Poem of the Day: I Will Not Die, Nor Wither On the Vine

With a Bonus Sestet and Curated Photography

Today’s Poem of the Day is a septet¹ from my poetry journals dating back to the early 1990’s or perhaps even further back to the 1980’s. Consider today’s offering to be a little pre-Valentine’s Day poetry.

Somewhere the original poem is in a notebook with the date on the page and perhaps a dedication to whoever might have inspired it. I have three large boxes of notebooks that hold all of my older poetry journals from the 1970’s until the the first decade of the aughts.

As a romantic at heart I found inspiration in the works of the great romantic poets when I was younger. I was particularly fond of the sonnets of William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. I’ve learned much on the topic of romance and love throughout the course of my life. That is, of course is the topic of other posts to come…

I Will Not Die, Nor Wither On the Vine

I will not die
nor wither on the vine,
without you
in my life;
for I am like a rose
that shall bloom
forever in the light.

I will not mourn
forever the passing,
of your touch
upon my soul;
for I am like a star
that shall shine
forever in the night.

I will not wake at
at daybreak,
and wish to hear
your gentle voice;
for I am like the sun
that shall glow
forever with all my might.

Bonus Poem of the Day: A sestet² posing the dichotomy of love and the human heart.

The Human Heart Can Wither

The human heart can wither 
as easily as a rose.
We must be careful 
to nurture our hearts, 
and the hearts of others,
with love and kindness. 

I hope you all enjoyed the poems and the rose photography from one of my favorite garden in my area, The Secret Garden in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Stay tuned for new posts… Today’s post has been taken from the paywalled Archives here and repurposed with new text added.

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I wish you all a blessed day today and everyday… Remember to breathe when things get stressful and as always, be kind to one another.

Blessed be… Pamela

Related Post:

1. A septet is stanza form that has seven lines. It does not need to have a rhyme or a meter scheme. A single septet stanza is often its own poem. A multi-stanza poem with seven lines in each stanza is also a septet. Interestingly a group of seven musicians or singers is also known as a septet.

2. A sestet is a six line stanza or poem. A sestet is also part of a sestina - an unrhymed poem with six sestets ending with a three-line stanza which forms a conclusion.