Anonymous
12-16-2000, 02:44 PM
December 15, 2000
Dear patrons,
(I haven’t been posting any new writings lately, since right now I’m in more of a stage of just browsing, observing, and learning. Lately, I’ve just felt less eager to make this poetry scene like a competition as many of my friends do. Ok, now, don’t mistake this for a journal entry; I’m just trying build up a back round so you don’t stumble onto my tangent, wondering where the hell I’m getting at.)
Recently, I was prowling the isles of Borders – particularly around the periodicals of where one might meander for writing and poetry magazines. In my mindset, I was curious to find some new sources to study off of to pass time with. I had just finished reading The Fifth Gospel – version called The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age , translated by Stephen J. Patterson, James M. Robinson, and Hans-Gebhard Bethge. (I don’t really want to strain myself to forge this part in MLA format with the short amount of time I have to write this, so please forgive me for any formal errors….) Glancing around, I kept hearing the repetition that was shot out as a clincher to many of the Jesus’ sayings in that Gospel (or just ancient writing for many of those who don’t find this piece merit of being a Gospel): “Whoever has ears to hear should hear.”
There was one magazine that struck me for some odd reason – Harvard Review . Some of you might be familiar with it, but this was all fresh to me. It’s subtle cover of a still life painting – kind of coated onto the canvas in modern/contemporary style – showed two watermelon slices grazing onto some greenish scarf with two prunes (stem and leaves on top of both of em) below a red light bulb, dangling on a string. They rested on a light, wood-hue table of sorts. It had a light backdrop of taffy blue carpet converging with a pink and bluish-spotted flowery thing, on white/tan wallpaper, ‘round the middle. (I couldn’t make out the signature to whoever painted it since it was hastily splattered on the top left margin of the painting, so apologies again for not being able to cite it, but this was the Number Nineteen | Fall 2000 edition.)
After borrowing the book from the store, I skimmed around it and was particularly fascinated with one of the poems in it (I hope what I’m about to do doesn’t violate any copyright laws….):
Refrains
So I broke our wedding vows,
Which, I realize,
Have no if’s, but’s, or and-how’s;
But her eyes
Grew hard as quartz:
Her eyes were broken hearts.
I am odd, and getting older.
Maybe the secret of love is to let
It get, like unscalable peaks, colder.
She was the hottest thing, my tropics, and yet—
Each season passes. But to forget
Her is impossible no matter how long ago
It was she got of this, and let me go.
Time is passing boring.
And for all my whoring
And point-scoring, and the scolding, and lurid
luring of me
She did during her leaving of me, I see
That a single vain year has come and gone
Since the time I went back to, as in cradle, lying alone.
I am odd, and getting on.
Certain as rain,
The kind of recurrent pain
A woman receivers from the storming man.
What does he do but go on in this vein,
Yelling surging, inserting and asserting
wherever he can?
Time rains; it rains.
Still the ever runs along my veins—
I am a donor, a bleeder, a waiter-in-vain, for love’s
sickled banns.
When cocks go up, down go the brains,
So the gypsy proverb goes; born in caravans,
My fathers’ blood ran hot and cold; when they suffered
they suffered refrains.
(Share, Don. “Refrains” Harvard Review 19 (Fall 2000): 104.)
I’m curious on any of your thoughts, critiques, inquiries that concern this piece of writing. I haven’t scanned the poem; yet, but I did notice several of the poetic devices – in particular, the rhyming scheme. What makes a rhyme smooth, without being forced or breaking the rhythm of its words and imagery? As well as, why are – if any – of the poetic devices proper for this piece? Especially: is it still necessary (or in the trend) to continue using fixed verse over free verse, or is that just optional? In an age such as now, is it still appropriate to use syllable, accentual, and syllable accentual verse or should everything just be free verse now? Does anyone have any thoughts?
Sincerely and thanks for your time,
Anonymous
[This message has been edited by Anonymous (edited 12-16-2000).]
Dear patrons,
(I haven’t been posting any new writings lately, since right now I’m in more of a stage of just browsing, observing, and learning. Lately, I’ve just felt less eager to make this poetry scene like a competition as many of my friends do. Ok, now, don’t mistake this for a journal entry; I’m just trying build up a back round so you don’t stumble onto my tangent, wondering where the hell I’m getting at.)
Recently, I was prowling the isles of Borders – particularly around the periodicals of where one might meander for writing and poetry magazines. In my mindset, I was curious to find some new sources to study off of to pass time with. I had just finished reading The Fifth Gospel – version called The Gospel of Thomas Comes of Age , translated by Stephen J. Patterson, James M. Robinson, and Hans-Gebhard Bethge. (I don’t really want to strain myself to forge this part in MLA format with the short amount of time I have to write this, so please forgive me for any formal errors….) Glancing around, I kept hearing the repetition that was shot out as a clincher to many of the Jesus’ sayings in that Gospel (or just ancient writing for many of those who don’t find this piece merit of being a Gospel): “Whoever has ears to hear should hear.”
There was one magazine that struck me for some odd reason – Harvard Review . Some of you might be familiar with it, but this was all fresh to me. It’s subtle cover of a still life painting – kind of coated onto the canvas in modern/contemporary style – showed two watermelon slices grazing onto some greenish scarf with two prunes (stem and leaves on top of both of em) below a red light bulb, dangling on a string. They rested on a light, wood-hue table of sorts. It had a light backdrop of taffy blue carpet converging with a pink and bluish-spotted flowery thing, on white/tan wallpaper, ‘round the middle. (I couldn’t make out the signature to whoever painted it since it was hastily splattered on the top left margin of the painting, so apologies again for not being able to cite it, but this was the Number Nineteen | Fall 2000 edition.)
After borrowing the book from the store, I skimmed around it and was particularly fascinated with one of the poems in it (I hope what I’m about to do doesn’t violate any copyright laws….):
Refrains
So I broke our wedding vows,
Which, I realize,
Have no if’s, but’s, or and-how’s;
But her eyes
Grew hard as quartz:
Her eyes were broken hearts.
I am odd, and getting older.
Maybe the secret of love is to let
It get, like unscalable peaks, colder.
She was the hottest thing, my tropics, and yet—
Each season passes. But to forget
Her is impossible no matter how long ago
It was she got of this, and let me go.
Time is passing boring.
And for all my whoring
And point-scoring, and the scolding, and lurid
luring of me
She did during her leaving of me, I see
That a single vain year has come and gone
Since the time I went back to, as in cradle, lying alone.
I am odd, and getting on.
Certain as rain,
The kind of recurrent pain
A woman receivers from the storming man.
What does he do but go on in this vein,
Yelling surging, inserting and asserting
wherever he can?
Time rains; it rains.
Still the ever runs along my veins—
I am a donor, a bleeder, a waiter-in-vain, for love’s
sickled banns.
When cocks go up, down go the brains,
So the gypsy proverb goes; born in caravans,
My fathers’ blood ran hot and cold; when they suffered
they suffered refrains.
(Share, Don. “Refrains” Harvard Review 19 (Fall 2000): 104.)
I’m curious on any of your thoughts, critiques, inquiries that concern this piece of writing. I haven’t scanned the poem; yet, but I did notice several of the poetic devices – in particular, the rhyming scheme. What makes a rhyme smooth, without being forced or breaking the rhythm of its words and imagery? As well as, why are – if any – of the poetic devices proper for this piece? Especially: is it still necessary (or in the trend) to continue using fixed verse over free verse, or is that just optional? In an age such as now, is it still appropriate to use syllable, accentual, and syllable accentual verse or should everything just be free verse now? Does anyone have any thoughts?
Sincerely and thanks for your time,
Anonymous
[This message has been edited by Anonymous (edited 12-16-2000).]