Poetry, Castro Alves

Poetry Corner

By Adriana Lorenzi

Source: www.maganews.com.br

Castro Alves was one of the most brilliant Brazilian romantic poets and one of the greatest supporters of the abolition of slavery. In his youth, Castro Alves studied law. Besides standing out in literature, the poet from Bahiawas also a composer, draftsman  and painter. He died young, at 24 years of age, in the year 1871.

         Este é um breve resumo (escrito em inglês)  da vida de um dos grandes poetas brasileiros. Ele nasceu no dia 14 de março, e é justamente nesta data que o Brasil comemora o Dia da Poesia. Esta data foi escolhida para homenagear o poeta que tanto lutou pelo fim da escravidão. A seguir você confere três poemas escritos em inglês. A autora é Adriana Lorenzi, uma professora de inglês que já morou  nos EUA.  Na próxima semana você poderá conferir um outro poema escrito por uma outra professora de inglês.

THE HEART

It beats

It bleeds

It breaks

It feels

It loves

It hates

Hard

Tender

Cold

Passionate

Brave

Coward

Intriguing

Fascinating

"Objet d'art"

Organ inside the chest

A mystery!

I AM

I am an act of God,

life turned into a miracle,

I am the missing rose,

honey from the bee,

a dream dreamed long ago

still waiting to come true,

aside from Him

I am really nothing,

I am a burning fire,

a candle that flickers

but never fades,

a life out of ashes,

a fresh fragance

hidden inside a small bottle,

strong as a rock

and yet fragile as a china,

I am,

I simply am,

that's why I write,

and that's also what I am

W.O.R.D.S.

Words are fun to be with,

They can be neat,

But they also can be cheap,

Words can tell,

Sell,

And sometimes

They can be hell,

Words give names

To people

That you like

And that you also dislike,

Words are precious,

They can be sweet,

But they also can be bitter,

Words have the power

To bring us peace,

Hopes,

But they also make war,

Break our hearts,

Make us cry,

Words represent ideas,

Actions,

They can sing a song,

They can say I LOVE YOU,

And how much I LIKE YOU,

They can show what you can do,

Shout BOO and even frighten you,

Words can reveal the way you feel,

They can always make a deal,

Heal,

Words relax,

But they also attack,

They can be slang,

Device,

Strategy,

Words can be said,

But not always meant,

Given,

But not always kept,

Spoken,

And sometimes broken,

Words are just words,

And no matter what,

They always add flavor

To your life.

By Adriana Lorenzi

Picture by “la bella polenesia”

* My name is Adriana, and though I have a nickname, an  American friend has told me I have a beautiful name, and uses only my full name.  I am a woman, a dreamer who has a passion for life, and loves writing, and I must say, that I breathe words in and out.  I started writing in 2003, as I was internally urged on to do so.  Poetry is a natural outcome of my life, and I felt that I was guided or maybe even destined to write, a feeling that took over and could not be stopped. I love writing all types of poems and am glad when emails arrive from other people on the web, telling me that I put into words exactly the way they feel.  Helping people is a nice way to forget about one's own personal problems and keep on going.  Another reason that I have been writing is to improve my English..  As English is not my native language, writing in English is another way to be even closer to this beautiful language.  It has always come so naturally to me, that I can consider it a gift from Heaven. I was born and raised in Brazil.  In marriage, I spent some time in the USA with an American citizen.  Sadly though, it did not work out, and I returned to my native land, Brazil.  Memories of the time I lived there are nice, and one day I hope I am able to go back to that beautiful country to visit and enjoy all the good things it has to offer. Teaching is what I do as an occupation and have a love for it, while writing is not only my love, but a hobby and a friend as well. As life's trials come I realize just how blessed I am in God and that He is everything to me. My children are grown and are young adults now.    One is currently living in Italy and works as an Architect, and the other is a psychologist and lives here, in São José dos Campos.   Soon, I will be a grandmother and will continue writing poetry and enlighten people's lives with my gift. My ultimate dream is to have one of my original poems used as lyrics in a song, and then hear it on many radio stations. 

By Adriana Lorenzi