Poetry Portfolio - Nahida Chowdhury

Poetry Portfolio - Nahida Chowdhury

When creating this portfolio, I initially was not able to stick to just one theme, so my objective was to experiment with different themes and ideas that were not too difficult for me to express when writing creatively. It was also my primary objective to create a portfolio that would hopefully spark various emotions and memories to the reader, when combined with different poetic techniques and forms of writing.

What I personally found most challenging about putting this portfolio together would have to be creating the limerick and imagist poems. During the process of composing an imagist poem, I found several challenges, one being an image itself to express into poetic form. I found it very difficult to translate certain images and moments into words, especially using imagery so I had to rethink my entire idea and start from scratch again. However, throughout my failed attempts, I came to the realization that diction was key in the process of creating a good imagery poem. For writing limericks, I found it challenging to find a rhyming couplet for certain words used, which limited my word choice. In some instances, I had to change the entire sentence because there was not an appropriate word to rhyme with the previous one and I did not want to reuse a word I used in the first sentence, into the last. Also, due to the fact that there is a specific number of syllables one could use in each line of a limerick, I had to omit certain words. Overall, I believe I could definitely improve upon my use of imagery, by selecting suitable diction, in order to be able to capture the essence of any moment in writing. In my opinion, it would also be a good idea for me to continue practicing different forms of poetry, as well as getting used to the syllable count in certain poems.

Haikus

Destruction

The sky blazes red,
Darkness overcomes the land,
Silence of lost ruins

Moonlight

Shadows in silence,
Awaiting the moon's soft touch,
Sweet Serenity

Diamante

War
Violent, Death
Suffering, Overwhelming, Devastating
Bloodshed, Strength, Prayer, Harmony
Forgiving, Loving, Calming,
Hopeful, Blissful
Peace.

Limerick

There once was a man from Ballaray,
Who thought he was a horse and neighed,
There was a barn he eyed,
So he crawled inside,
And began to eat all the hay.

Epitaph

Falling into a slumber so deep,
You bleed here, as our hearts weep.
Your spirit is free, returned to God;
Swimming freely in heaven's pond.
Leaving your body was petty sacrifice,
As your soul now awakens in paradise.

Narrative Poem

A while ago, when I was only a little girl,
I used to love to dance and twirl.
But one summers night,
While looking out into the moon’s light,
I dreamt I was parted at birth;
Stolen from the one I love on this Earth.

Filled with fear, my body shook.
I tried to open my eyes, tried not to look,
But I was in a trance.
I decided to take one more chance,
In hopes to open my eyes
And fade away the cries.

When I woke, the memory was carved in stone,
As I laid in bed petrified and alone.
While the time went by, I couldn’t help but to think
“ Is this all still a dream? ”, but then I heard a klink.
“It’s nothing”, I told myself and continued to stay still,
Imagining myself no longer afraid, when I got a chill.

I closed my eyes, in hopes of happy thoughts,
However, all I envisioned where dots.
The happiness I was seeking just never came,
The nightmares where the only ones to blame.
As a little girl, I lost my will to sleep that night
And happiness was nowhere in sight.

Free Verse

When I learned the truth,
about another death in the news,
the only thing I wanted,
was to be set free.

Free from pain, free from emotions,
free from all the heartache.
To be free, is all I long to be,
but pain reminds me, to be free,
does not mean to live.

Paradise will soon overflow,
from all the lives lost on this Earth.
From all the senseless murders,
and stolen souls.

To speak bad about the dead
Is not wise,
for one day we shall all die.
No one knows when,
and no one knows why,
but one's inevitable death will not fail to strike.

Imagist Poems

Christmas Morning

Fresh crystal flakes
settle upon
a silent porch

while the crisp scent
of pine and cinnamon
wafts across the air

eager to join
the old hearty laughter
and youthful giggling
under the mistletoe

Tides at Sea

Waving to say goodbye
as you billow away

in the high tide
like a tsunami

you wash over the rocks
leaving us behind

(Photo Courtesy: Google)

Nahida Chowdhury, Student of Carleton University.

Ottawa, CANADA.