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Ink
Posted: Thu Nov 14, 2019 7:48 pm
by Colm Roe
Some events
press stamps on your passport,
tattoo their ink on fibres, some
still too wet to hold more horror, or
still shake too much
so the words blur and shift
in wild confusions,
when brave enough to recollect.
Some recollections hold,
those dried instantly ones, documents
you know are there, somewhere,
you'll find them eventually.
Like birth certs in the attic
cocooned in a cardboard box,
securely layered between all those photos
and the stupid things you kept for no reason;
letters and poetry
keys without locks.
They'll confuse your children when you're gone,
one or two will be kept (if you were a good parent)
but they'll burn most of you.
And if you can, as a good parent
your breath will fan the flames.
Re: Ink
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2019 6:17 am
by Dave
Hey Colm
There is undoubtedly a good poem trying to get out here but in my view the poem is hampered by wayward and erratic syntax and punctuation that sometimes does work for me - any maybe only for me.
What shakes in line 5?
What is brave in line 8?
Maybe I am thick but I don't know what the fibres belong to.
In S 2,it also took a while to really piece things together. Should dried instantly have a hyphen perhaps or read the other way round as instantly dried?
In stanza 3 you have they'll three times but once the children and once the things in the attic (more specifically letters I suppose since they are about to be burnt). However, the way the poem reads at the moment is that the letters will confuse the children and burn some of the letters while keeping some. I am pretty you want to say that the children will do the burning.
In the last two lines there is some confusion too as it says 'can' in line one but this is followed by breath (a noun), where logically a verb should stand as in breathe. Something like' And if you can, as a parent,
you will breathe to fan the flames.'
Hope this makes sense and gives you something to work on.
Re: Ink
Posted: Fri Nov 15, 2019 7:28 pm
by Colm Roe
Thanks for reading Dave.
I disagree (quelle surprise) that there's a poem trying to get out. I know it requires some editing...but not too much.
L5 the 'fibres' shake...Collins Dictionary 'If you
say that you
feel something with every
fibre of your being, you mean that you feel it very deeply.'
'What is brave in line 8?' Not what...who!
'Dried instantly' Could be hyphenated; but would you read it in a different way? No. Instantly dried sounds too much like food. Grammatically you are probably correct, but....
Using 'they'll' three times. I was aware of that; it sounded ok when I wrote it, but I agree, it jars. When I remove one of them you'll be less confused.
'your breath will fan the flames.' Original.
'you will breathe to fan the flames.' Your suggestion...but which one reads better?
Thanks for your comments.
Re: Ink
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2019 4:04 pm
by Tracy Mitchell
Impressive, Colm. Some serious writing in this poem. The metaphors are strong and edgy. Themes are lucid and sterling in presentation. Opening and closing stanzas are particularly good.
S.2 L.2 – “dried instantly” – I think should be hyphenated.
S.3 L.4 – consider substituting an em-dash for the semi-colon.
S.4 L.2 – consider replacing the parens with commas.
For me the heart of it:
and the stupid things you kept for no reason;
letters and poetry
keys without locks.
. . . .
. . . they'll burn most of you.
. . . .
[and] your breath will fan the flames.
Awesome.
Cheers.
T
Re: Ink
Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2019 6:39 pm
by Colm Roe
Hi and welcome back Tracy
The hyphen (grudgingly) should be inserted.
The ('semi-colon') semicolon is suggested for formal writing, the em-dash (I assume) for informal writing, like letters.
I've noted the em-dashes popular use in poetry, and have wondered if that's because it can replace several punctuation marks, i.e. the
writer doesn't have to know exactly which one to use
It does look prettier than a semicolon though; so I might start using it
The words within the parentheses would be spoken in a different tone; I don't think commas would indicate that.
Anywho, thank you for your comments.
I was sad to see this one drop down the page because I am particularly fond of it. So your appreciation is especially welcome
Re: Ink
Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2019 6:53 pm
by Tracy Mitchell
The other thing I forgot to say, Colm, is that this poem fits well in the tight grouping of poems you have put together this past six months or so. It is like a chapbook is forming itself, with or without your intention.
I would bow to the inevitable if I were you, and publish them as a collection. Just saying.
Cheers.
T
Re: Ink
Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2019 8:07 pm
by Colm Roe
Chapbook.
HISTORICAL
a small pamphlet containing tales, ballads, or tracts, sold by
pedlars.
NORTH AMERICAN
a small paper-covered
booklet, typically containing poems or fiction.
So I'm only fit for booklets distributed by pedlars!!!
Yeah...you're probably right
Re: Ink
Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2019 8:11 pm
by Colm Roe
BTW I like the Polar Explorer photo
BTW #2 Where did you post the way to attach photos to posts?
Re: Ink
Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2019 9:43 pm
by Tracy Mitchell
Colm -- to put photos into your post, they need to first be online so that they have an URL.
IMGUR is an site to which I upload photos, an easy process, and they then have URLs each.
Then you click the link [upper right, four icons left of the smilies, looks like a TV screen] and you will be prompted to type in the URL, or cut and paste.
That's all there is.
Cheers.
T
Re: Ink
Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:37 am
by Colm Roe
Thanks Tracy