#rhyming — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #rhyming, aggregated by home.social.
-
I learn so many things from doing puzzles.
For example this week I learned that Connections creator Wyna Liu does not have the cot-caught distinction.
-
I learn so many things from doing puzzles.
For example this week I learned that Connections creator Wyna Liu does not have the cot-caught distinction.
-
An Answer to Auden: The Truth About Love, 1937 to 2026
In 1937, W. H. Auden published “O Tell Me the Truth About Love” inside a sequence called Twelve Songs. The poem is a list of comic guesses about what love might look like, smell like, sound like, do. Each refrain stanza ends in the same plea: tell me. The song is a young man’s question asked across a noisy room, hoping someone older will answer.
What strikes me about Auden’s poem is that it never gets the answer. The poem ends with another question. That refusal to answer is honest in 1937, when Europe was breaking and a man’s love could not yet be named in his own newspapers. But eighty-nine years later, with a long marriage in the rearview and a mother and father in the ground, the silence has paid its rent. It is time to answer Auden back.
The reply-poem is a long English tradition. Christopher Marlowe’s shepherd offered roses; Walter Raleigh’s nymph counted the days. The form requires that the answer use the asker’s structure as scaffolding, then build something the asker did not see. What follows uses Auden’s 1937 architecture exactly: seven stanzas of eight lines, alternating narrative and refrain, the same rhyme scheme, the same line counts. The walls match. The interior is mine.
I’ll Tell You the Truth About Love
after W. H. Auden
I
They said that love would find me late,
And said it finds you young,
They said it’s how a kitchen sounds
When supper has been sung,
The grocer paused above the till,
A driver shook his head,
The neighbor at the laundromat
Pretended he was dead.II
It is patient as kettles still humming,
And as warm as the day before snow,
It is faithful as winter still coming,
And as slow as the calluses grow,
It is heavy as wood in the weather,
And as old as the beams up above,
It will hold the long marriage together,
And I’ll tell you the truth about love.III
You’ll find it in a folded shirt
Your father saved for years,
You’ll find it tucked behind the books
That outlived all your fears,
It’s printed on the bottom of
The mug you cannot break,
It hums in radiators when
The first long winters wake.IV
It will wake you with grief in the morning,
And it leaves like a guest on its way,
It will come without notice or warning,
And it stays until nothing’s to say,
It is stubborn as paint on the railing,
And as weighty as joists up above,
It will linger when everything’s failing,
And I’ll tell you the truth about love.V
I searched the church on Christopher,
It wasn’t standing watch;
I drove the loop around the bay,
And studied every notch;
I don’t know what the river held,
Or what the streetlamp swore,
It wasn’t on the diner’s plate,
Or near the kitchen door.VI
It is patient as wood in the ember,
And as warm as the dog at your feet,
It is older than time can remember
That you walked off alone in the street,
It is steady when houses grow shaken,
And as quiet as snow from above,
It can speak all the names that are taken,
And I’ll tell you the truth about love.VII
It will come like a sweater you’re weaving,
From the wool of the years that have flown,
It arrives in the room you are leaving,
With the look of a face you have known,
It will hold what no science can steady,
And remain when the weather is rough,
It will stay when your friends are not ready,
And I’ll tell you the truth about love.Auden asked because he was thirty and unsure. I answer because I am sixty-one and have watched what stays. The thing we keep asking the truth about, we keep asking because we are afraid the answer will be small. It is small. The answer is the kettle, the calluses, the room you are leaving. What it wears is a sweater you are still weaving. Auden left his question open in 1937. I close mine in 2026.
#1937 #2026 #auden #living #love #meaning #poetry #rhyming #stanzas #writing -
An Answer to Auden: The Truth About Love, 1937 to 2026
In 1937, W. H. Auden published “O Tell Me the Truth About Love” inside a sequence called Twelve Songs. The poem is a list of comic guesses about what love might look like, smell like, sound like, do. Each refrain stanza ends in the same plea: tell me. The song is a young man’s question asked across a noisy room, hoping someone older will answer.
What strikes me about Auden’s poem is that it never gets the answer. The poem ends with another question. That refusal to answer is honest in 1937, when Europe was breaking and a man’s love could not yet be named in his own newspapers. But eighty-nine years later, with a long marriage in the rearview and a mother and father in the ground, the silence has paid its rent. It is time to answer Auden back.
The reply-poem is a long English tradition. Christopher Marlowe’s shepherd offered roses; Walter Raleigh’s nymph counted the days. The form requires that the answer use the asker’s structure as scaffolding, then build something the asker did not see. What follows uses Auden’s 1937 architecture exactly: seven stanzas of eight lines, alternating narrative and refrain, the same rhyme scheme, the same line counts. The walls match. The interior is mine.
I’ll Tell You the Truth About Love
after W. H. Auden
I
They said that love would find me late,
And said it finds you young,
They said it’s how a kitchen sounds
When supper has been sung,
The grocer paused above the till,
A driver shook his head,
The neighbor at the laundromat
Pretended he was dead.II
It is patient as kettles still humming,
And as warm as the day before snow,
It is faithful as winter still coming,
And as slow as the calluses grow,
It is heavy as wood in the weather,
And as old as the beams up above,
It will hold the long marriage together,
And I’ll tell you the truth about love.III
You’ll find it in a folded shirt
Your father saved for years,
You’ll find it tucked behind the books
That outlived all your fears,
It’s printed on the bottom of
The mug you cannot break,
It hums in radiators when
The first long winters wake.IV
It will wake you with grief in the morning,
And it leaves like a guest on its way,
It will come without notice or warning,
And it stays until nothing’s to say,
It is stubborn as paint on the railing,
And as weighty as joists up above,
It will linger when everything’s failing,
And I’ll tell you the truth about love.V
I searched the church on Christopher,
It wasn’t standing watch;
I drove the loop around the bay,
And studied every notch;
I don’t know what the river held,
Or what the streetlamp swore,
It wasn’t on the diner’s plate,
Or near the kitchen door.VI
It is patient as wood in the ember,
And as warm as the dog at your feet,
It is older than time can remember
That you walked off alone in the street,
It is steady when houses grow shaken,
And as quiet as snow from above,
It can speak all the names that are taken,
And I’ll tell you the truth about love.VII
It will come like a sweater you’re weaving,
From the wool of the years that have flown,
It arrives in the room you are leaving,
With the look of a face you have known,
It will hold what no science can steady,
And remain when the weather is rough,
It will stay when your friends are not ready,
And I’ll tell you the truth about love.Auden asked because he was thirty and unsure. I answer because I am sixty-one and have watched what stays. The thing we keep asking the truth about, we keep asking because we are afraid the answer will be small. It is small. The answer is the kettle, the calluses, the room you are leaving. What it wears is a sweater you are still weaving. Auden left his question open in 1937. I close mine in 2026.
#1937 #2026 #auden #living #love #meaning #poetry #rhyming #stanzas #writing -
RE: https://mastodon.social/@enyantiomer/112208386551079350
>"You’re one funny fascist away from being a collaborator
But feel free to fabricate that you’re a radical advocate, arbiter and abrogator
Someone will likely sort it later way past due date or however long it takes for you to reach the stage where you feel safe to reappraise your neighbour’s odd behaviour
Classified as a yassified tongue in cheek satire that its your fault that you fall for such palpable set dressing fabrications for more war theatres" -
RE: https://mastodon.social/@enyantiomer/112208386551079350
>"You’re one funny fascist away from being a collaborator
But feel free to fabricate that you’re a radical advocate, arbiter and abrogator
Someone will likely sort it later way past due date or however long it takes for you to reach the stage where you feel safe to reappraise your neighbour’s odd behaviour
Classified as a yassified tongue in cheek satire that its your fault that you fall for such palpable set dressing fabrications for more war theatres" -
Whispers of Remembrance
To my beautiful daughters,In a world full of evil at every turn.Don’t forget the wisdom you have learned. Remember to put God at the center of all you do. No matter what He will bring you through. God gives you discernment for you to use. Sometimes that means some we lose. Count your blessings each and every day. If none can be found, remember the air in your lungs and the words you can say. Do not dress to promote promiscuity.That kind of attention you will never need. Leave it for your […] -
Whispers of Remembrance
To my beautiful daughters,In a world full of evil at every turn.Don’t forget the wisdom you have learned. Remember to put God at the center of all you do. No matter what He will bring you through. God gives you discernment for you to use. Sometimes that means some we lose. Count your blessings each and every day. If none can be found, remember the air in your lungs and the words you can say. Do not dress to promote promiscuity.That kind of attention you will never need. Leave it for your […] -
Dear Son,
Son, today I look at you and you're almost a man. Yet I can recall all the times I held your tiny hand. So precious and small and partly me. I never knew I could love so deep. Your baby blues would look back at me. Subdued by the warmth and everything you need. Now look at you towering over me almost ready to spread your wings. Oh how time quickly fades combined in a blur of years, weeks, and days.You may not need me like you use to But mama still has a job to do. No manger how many years go […] -
Dear Son,
Son, today I look at you and you're almost a man. Yet I can recall all the times I held your tiny hand. So precious and small and partly me. I never knew I could love so deep. Your baby blues would look back at me. Subdued by the warmth and everything you need. Now look at you towering over me almost ready to spread your wings. Oh how time quickly fades combined in a blur of years, weeks, and days.You may not need me like you use to But mama still has a job to do. No manger how many years go […] -
Homeschool Mama
ABC'S and 123's Teaching young ones how to read. Next Geometry and Chemistry. Now on to ancient history. Back to letters and the sounds they speak. All the while a toddler is tugging at my knee. The dog needs to be fed and probably outside to pee. But right now I am chilling in ancient Greece and teaching about Socrates. The life of a homeschool mama isn't for the weak. Through every lesson, it's His strength we seek. -
My secret keeper
My Secret KeeperI came to you with my story.You held me in all your glory.You told me not to worry.All my sins would wash away.God you are my redeemer.My great and powerful teacher. You are God of creationsand always so gracious. You spoke life into my souland love into my heart. I used to think of myself as not worthy.Too many sins just to forgive them.Might as well go onand worry about it another dayThen, I came to you with my story.You held me in all your glory.You told me not to worry.All […] -
My secret keeper
My Secret KeeperI came to you with my story.You held me in all your glory.You told me not to worry.All my sins would wash away.God you are my redeemer.My great and powerful teacher. You are God of creationsand always so gracious. You spoke life into my souland love into my heart. I used to think of myself as not worthy.Too many sins just to forgive them.Might as well go onand worry about it another dayThen, I came to you with my story.You held me in all your glory.You told me not to worry.All […] -
My World
My world I close my eyes and I go into another dimension. The real world is held in suspension. Anything thing can happen, any thing can be, all I have to do is let my mind run free. A break from the everyday race, here I can go at my own pace. I take a breath and step away. I take another drink, what can I say? My reality is paused, my new world is what I have caused Total silence and bliss and I don't focus on things I've missed. Time is not a factor to hold me backand I don't see the […] -
My World
My world I close my eyes and I go into another dimension. The real world is held in suspension. Anything thing can happen, any thing can be, all I have to do is let my mind run free. A break from the everyday race, here I can go at my own pace. I take a breath and step away. I take another drink, what can I say? My reality is paused, my new world is what I have caused Total silence and bliss and I don't focus on things I've missed. Time is not a factor to hold me backand I don't see the […] -
Society
Society Tick tock tick tock my mind focuses on the clock.I know soon I will be in a place called society, to the edge with anxiety.My chest hurts and I can not breath.Does anyone else see whats happening beneath? Wait! Stop! Take a deep breath.I shouldn't feel like I am playing with death.Take a second to regain control before my mind sinks down below. The noise, the crowd, seem to much to bear.I remind myself not to care.All of this is in my mind.I should not do this, time after time.Almost […] -
Society
Society Tick tock tick tock my mind focuses on the clock.I know soon I will be in a place called society, to the edge with anxiety.My chest hurts and I can not breath.Does anyone else see whats happening beneath? Wait! Stop! Take a deep breath.I shouldn't feel like I am playing with death.Take a second to regain control before my mind sinks down below. The noise, the crowd, seem to much to bear.I remind myself not to care.All of this is in my mind.I should not do this, time after time.Almost […] -
Waves
Waves of emotions come crashing in. I don't know where my feelings end and others begin.I just want to run and hidebut I can't escape what resides inside.Everyday a fight just to win.a constant struggle deep within. I feel the need to say this is not true. It's all in my head no need to construe. I am no different than the next. I just want attention and that's the effect.But no matter how hard I try.This part of me I can not hide.Most don't understand and that's okay.They are not forced to […] -
Waves
Waves of emotions come crashing in. I don't know where my feelings end and others begin.I just want to run and hidebut I can't escape what resides inside.Everyday a fight just to win.a constant struggle deep within. I feel the need to say this is not true. It's all in my head no need to construe. I am no different than the next. I just want attention and that's the effect.But no matter how hard I try.This part of me I can not hide.Most don't understand and that's okay.They are not forced to […] -
Why I Write
My pen glides smoothly over the pages and my mind takes delight in the sight. Each line is soothing as they bring my thoughts to life. My bridled tongue pursuing the words tucked away. Each paragraph oozing as my emotions come to play. Ink splatters on the pages diffusing the chaos in my head. Releasing the strain from the words left unsaid.My pen glides smoothly over the pages as my mind takes delight in the sight. Each line soothing, bringing my thoughts to life. Just as the child […] -
Why I Write
My pen glides smoothly over the pages and my mind takes delight in the sight. Each line is soothing as they bring my thoughts to life. My bridled tongue pursuing the words tucked away. Each paragraph oozing as my emotions come to play. Ink splatters on the pages diffusing the chaos in my head. Releasing the strain from the words left unsaid.My pen glides smoothly over the pages as my mind takes delight in the sight. Each line soothing, bringing my thoughts to life. Just as the child […] -
RR
And just like that, the sky opened up, I watched as the gray began to fade, Elms bucked and swayed, I take one hand and pry open the other to accept what he gave, From what I’ve dreamt, from what I’ve prayed, Just like that…washing over my sorrow’s grave. And just like that, the air […]
Reblog: A short yet powerful poem!
-
RR
And just like that, the sky opened up, I watched as the gray began to fade, Elms bucked and swayed, I take one hand and pry open the other to accept what he gave, From what I’ve dreamt, from what I’ve prayed, Just like that…washing over my sorrow’s grave. And just like that, the air […]
Reblog: A short yet powerful poem!
-
-
-
The Word
If I say the word —would you believe it?If I say it constantly —would you still believe? Are wordsa guaranteeof what they mean? Would the meaningfadeif it becameroutine? Wouldn’t it be betterto let it show —so you’d know? If only I couldhold your handand look intoyour eyes.
Reblog: Wonderful Poem!
-
The Word
If I say the word —would you believe it?If I say it constantly —would you still believe? Are wordsa guaranteeof what they mean? Would the meaningfadeif it becameroutine? Wouldn’t it be betterto let it show —so you’d know? If only I couldhold your handand look intoyour eyes.
Reblog: Wonderful Poem!
-
Miles Apart, Yet Mine
Why does my heart achewhen I’m never really by your side? Why does a single tear in your eyesteach mine how to cry? Why does the distance between us feel so smallwhen the truth is—we are miles apart? This feeling, this pain,this unsettling reason, and this ache; The reason for all this chaosin my heart […]
Reblog: I love the rhythms of this poem.
-
Miles Apart, Yet Mine
Why does my heart achewhen I’m never really by your side? Why does a single tear in your eyesteach mine how to cry? Why does the distance between us feel so smallwhen the truth is—we are miles apart? This feeling, this pain,this unsettling reason, and this ache; The reason for all this chaosin my heart […]
Reblog: I love the rhythms of this poem.
-
God sent me an angel
My best friend, I swear she’s an angel sent from above Maybe the only reason I’m not in a psychward. She’s the only one who understands me She’s gets me laughing like nobody else can She’s got a special place in my heart I love her so And I hope she knows I wish she […]
Reblog: Lovely poem!
-
God sent me an angel
My best friend, I swear she’s an angel sent from above Maybe the only reason I’m not in a psychward. She’s the only one who understands me She’s gets me laughing like nobody else can She’s got a special place in my heart I love her so And I hope she knows I wish she […]
Reblog: Lovely poem!
-
Sparks Of Change
Be the spark that ignites change As our world is cruel and deranged. – Step up and then be heard Even if you sound absurd. – Complacence, is an undoing Leading us all to ruin. – We can all make things better But only if we do so together. – Look at all we dislike […]
Reblog: Great wordplay!
-
Sparks Of Change
Be the spark that ignites change As our world is cruel and deranged. – Step up and then be heard Even if you sound absurd. – Complacence, is an undoing Leading us all to ruin. – We can all make things better But only if we do so together. – Look at all we dislike […]
Reblog: Great wordplay!
-
Wander
To wander is to seek beyond the known,To chase the horizon where dreams are sown,Each step a journey, each path a delight,Exploring the world under starlit night.
Reblog: Short and Sweet!
-
Wander
To wander is to seek beyond the known,To chase the horizon where dreams are sown,Each step a journey, each path a delight,Exploring the world under starlit night.
Reblog: Short and Sweet!
-
They Will Know
Being a parent is always tough. Most of us wonder whether we do enough.We all have ups and downs.At times we are the source of frowns.Within the realm of parenthood,There is a certain breed rarely understood.A group of parents who do it alone. With little to no help from anyone known. No babysitter, no daycare.Most you know, wouldn't even dare.No big celebrations for an empty guest list.Yet another birthday party missed.No date nights or weekends away.Vacations and trips always include the […] -
They Will Know
Being a parent is always tough. Most of us wonder whether we do enough.We all have ups and downs.At times we are the source of frowns.Within the realm of parenthood,There is a certain breed rarely understood.A group of parents who do it alone. With little to no help from anyone known. No babysitter, no daycare.Most you know, wouldn't even dare.No big celebrations for an empty guest list.Yet another birthday party missed.No date nights or weekends away.Vacations and trips always include the […] -
Tapestry
Threads of color, woven tight,Tell a story in the light. Hands that labor, hearts that dream,Stitch together every seam. Patterns shifting, bold and new,Old and ancient, woven through. Every strand a tale to tell,Of love and loss, remembered well. Gold and scarlet, blue and green,Blend in ways yet to be seen. Each connection, strong and […] Tapestry Reblog: A heartwarming poem, I just had to share! -
Tapestry
Threads of color, woven tight,Tell a story in the light. Hands that labor, hearts that dream,Stitch together every seam. Patterns shifting, bold and new,Old and ancient, woven through. Every strand a tale to tell,Of love and loss, remembered well. Gold and scarlet, blue and green,Blend in ways yet to be seen. Each connection, strong and […] Tapestry Reblog: A heartwarming poem, I just had to share! -
Are We Really Advanced?
We call ourselves advanced, yet wars outlive decades. A spoken word poem questioning progress, violence, and gratitude to the soil.
Reblog: Wonderfully Written!!!!
-
Are We Really Advanced?
We call ourselves advanced, yet wars outlive decades. A spoken word poem questioning progress, violence, and gratitude to the soil.
Reblog: Wonderfully Written!!!!
-
Thirst For Green
Look at us,The thirst for green is disgusting.We exploit the lands which aren’t ours,We bury the children with so much potential in their eyes,So that we can make a buck or buy a cheaper HDTV.Why should a capitalist care?If a Brazilian child is dying in their mother’s fragile arms,It’s one less mouth for the world […]
Reblog: Deep, bold and truthful!
-
Thirst For Green
Look at us,The thirst for green is disgusting.We exploit the lands which aren’t ours,We bury the children with so much potential in their eyes,So that we can make a buck or buy a cheaper HDTV.Why should a capitalist care?If a Brazilian child is dying in their mother’s fragile arms,It’s one less mouth for the world […]
Reblog: Deep, bold and truthful!
-
Prison
Prison We are all locked upin nine-to-five,sometimes eight-to-eight,or more. Sleep, then rush backwhile the world is still dark—afraid, because if we don’t,we starve. There is no escape.Our hands are tiedby an invisible force—or fate. The beach can wait.The mountains stay still.Time moveslike wind,like grass on boulders,like rivers under city bridges,like birds—like a man at a […] Prison Reblog: Oh so true poem about a prison most are trapped in. -
Prison
Prison We are all locked upin nine-to-five,sometimes eight-to-eight,or more. Sleep, then rush backwhile the world is still dark—afraid, because if we don’t,we starve. There is no escape.Our hands are tiedby an invisible force—or fate. The beach can wait.The mountains stay still.Time moveslike wind,like grass on boulders,like rivers under city bridges,like birds—like a man at a […] Prison Reblog: Oh so true poem about a prison most are trapped in. -
Expose the Wicked Ones
Cover me with Your glory as with a shield As I humble myself and to Your ways yield I’ve put on my armor and wait for Your lead Confound enemy plans so they don’t succeed Lord, contend with those who contend with me Expose the wicked ones who are my enemy May those who seek […]
*Reblog* A great and mighty poem!
-
Unanswered Questions (R.I.P Dad )
They marked it natural causes, cause of your history with cancers. However, I’m still left with questions that need answers. Were your final moments painful or peaceful? Did you slowly feel your life get washed away of the evil? Did you slowly see your demons start to fade? Did you reflect on the decisions in […] Unanswered Questions (R.I.P Dad ) Reblog: Heartbreakingly beautiful poem written about the lost of a father. Great work!https://hcongrove2.com/2025/12/18/unanswered-questions-r-i-p-dad/
