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We Yearn For Air And Light

Jamal Upshaw 1954 (NYC)

Free verse
Deep in the earth, a stifled cry,
We yearn for air and a boundless sky.
Roots may hold fast, but spirits crave,
The sun's warm kiss on a windswept wave.

Blind tendrils reach, a desperate plea,
To break the bonds of obscurity.
Blooms unfurl, reaching for the sun,
Life's vibrant song, a battle won.

For buried dreams and stifled sighs,
We yearn for air and open skies.
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Written on March 22, 2024

Submitted by ggolden9 on March 22, 2024

24 sec read
4

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABB CCDD EE
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 369
Words 78
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 2
Full analysis for We Yearn For Air And Light »

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2 Comments
  • Nebula7693
    Nebula7693
    Wow! This is a beautiful description of yearning for liberation and acknowledging the triumph over the limitations of life.

    "Blind tendrils reach, a desperate plea,
    To break the bonds of obscurity."

    To me, these are the most powerful lines in this work. Describing the desire to leave behind something worthy of immortality like Shakespeare, Poe or Keats. Realizing the effort it will take to achieve such greatness as expressed in the next two lines:

    "Blooms unfurl, reaching for the sun,
    Life's vibrant song, a battle won."

    The juxtaposition of of the seemingly effortless act of "blooming" and the recognition of it actually being the result of a "battle won," is a stroke of genius.

    Well done, Jamal. Well done, indeed!     
    LikeReply1 month ago
  • JokerGem
    JokerGem
    Yes! To possibilities, to boundless freedom too!
    I'm liking this one..short and to the point!
    LikeReply1 month ago

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"We Yearn For Air And Light" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/183517/we-yearn-for-air-and-light>.

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