I am overwhelmed by the response to the “share a poem with me” call out I made. What started as a fun challenge became something much deeper. It drew writers from different backgrounds and cultures to look into themselves and share more than is seen on the surface, more than what lies between their skins.

I thank each and every one for taking the time to write the poem that introduces you to the world. We stain the earth only when we live and I am so privileged and blessed to have a glimpse into your amazing lives.

These are poems of survival, of unselfish love, of wanting the world to be a better place by being better themselves first.

I am creating a new category at the GDG to archive these amazing poems, you are proudly published here at the GDG on the Introduction Poems page! I hope you will visit the other poems at your leisure and recognise the abundance of talent and the wonder of the human spirit I have discovered in this community.

Here are the excerpts of the submissions.

Let’s start!

It started like this with the first part of my poem – I am a story

If we met and said hello
I wonder what would be
The thing that
makes you want
To know more and maybe
Get to know me

and then it grew and grew!!

Eugenia says she was given a title, The Queen of Quaint and it fits her perfectly. Sometimes the people we meet briefly have a better description of us than those who know us for years.

queen of quaint,

a title lovingly bestowed

on me, myself and I

some time ago

an observation of a

mere acquaintance

and rightfully so

 

Marie will always Marie, she writes about the things she believes in, reminding us not to compromise on our beliefs

I believe in God, but my faith has been tried lately.

I’ve had many crushes but only been in love once.

I love writing but I don’t as much as I’d like to.

 

Prasanna’s opening line quite says it all; he has grown and gives credit to the things that has given him this maturity

Trishanku

I have grown.

My brain inflating beyond faces past,

Dwarfing black bodies of minds,

Maruti swallows the Sun.

Millions of lives go down my throat,

Millions more I create-

Fruits of my futile fertility,

Tasting of familiarity, like

A gifted shirt I grew out of, but never threw away.

Stretching my hands to the skies,

I refuse to uproot my feet

Sunk in the sacred soil of Malegaon.

 

Ivor  had the most creative poem, adding links to other poems that described him, loved these lines with his signature rhyme and wit

I loved Vegemite, honey and ice-cream

And my life became just a little dream

 

Punam says…

I am the unsung melody of my heart

Trying to find my voice through my words

and that just draws you in to her writing to find out more about this writer

 

Rachel writes her heart on her sleeve, she writes about herself and the resilience of all women,

“Woman or girl,

Old ‘fore her time.

Looking to please

Looking to find

The part of her self

To which she was true

 

Kristian’s Sagittarian Zeal, started with his basic self and it is a good strong foundation, he starts with the heart

At my most basic self,

I have a zealous heart.

I always set out to do things right,

from the very start.

 

A very endearing poem from Mama Squirrel at Nut House Central, I love her unselfish heart

I’ll reach my hand to take hold of yours,

Firm and solid so you know I’m strong-

I will smile and probably hug you too,

For a loving touch helps me feel I belong

 

Shreya invites you for a cup of tea, her rhyming was so lyrical you’ll surely say yes!

A stubborn mind,

And a caring heart,

Striving for perfection,

Making sure of a head start.

 

The girl in the pictures from Sally, going through her childhood photos she’s looking for the girl she lost

That the girl in the pictures,

Was no more around.

The laughing the chatting,

That she used to do,

Was lost in the pages,

In times to be true.

 

Barbara’s stunning collaboration with artwork from her sister Martha, every line in her poem was a treasure but I am selecting these that reveal how difficult it is to talk about ourselves and how brave she is to do so, it does bring us all a little closer together

I am not used to revealing my

Entwined soul to an audience

Although it is hidden well

In my other poems

I prefer to keep it a mystery that way

But now that I have spilled my guts

We are closer

Which is good in this life

Who am I really?

As the Mayans said, “In La’kech” (“ein lah kesh”)

“I am another yourself”

 

Jane writes of dresses, laughter and cheesecake in such beautiful order

You ask me who I am;

I’ll tell you what I know.

Old flesh shows through the vest

my mother dressed me in

long before I chose

my own showy clothes.

Its creases advertise passion

for laughter,

cheesecake

and peace in every corner.

 

Liz writes about how we can and sometimes do hide behind words but want to be transparent

It’s all about “me”

An important question in question

Pretending or genuine wish to discover

it matters little

when I don’t want to uncover “me”.

 

iidorun! this is the one that made me cry, the one that sums up each one of us, she writes with an intensity I envy

I am the intersection of

My gender

My ethnicity

My religion

My race

The intertwining of identity and history

The woman I am

Is the woman I was

Is the woman I will become

Christine Bolton writes this and allow her words to speak to you, there are lines in her poem that will find its way into your heart and journal of life, she is very authentic

I am kind
and considerate
Thoughtful and benevolent
I am me

I cause pain
and offend
Angry and indignant
I am human

 

Our Christine E Ray wrote an introduction poem and with her unmistakable flair took the challenge a higher level,

I keep her till the last because I stand in awe of her words and it wraps up all that we say

I am survival

when I clutch my pen

in aching hands

ignoring the pain in each knuckle

and cut the silence in two

with its sharp tip

and refuse to put my truths

back in the locked box

for other people’s comfort

I am

my own

…..I take wisdom and guidance from Christine’s words and hope you do too, “refuse to put your truths in a locked box for other people’s comfort, you are your own” – spine tingling good!

Hope & Light

Gina@Singledust

trust your heart if the seas catch fire – e.e cummings

p/s: some new submissions have just come to my attention they will be featured in the coming week