Random Thoughts and Unfinished Verse
Random Thoughts and Unfinished Verse
As most writers would know, we don’t publish everything we write down. In fact, a lot of what we begin to write doesn’t even get finished and either ends up in a file of UFOs (Un-Finished Objects) or in the trash bin. I am speaking from my experience here and it may be different for some of you. But, if it is I’d like to know your secret.
Anyway, what I have included here are a few poems I started but for one reason or another didn’t finish. I either wasn’t pleased with what I had written so far and didn’t want to waste time going any further, or I just couldn’t find any more words or inspiration to complete them.
The last of these “Happiness and Laughter” is complete in itself but shorter than I would have liked. I also think the title is rather boring or lacks creativity. (Afterthought: I’ve already changed the name of this to “Laughter is a Drug.”)
That said, I am publishing them here in the hope someone finds these interesting or gets something out of them. I may even come back and finish them if inspiration strikes me.
Life Was better in the Past
Gazing at rich sunset hues
Always brings back thoughts of you.
Purple, orange, grey, and pink,
These colours make me pause and think.
I thought our love would never end,
From an early age, you were my friend.
But nowadays nothing’s made to last,
And life was better in the past.
Poets Are Not Clowns
Poetry is so diverse,
There’s rhyme and free form verse,
Ode, or sonnet, short haiku,
What types appeal to you?
Some say poetry’s out of date with
Shakespeare, Poe, and Wordsworth,
That contemporaries can’t take their place,
Even Angelou or Ginsberg.
Creativity needs to thrive,
Not be gagged and bound.
Limericks may make you laugh
But poets are not clowns.
Untitled
It takes a lot to make me mad,
I’m calm most of the time.
I try to see the positives,
Good news instead of crime.
I always see the glass half full,
Give benefit of doubt,
Don’t judge people at first sight,
Debate quietly, do not shout.
But when I witness hate and ire
Based on small minded lies,
From people who aspire to love,
My anger starts to rise.
The world is changing all the time,
Very little’s set in stone.
We must evolve, adapt, and grow,
Or to stagnate we’ll be prone.
The Boomerang
The boomerang’s for hunting’
A weapon meant to kill.
Some are shaped so they’ll return
And give the tosser thrills.
From my gunya in the bush
I threw my boomerang.
It made a sound woosh woosh woosh,
As it passed, the curlews sang.
I packed my woomera and spear
To hunt the kangaroo.
Then I went walkabout for a year,
As I played my didgeridoo.
Laughter is a Drug
Laughter is addictive,
So push it like a drug.
Spread the epidemic
Like some new viral bug.
Keep a smile etched on your face,
Even when you’re sad.
Never frown or yell abuse
In anger, or be mad.
Happiness needs fuel to grow,
So nurture it with care.
Treat everyone you meet with love,
And ask the world to share.
all poems by John Hansen 2017
Now I find myself branching out and experimenting with short fiction, and thoroughly enjoying this, especially flash fiction.
I have been fortunate to have two poems made into songs and recorded. The first "On the Road to Kingdom Come" by Al Wordlaw, and the second, "If I Could Write a Love Poem" by award-winning Israeli/British singer Tally Koren.
My services increasingly in demand as a freelance writer and I have ghost-written the text for a number of children's books and educational tutorials.
It has taken me many years of searching and restlessness to realise that my life's passion is to write. It saddens me that I wasted so many years not devoting to that, but thinking positively, the experiences gained over those years are now wonderful material for my stories and poems.
I want to try to bring a new focus on poetry and try to make it appealing to a new generation of young people and those who thought they never liked or understood it before.
- The First Word – A Flash Fiction Story - January 18, 2024
- Dawns Song ~ and Twilight Serenade - December 1, 2023
- Weave Me a Story - June 15, 2023
Its interesting in creative pursuits that the harshest judge is oneself, having some sort of expectation not reached. I must be mad, but honestly I’ve never not finished a poem and don’t have a list of rejected or not up to scratch poems that I don’t publish. I write, edit and that’s that. Some may be arguably better than others but in the end, its only ever ones’s opinion and its always subjective. The trick to me is be satisfied with the expression; to work on it until is works for our sensibilities. Whether anyone else thinks its good or not is their problem not ours. I enjoyed your verses here, each with a message and a piece of you. If we are free enough in our thinking, poetry simply writes itself, and worrying about this or that prohibits the flow, for me. Cheers!
Thanks for your encouraging words, Tony. For some reason I knew this wouldn’t be a problem for you 🙂 As I actually typed all these here I began to feel better about them, and felt they weren’t so bad afterwards, at least not to the point they couldn’t be completed or expanded on.
I used to have files of unpublished writing, but over the years have been through and updated and improved most of it to publish here or at HubPages. I guess we are all different. Sometimes I just need to leave someting for a period and come back with fresh eyes.
So true John, when I used to edit books, I used to do it about three times, because with fresh eyes the next day, everything looks different. I guess we all follow our own process and as long as it works for us, that’s all that matters. Enjoyed your evening my friend.
I really enjoyed these. Each of them has a creativity all its own. You might want to make them longer but I also like them just the way they are.
Thanks for the kind words, Rasma. I may work on these and make a few changes and additions over time. I am still not completely happy with them.
A very appropriate title my friend and your last comment here very fitting. No artist I currently know or have followed through history has ever been totally happy with their work. We all tweek our work from time to time. I’ve penned work that I’ve left sit in my computer unfinished for weeks, and it wasn’t only until I went back to read it again that a new inspiration came to me and verses changed, deleted or altered. The madness behind our creative juices is all about flagellation upon ourselves and attacking our hearts and souls, if we were not all a little mad, nothing would come from our pens. So keep writing, no matter what. Walkaway, come back, re-read, alter, fix, change, erase, reject, but hesitate before you throw away to the waste basket. Always remember what happened with Stephen Kings haste, when he threw away the manuscript to “Carrie” thankfully his beloved wife saved it from the trash and it went on to become one of his most popular and financially rewarding creation by this genius. Your work posted here, they all have their own magic and message, we as readers determine their worthiness, and John, for your information, coming from one poet to another. They are perfectly penned, because what we see between your words, you might not! I enjoyed all of them.
Vincent, I appreciate your wise advice. What you say about others seeing between the words actually makes a lot of sense. Fortunately, I very rarely throw anything away. I have resurrected things I wrote 20 years ago and been pleased with the results.
Actually I think they are awesome John. Personally I like shorter poems – I think the average readers of poetry today get lost in a long poem and fail too finish them. In my research for ads for my novels I have learned that in this now instant generation and instant almost unsurmountable entertainment that the average viewer on the computer will spend only 16 seconds viewing an article or poem that has caught their eye and attention. That is why all my video ads for my novels are 15 to 16 seconds long. So it is my humble thoughts among the poetry giants on this site that shorter maybe better in readability. So – my friend I see these poems ads not unfinished. LOL, but, what the hell do I know – I am just an aging Colorado Cowboy with still a sense of wonderment of life.
Kurt, I know you are right about the average reader’s attention span these days. In that case perhaps these aren’t too short after all. 16 seconds viewing a poem or article though, that is incredible. You really need to capture attention in the first line. Thanks for reading, it’s always appreciated.
Kurt is right on this one I think. For some reason the attention span for the average poetry reader has gone down to mere seconds. The first one I would have liked it if it was stopped where it is. Many of the others might require a little more substance, but all in all are fantastic in and of themselves. I am certain that what you come up with to finish them will be nothing short of a masterpiece for each.
Hi Paul.Thank you for your feedback on these poems. I greatly appreciate your opinion. We can’t tax the attention span of today’s reader too much can we. I will probably still work on these to Improve them however. Cheers.
John,
I adore all of these poems you have, here! They are filled with color, character, and the very essence of you, as a unique writer and poet. (The pictures are also marvelous).
Tamara,
Thank you for your kind comment. I am so glad that you liked these poems…as you say, they do contain the essence of me, if nothing else. I am pleased you liked the pictures too. Cheers.
I actually like all of these poems, John. They really are an essence of you. Maybe you have grown as a poet since you first wrote these and see something in them you did not feel before ? I enjoyed reading them and am glad you published them.
Thank you Phyllis. I appreciate that. It is true we are our own harshest critics, and yes maybe I have developed my poetry since then. Cheers.