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Vixility

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Vixility
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Though born in New Jersey, John W. May has lived in Colorado all of his life. He currently works in the field of ophthalmology and loves to mountain bike and read history. John first became a lover of poetry in 2008 after having read a poem by John Milton. He has been reading and studying the works of various poets since. Among his favorite poets are Emily Dickinson, Fyodor Tyutchev and W. B. Yeats.

  August 2022     2 hours ago

Submitted Poems 36 total

The Witch of Aberdeen

She lived outside of Aberdeen
Where Scotland woods stood glum and gray
Above a cavern in between
The rising moon and setting day.
Her laughter seemed to plague the night—

    That is, as some would say;
And oft, through yonder...

– by John W. May

 1,266 Views
added 1 year ago
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On Beauty Untamed

“Poetry must have something in it that is
barbaric, vast and wild.” –Denis Diderot

The Falcon

In lovely light and lofty pose,
   It perched an autumn limb.
Rebalancing, a wing arose
   Revealing something grim ...

Though...

– by John W. May

 353 Views
added 5 months ago
Rating
On Dreaming

I often wonder with a grin
What imagery my dreams might show:
I blanket deep, pull covers in,
And ponder how my dreams will go ...

For in the haunt of last night's tale
A dreadful cavern opened wide,
And in a frenzy dogs of hell
Were...

– by John W. May

 333 Views
added 9 months ago
Rating
The Sculptor

With joy he set upon the stone
Releasing from its marble tomb
The likeness of a lovely maid
Whose grandeur filled the humble room.
What hapless rock this used to be,
Half-figured now, she seemed a god:
The more his chisel carved her shape,
...

– by John W. May

 165 Views
added 7 months ago
Rating
Candy Land

The swing that breaks the hanging bag
Sends candy bouncing all around:
The children rush, and pushing fuss,
And knock each other to the ground.
No thoughts of others—only self—
Where skewed desires all abound:
They rush and push and even kick...

– by John W. May

 122 Views
added 3 months ago
Rating

... and 31 more »

Favorite Poets 23 total

... and 18 more »

Voted Poems 241 total

... and 236 more »

Collection 213 total

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Latest Comments: 510 total

Poetry.com
Hey, thank you Talia! (Can I call you Talia?) I really enjoyed trying to imagine the dire situation from Paris’ perspective: what kind of fear did he feel (did he feel fear), would he abandon Helen (of course he wouldn’t abandon Helen), and what would it be that he would desire differently from the scourge of impending warfare (serenity one love, of course).

The REALLY fun and challenging part is that I wanted to see if I could convey all this adequately in just three stanzas. Hope it worked …

Thank you for swinging by and leaving a comment. 

12 hours ago

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Poetry.com
Blake, this poem is awesome!! Incredibly descriptive imagery. The ending caught me by surprise the first time I read it—a lovely poetic tactic … hope to read more.

1 day ago

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Poetry.com
Excellent piece! This was among my pinned poems for the month of April.

It reminds me of that quote (there’s a heated debate as to who said it):

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” 

1 day ago

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Poetry.com
You are an exceedingly talented writer! Your verse is also exceptionally creative.

Love this poem—which was among my pinned poems in April’s contest—along your other piece: “Tempest of Temptation”. 

1 day ago

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Loved this piece! It was among my pinned poems for April’s contest.

Curious if you have a link to that sill-life photo you made?

1 day ago

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Incidentally, this poem was among my pinned …

1 day ago

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Poetry.com
A sucker for meter and rhymed poetry, I’ve been a long time fan of your works and the topics you choose.

Yep, I was among those horrified to ask a girl out; and yes, it got easier as time passed.

That’s funny: the line your wife hated was the one that had me openly chuckle. 

1 day ago

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I really enjoyed this read—it was one of the poems I pinned for the April contest. The imagery is tranquil and serene. The closing lines remind me of Rilke’s “Ninth Elegy”:

“Everyone once, once only. Just once and no more. And we also once, never again. But this having been once, although only once, to have been of the earth, seems irrevocable.”

Thank you for sharing this piece. 

1 day ago

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This was one of my pinned poems for the April contest. Just way to let you know I appreciated the imagery behind this piece—reminds me how Imagist poets like Amy Lowell and Hilda Doolittle write.

Very creative piece. Thanks for sharing. 

1 day ago

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Poetry.com
I wish this poem never had to be written. It was one of my pinned poems for the April contest. I hope that the writing of poetry helps bring healing.

1 day ago

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Poetry.com
This was one of my pinned poems for the April contest. Just thought I would let you know I appreciated this delightful Haiku of yours.

1 day ago

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Poetry.com
I mentioned this elsewhere, but it was between this poem and another for the April contest. I absolutely adore the imagery here. The first line and the last line of themselves would make a poem!

It always fascinates me how so much can be expressed in so little space. This is one of those genius works, and I love how so naturally it came to you. 

1 day ago

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Poetry.com
This was one of the poems I pinned for the April contest. Loved the story, the imagery which carried the poem, and the rhythm. Excellent piece …

1 day ago

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Poetry.com
I wish there was a ‘heart button’ on this thing ❤️

1 day ago

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Poetry.com
Funny thing about that line: “Oh, go back Fate”. I spent a significant amount of time debating the use of a comma there. In Standard English a comma is imperative, but I figured that since a line is written in meter and has to follow a certain rhythmic cadence, a comma could be detrimental.

The question for me is “do I want the caesura or not”. In that mosquito poem I omitted it from the line “Well who am I to hold a grudge” because I felt adding a comma would disrupt the flow. I know an English professor would nail me on it, but I figured “If Emily Dickinson can get away with her breaches of Standard English, so can I”.

Thanks again, Steve, for stopping by. I appreciate your time, talent and poetry. 

1 day ago

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