life, Poetry

[Erin]

I really want some uplifting poetry! Please give me some reccomendations

[LE]

Pam Ayres is a very funny English poet (she grew up not far from where I live). If you like humorous poetry, then you’ll find her work very uplifting and witty. However, if you want something a bit deeper (with the same profundity as Shakespeare) then John Keats is perfect. His work is reflective but utterly exquisite; ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, ‘Fancy’ and ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ (not necessary to understand French because the poem is in English) are three of my favourite poems of all time. Embarrassingly, I even have a John Keats audio-book and listen to it while I’m working; Sam West and Michael Sheen read beautifully!

[Annemarie]

Uplifting I read as "funny" so I'm going with Alexander Pope! He's a mensch!

[Will]

Shel Silverstein.

[Erin]

Thanks You Guys!

[Heather]

I really enjoy Bradley Hatheway. He has a book of poetry with a cd accompaniment of him reading them. I find his poetry incredibly uplifting and real.

I also like Bryan Dietrich (Krypton Nights) is fantastic. Krypton Nights revolves solely around the Superman characters.

Seamus Heeney is also good.

[Jeanette]

Erin - read Roger McGough - particularly Summer with Monica - gorgeous poem about spending extended time in bed with a lover - but he has written lots of other funny/touching/sad - hope you enjoy - cheer Jeanette

[Michael]

Try "The Essential Rumi" http://www.amazon.com/The-Essential-R... You wouldn't expect a book of poetry written by a 13th century Sufi mystic to be this much fun, but it is.

[Erin]

Thanks! :D

[Richard]

I cam on here to suggest Rumi, and Michael has beaten me to it! Keats is also good, but certainly heavier.

And so as to suggest something not mentioned before, try The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. :)

[Beth A.]

All of the above. I am sure you are looking for established poets but if you are inspired by the ones you read up on,or just want to check us out I have a small group of nice poets...open to everyone...


The Most Peculiar Poetry Salon For Particular Poets

[Tiffmoney]

While not necessarily uplifting, I have to recommend Gregory Sherl... specifically his collection, Heavy Petting. Sherl hits on many daily life moments quite often sex, relationships, addiction, ADD, and OCD behaviors. Also, read Toni Hoagland.

[Richard]

I forgot this - The Prophet, by Kahill Gibran.

[AndrewJL]

The books of Proverbs and Psalms from the Bible are collections of uplifting and inspirational poetry.

[Cassondra]

I second the idea of Biblical poetry being uplifting.

If you're looking for humor, I really like "My Mistress' Eyes" by Shakespeare. While the meaning is deep, true, and cool, the parody of the traditional sonnets is humorous. But then, I rather enjoy parodies, provided they are clean.

[Michael]

Let me suggest "Ten Poems to Change Your Life" which is a short collection edited and discussed by Roger Housden. He has others in this series. I read the book a few years ago, and it didn't change my life, but I did find it uplifting.

I also recommend John Donne, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Raymond Carver (especially his last book).

[Victoria]

Flowers of Evil by Baudlaire or Fleurs du Mal, Rimbaud,
Allen Ginsberg, Rumi, Plath, Anne Sexton, Yeats,My Town
by James Dean, Jim Morrison, Hopkins, Keats, Blake,
The Greek Poets anthology Homer to the Present, The Poems of Saint Juan De La Cruz, Roy Campbell

[Victoria]

The poem "My Town" is found in the Mutant King by David Dalton.The classic books showing Dean as a poet of the pose are the ones by Schatt and the one by Stock.The best Shakespearean actor Ive seen is Lawrence
O'Livia . I recently bought his boxset and watched part of Hamlet.His voice was so gorgeous and graceful were his movements. However my mom thought it was old and hokey.

[Will]

lol @ Bukowski and Plath.

Joking right? I mean, I love their poetry, but you probably couldn't pick two more depressing poets.

[Victoria]

I recently bought rock star Patti Smiths poetry book "Banga" its good like the Jim Morrison one.I think
Jim Morrison deserves Lennon's laurels for his song
lyrics "When the Musics Over" but "Imagine " is so much simpler and more for mass consumption of mediocre minds.Jim Morrison was a nice man with a alcohol problem.Lennon did heroin too. Morrison was a victim of the times.

[Victoria]

"Banga" is the name of Pontius Pilates dog in the Russian novel "The Master and the Margarita" which I need to read

[Victoria]

Theres also about six classic poems by Dickinson that are worthy to read.I need to read Walt Whitman.

[Will]

Haha, okay, I thought you were kidding. I kind of ruined the joke, didn't I?

[Richard]

Agree with the Whitman reference. I find Song of Myself immensely invigorating, uplifting, and cuts through the crap beautifully.

Victoria - a good list of poets. However I agree with your mother...

And I'll argue that your Lennon / Morrison distinction is open to debate on conclusion, but your choice of 'facts' for justification look rather biased to me.

They both experimented with a large variety of drugs, particularly psychedelics. If it's heroin that you're bothered with, what do you think of Byron, Shelley, Coleridge, De Quincey, etc..? I take it you know about 'the man from Porlock'?

[Victoria]

Yes, many writers have experimented with drugs and some to good results.I lightly experimented and personally found my writing improved as my mind saw with greater clarity.I believe in the golden mean for those outside of the monastic life.So far I have found
nothing satisfactory to replace "mere christianity".

[Victoria]

Drugs are not a substance I recommend because some dont
return from their inner vision or nightmare.I prefer extreme sports, the disciplines of philosophy, and art
aesthectics to drug use or abuse of alcohol.Though its
less romantic going crazy with cuisine is more worthwhile to me now too.I think unless you are doing clinical research with a new substance the time of pychedelics is over.

[Victoria]

I made a really tasty cilantro pizza once. Someone must make a Tex-Mex-Italian classic.I forgot what I put on it though.That was years ago.

[Victoria]

Much of the poetry I recommended is depressing.Children poetry like Shel Silverstein is
often funny.Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley wasnt
depressing.Hes a very old fashioned sonnet type poet if I recall correctly. I had a antique book of that Indiana poet I gave to someone as a gift.

[Victoria]

Most people write verse when depressed.I play my guitar badly when blue.I usually dont write at all except when I feel inspired to state something positive or be defensive of a image or symbol.Painting
when blue can be effective too.Vincent Van Gogh did some exspresionist brushstrokes that were like sad songs and one The Starry Starry Night that reminded me of religous ecstacy.Most of my sad poetry is me writing past tense of scars that have healed.

[Victoria]

Some people consider me a poet.I destroyed most of my early teenage pychotic vent poetry except what I had to turn into my English teacher.It was mostly very shallow or superfical or cliche.You can read some of my
poems at www.deviantart.com My screenname there is
Dogsledder.My name is either Victoria Rhyannon Nicholson or Victoria Liberty Nicholson on various websites.

[Victoria]

I dont like writing poetry to deal with my feelings but that intrests and works for many.

[Joanne]

Billy Collins is fun to read. Garrison Keillor has put together some good poetry anthologies. Virginia Adair is good too.

[Victoria]

Sexton has more of a sense of humor than Plath. Plath wrote deep depressing poetry.They both won Pulitzers for their poems and found a mutual suicide solution.
Emilie Autumn is another rock star who writes poetry.
"Falling is just another way to fly" Emilie Autumn
That quote would be good on a poster of Louganis or Hexum diving.

[C. J.]

There is a poem by Emily Dickinson that I have always found encouraging. I heard it first in Middle School and though much of her other works are probably not always uplifting, this one is a good reflection on life. It is short but it had a very significant impact on me.

It is called "If I can stop one Heart from Breaking"

I found it through this source:

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/If_I_ca...

[Michele]

Please forgive me for plugging my own poetry books here.
Here's one of my short poems from my Alternative Poetry Books - Yellow edition

Where there's dirt there's life

Nothing good comes from sterile and pure.
The best things in life spring up from manure.

by Michele Brenton

My current poetry trilogy

is an extremely short (3 longish poems) satire inspired (if that is the correct word) by Fifty Shades of Grey and has been in the top 20 on Amazon since it was released. It got to number 1 yesterday ;) That is in the paid charts by the way - it hasn't ever been a freebie, though it is a cheapy - given it is only short.

My three other 'proper' length poetry books have done well (though not as well as my latest) and uplifting, funny, moving are all words people have used when describing them.

I know it isn't 'done' to push one's own work - but given I'm in the Amazon lists with only dead poets for company - you can maybe excuse me for being a little more active at marketing than my expired colleagues.

[Victoria]

Your poetry looks good.

[Victoria]

CJ wrote: "There is a poem by Emily Dickinson that I have always found encouraging. I heard it first in Middle School and though much of her other works are probably not always uplifting, this one is a good r..."

I dig that poem by Emily Dickinson too.

[C. J.]

Victoria wrote: "I dig that poem by Emily Dickinson too."

Cool. When I used to write poetry often, I realized I would reflect her style. She was one of my favorite poets.

[Victoria]

Richard wrote: "Agree with the Whitman reference. I find Song of Myself immensely invigorating, uplifting, and cuts through the crap beautifully.

Victoria - a good list of poets. However I agree with your mother...."

I made the drug reference because people often dismiss
Morrison as just a druggie. I havent read Lennons "In his Own Write" but I have listened to most Lennon and Beatle lyrics by now. Maybe one day Ill read the book Lennon " In his Own Rite". Morrison makes me think more.

[Victoria]

CJ wrote: "Victoria wrote: "I dig that poem by Emily Dickinson too."

Cool. When I used to write poetry often, I realized I would reflect her style. She was one of my favorite poets."
Thats intresting.Thanks for telling me that.

[Michele]

Victoria wrote: "Your poetry looks good."

Thank you :)

[Victoria]

Victoria wrote: "Flowers of Evil by Baudlaire or Fleurs du Mal, Rimbaud,
Allen Ginsberg, Rumi, Plath, Anne Sexton, Yeats,My Town
by James Dean, Jim Morrison, Hopkins, Keats, Blake,
The Greek Poets anthology Homer t..."

Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes are classic too.

[Victoria]

Victoria wrote: "Flowers of Evil by Baudlaire or Fleurs du Mal, Rimbaud,
Allen Ginsberg, Rumi, Plath, Anne Sexton, Yeats,My Town
by James Dean, Jim Morrison, Hopkins, Keats, Blake,
The Greek Poets anthology Homer t..."

Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Le Roi Jones, blues lyrics, jazz lyrics, and the jazz anthology of poetry is classic too.

[Ross]

I have a fantastic older book of collected poems entitled The Albatross Book of Living Verse If you can find it anywhere I recommend it highly. There are numerous amazing poems/authors between its covers that will provide endless hours of enjoyment. A must-have collection.