Many writers/poets have heard or attended events such as Poetry Readings/Recitals, Open Mic Nights, or Poetry Circles. Such gatherings are a great source of inspiration for many enthusiasts and an enjoyment to many. Attending is a miraculous way to voice your thoughts, opinions and most of all your poetry. Even though this is a fantastic outlet for many writers there are those that view it differently. Many writers, especially those new to poetry readings, are in fear that someone in the audience could steal their work. Someone could exploit their writings in another person's name. This thought alone is enough to make many not want to attend these public meetings. At times it is important to safeguard against these feelings because otherwise you could be cutting yourself short. In the case of poetry readings it is good to reason that everyone in attendance is a poet themself, and perhaps harbored those fears at one point or another, but for the most part trust you as much as they hope you trust them. If not reading poetry perhaps the attendee frankly loves to hear poetry on a down-to-earth level. Events like Poetry Readings are prime ways to gain exposure and respect among the literary community.

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Would you like to submit an article to The Poet's Forum? If you do please contact the staff at The P-Forum. Thanks.

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In the "Poetry" section of The Poet's Forum there will be a few poems showcased for readers. Poems will eventually be placed in respective galleries of the Poetry Forum.
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Poetry Site of The Month	The Poet's Forum E-zine is proud to anounce that it will be hosting a poetry site of the month. This month's featured poetry site is...
Awakenings	Awakenings is a poetry site created by one of our very own poets, Gavin Casares. His site contains original poetry from within that explore thoughts and feelings in a provocative way. This site is a must see.

Dusk & DawnPt. IV

Cry For Mercy
by Michael A. Casares

"We as human beings all walk the
path of I, the Winter King.
Certain realizations caused my angst.
And so we walk solo,
we walked panged.
Distress.
Oh, mighty distress lays her hand upon us!
She knows no mercy!
Her allies have at us too,
Helplessness.
Hatred.
Anxiety.
Demons are these wenches whose fingertips
strangle our minds,
Oh that sunshine should lay her face upon
me now!
and may she melt the formation of ice
about my body-
about my heart!
No more do I wish to bare the burden-
bare the weight that makes me winter!
No more do I want to carry,
to drag the chains of guilt and self pitty!
Mercy!
Mercy!
Defeat the monsters that attack this shell.
Safeguard your king of ice,
and protect him through his ways,
for he has fallen to your command."

Quicksand
by Gavin Casares

Black sand sprinkles across the empty desert.
Black sand falls down the hour glass channel.
Time is up,
and if you're made of quicksand
I guess I'll have to sink to your heart.
Darts fly by and miss their mark
When the target is the size of a dime
imperfection isn't allowed here.
What moves her to write what she does?
What moves him to act a way he does?
Water flows down my river,
waters stay calm near his,
and if you're made of water
I guess I will have to swim down to your heart.
This angel fell by my toe today
I wondered what he had done.
He said the heart of a single man he had won
I just walked away.
Wind blows agast everywhere.
The wind, the air is fresh for you to breathe
and if you're made of air when you're not there
I guess I'll have to fall out of
existence.
And if he's made out of quicksand
I guess I'll hav to sink to his heart . . .

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Lonely It May Be
by Donna Y. Towery

The days gone by
are in my mind.
The simple days of my childhood
cry out to me.
The love and laughter
which were always so near,
have been replaced
by sorrow and fear.
I long for those days
which are nevermore.
Each day now
is like the day before.
 No one cares so why should I?
Can't you leave me in peace
to let me cry?
Let me live my life
though lonely it may be.
It's all I have left
just my life and me.
  Why look for love?
The happiness I might find
will only be taken away
with the passing of time.
So why?

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Don't Tell
by Gavin Casares

Don't tell anyone what you know.
Don't say one word to yourself.
Don't speak your unconscience to your conscience.
I can hear.
I can see.
I can feel, touch, and smell.
Surrounding your whirlpool.
Can the wax beat the flame?
Surrounding you black hole.
Can the glass shatter the rock?
Getting closer to their poential
of the things essential.
Don't wonder how forward you are.
Don't care what I think
Don't like what I do.
Surrounding you mind.
Will the sun revolve around your world?
Will your world revolve around you?
Falling farther from their potential
Falling farther from the things essential
Don't tell. . .

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Unappreciated Gifts
by Michael Casares

The gift lack the accpetance that it was
meant to have.
It shriveled in the universal coner.
Nobody slavaged it from the freeze of twilight
as dusk shed its gaze upon it like a bleeding heart.
There remained nothing;
no sanctuary,
no tabernacle,
no closet to hide in.
The gifts remaind second, last.
Nothing could compare to that which
stoel the spotlight,
for the afterglow was sparce
and no two would carry on the same.
The gift would never be as it was-
sitting in its corner-
and it died like a neglected flower.
Certainly in this hour, your gift has slipped
away far, far into the shadows . . .

Will it be retrieved?

********************************************** <>Submitting<>

  If you would like to submit a poem or article to The Poet's Forum E-zine you are more than welcome to. All things submitted will be reveiwed and given full credit to the author. Poems submitted will eventually be placed in their respective galleries (or new galleries can be formed) on the Poetry Forum. If you would like to submit please MAIL them to the Poet's Forum E-zine. Please place "submit e-zine" or "sub-e" in the subject box.
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END

If you did not get a chance to read last months poems please be sure to check them out in the Galleries at The Poetry Forum Also, if there is anyone who you think might be interested in receiving a copy of The Poet's Forum please forward them this issue, I am sure they would appreciate it. If you got this via a forwarded message and want to subscribe, here's you chance! Poet's Forum E-zine

And that wraps it all up for this month, so we shall see you next. Farewell.

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The Poet's Forum E-zine was created by and is © 2000 Michael A. Casares, please respect his rights to ownership.

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The Poet's Forum #4 August 2000