My Poetry
Click on any of the titles below to read the complete poem
About poetry. . .
Poetry will always hold a special place in my heart. It was my first taste of writing, and something which I used to do whenever I felt either happiest or saddest, loneliest or most in love. For the most part, I've always loved classical forms. . . strict meter, true rhymes, and so forth. I once read a book by George MacDonald in which he said that poet is a person who is glad about something, and wants other people to be glad about it too. That seemed to me to be a wonderful way of looking at the matter, and that's been one of my favorite quotations ever since.
Not all of my poems are happy ones, of course. Some of them are that kind, while others are bittersweet or just thoughtful. I don't like poetry which is bitter, cynical, angry, or despairing. I don't like to read that kind, and I certainly don't like to write it. Most of what you'll find here is about love, in one form or another. Sometimes happy and sweet, sometimes the pain of loss, and sometimes simple thankfulness.
You may notice that The Ballad of Sarah de Bretagne also appears on the Short Stories page of this website. That work is a long narrative poem which tells the story of two star-crossed lovers during the Middle Ages. At the time, that was the way such a story would probably have been told, and it tickled my fancy to give it a try. I think it turned out well, even if it's a little hard to classify.
I hope you enjoy these poems as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Not all of my poems are happy ones, of course. Some of them are that kind, while others are bittersweet or just thoughtful. I don't like poetry which is bitter, cynical, angry, or despairing. I don't like to read that kind, and I certainly don't like to write it. Most of what you'll find here is about love, in one form or another. Sometimes happy and sweet, sometimes the pain of loss, and sometimes simple thankfulness.
You may notice that The Ballad of Sarah de Bretagne also appears on the Short Stories page of this website. That work is a long narrative poem which tells the story of two star-crossed lovers during the Middle Ages. At the time, that was the way such a story would probably have been told, and it tickled my fancy to give it a try. I think it turned out well, even if it's a little hard to classify.
I hope you enjoy these poems as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Poetry Reviews and Comments
I adore the poem you posted. Absolutely gorgeous.. love the rhythm, love the graceful fitting rhymes, love the voice and sincerity... the mixture of sadness and love that takes us all when pondering such things.
-Glit
Dear Mr. Woodall,
I just read your poem Memories of Love. I wanted you to know it had me in tears. It touched my heart. I look forward to reading more of your work. I have always wanted to be able to write. Every once in a blue moon God gives me the ability to write something worth keeping. I pray that God continues to bless you with your talent. May God bless you and your family.
-Tiffany
Dear Mr. Woodall,
I followed the link you left in a poetry discussion to your website, and I must say some of your poems are pretty good. There seem to be some novel rhyme schemesand other interesting mechanics; the Frenchie stuff in there, in particular, is a nice touch and works pretty well. I say this because I've been prowling the web looking at poetry a bit lately, and there's so much out there that isn't very good; quite likely, in my opinion, for a reason you touch on. There seems a great tendency out there to write such undisciplined
stuff, as if the free-associational outpourings of one's soul were automatically some sort of holy writ, and God forbid you should edit it, or do anything but just instantly pronounce it a poem and turn it loose on the world. By contrast, you call yourself a perfectionist who won't settle for anything less than true craftsmanship in your writings, and it certainly pays off; very refreshing!
-Garman
-Glit
Dear Mr. Woodall,
I just read your poem Memories of Love. I wanted you to know it had me in tears. It touched my heart. I look forward to reading more of your work. I have always wanted to be able to write. Every once in a blue moon God gives me the ability to write something worth keeping. I pray that God continues to bless you with your talent. May God bless you and your family.
-Tiffany
Dear Mr. Woodall,
I followed the link you left in a poetry discussion to your website, and I must say some of your poems are pretty good. There seem to be some novel rhyme schemesand other interesting mechanics; the Frenchie stuff in there, in particular, is a nice touch and works pretty well. I say this because I've been prowling the web looking at poetry a bit lately, and there's so much out there that isn't very good; quite likely, in my opinion, for a reason you touch on. There seems a great tendency out there to write such undisciplined
stuff, as if the free-associational outpourings of one's soul were automatically some sort of holy writ, and God forbid you should edit it, or do anything but just instantly pronounce it a poem and turn it loose on the world. By contrast, you call yourself a perfectionist who won't settle for anything less than true craftsmanship in your writings, and it certainly pays off; very refreshing!
-Garman
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