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Poetry by Rowan Evans

Tag: actions over words

  • What I’m Trying to Say | A Love Poem About Devotion, Presence, and Showing Up

    Rowan Evans

    Author’s Note

    Sometimes poetry gets carried away.

    This poem certainly did.

    It began with a simple thought: I’ve always believed that “I’d live for you” carries more weight than “I’d die for you.”

    Living requires consistency.

    It asks something of you every single day.

    Somewhere along the way, though, my imagination decided that wasn’t enough. Suddenly I was climbing out of graves, becoming immune to death, and accidentally writing the world’s most dramatic promise.

    Which is why the poem has to stop and laugh at itself.

    Because beneath all the exaggeration, there is a much quieter truth trying to be heard.

    I’m not promising the impossible.

    I’m not promising eternity.

    I’m simply saying the thing I’ve been trying to say all along:

    If you need me…

    I’ll show up.

    Again.

    And again.

    And again.

    — Rowan Evans

    A solitary figure waiting with a lantern in gentle rain at twilight, symbolizing loyalty, devotion, and the quiet promise to always be there.
    “The greatest promises are rarely the loudest—they are the ones we keep, day after day.”

    What I’m Trying to Say
    Poetry by Rowan Evans

    “I’d die for you,”
    I’ve heard it a time or two—
    a grand gesture with no meaning,
    no follow through.

    “I would live for you,”
    I’ve said it a time or two—
    a simple gesture with so much meaning,
    it’s all about the follow through.

    Yes, I would live for you—
    I would live so true, that if I died—
    I’d dig myself from my grave
    to return to you.

    I’d become the undead,
    just to keep the promises I’ve said.
    I’d develop an immunity to death—
    I’ll never know what comes next,
    what’s the afterlife like?

    I’ll never know…

    Okay, maybe—
    I pushed that a little too far.
    Dragged it right to the edge,
    held it over the ledge—

    what am I trying to say?

    I guess—
    what I am trying to say is—

    I’ll be there. Always.
    Shine or rain, smiles or pain—
    my devotion doesn’t change.

    Journey into the Hexverse…

    [I’d Rather Try]
    Anyone can promise they’d die for someone. But love isn’t built on one dramatic moment—it’s built on showing up, trying again tomorrow, and proving your words through consistent action.

    [Pointing Me Home]
    The final poem in the No Metaphor Left Behind trilogy explores dreams, hope, and belonging. Through moonlight, ocean tides, and quiet conversation, Pointing Me Home reflects on carrying hope long before reaching the place you call home.

    [Recognizes Home]
    A free-verse poem exploring the difference between love as dependency and love as choice. It challenges the idea that love must be need-based, instead centering the quiet strength of choosing someone while still remaining whole on your own.

    [The Language Her Souls Speaks]
    What if love isn’t about being understood, but learning to understand someone else? “The Language Her Soul Speaks” is a free verse poem about intimacy, communication, curiosity, and the desire to know another person beyond the limits of language.

    [It’s You I Choose]
    A poem about devotion, vulnerability, and the quiet decision to stay. Sometimes love isn’t certainty—it is choosing someone anyway.

    [The Streets I Walk When I Sleep]
    “The Streets I Walk When I Sleep” is a deeply intimate free verse poem about recurring dreams, emotional connection, longing across distance, and the strange feeling of remembering places and moments that have never happened in waking life.

    If you’re interested in more poetry, you can find it here → [The Library of Ashes]

  • I’d Rather Try | A Poem About Love, Consistency, and Showing Up

    Rowan Evans

    Author’s Note

    Some promises sound beautiful because they are dramatic.

    “I’d die for you.”

    It’s a phrase we’ve heard in songs, films, books, and poetry for centuries. It carries an undeniable emotional weight.

    But while writing this poem, I found myself asking a different question.

    What happens after the dramatic declaration?

    Because most relationships aren’t built on one extraordinary moment.

    They’re built on ordinary ones.

    Showing up.

    Listening.

    Being consistent.

    Choosing someone again tomorrow after choosing them today.

    Dying for someone is an idea that exists in a single moment.

    Living for someone is a practice that unfolds across thousands of moments.

    That’s what this poem is really about.

    Not grand gestures, but quiet commitment.

    Not sacrifice for a day…

    but presence for a lifetime.

    — Rowan Evans

    Two people reaching toward one another across a narrow gap at sunrise, symbolizing trust, consistency, and choosing to show up for someone every day.
    “Love isn’t measured by one extraordinary promise—it is measured by the ordinary moments when we choose to stay, to try, and to be there.”

    I’d Rather Try
    Poetry by Rowan Evans

    Oh, they said they’d die for you—
    and give all of their life too.
    But would they be there for you
    and truly care too?

    Anyone can say they’d die—
    but would they have the spine,
    when it comes time
    to put it on the line?

    What would I do?

    Well—
    I would try for you
    and live all of my life too.
    I would be there for you,
    and truly care too.

    Yeah, I know—
    anyone can say they’d try,
    but consistency is where
    promises live or die.

    And I’ve tried to prove
    myself consistently.

    To show that I mean
    what I say—
    in more than just words,
    because it’s about the actions too.

    Journey into the Hexverse…

    [Pointing Me Home]
    The final poem in the No Metaphor Left Behind trilogy explores dreams, hope, and belonging. Through moonlight, ocean tides, and quiet conversation, Pointing Me Home reflects on carrying hope long before reaching the place you call home.

    [Only Waiting]
    The second poem in the No Metaphor Left Behind series, exploring the quiet ache of growing up in a place that never truly felt like home—and finally saying aloud what years of metaphor had been trying to express.

    [Crossing the Sea]
    A deeply personal poem about relocation, longing, and the realization that some truths naturally arrive through metaphor—even when we try to leave it behind.

    [Recognizes Home]
    A free-verse poem exploring the difference between love as dependency and love as choice. It challenges the idea that love must be need-based, instead centering the quiet strength of choosing someone while still remaining whole on your own.

    [Not Rebuilding You]
    A poem about love as an act of presence rather than rescue. Through construction imagery, Not Rebuilding You explores trust, devotion, emotional safety, and the quiet work of building a foundation strong enough for healing to grow.

    If you’re interested in more poetry, you can find it here → [The Library of Ashes]