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Thread: Aarrgghh!!

  1. #136
    JFN is offline Fun and felicitous PFFA patron
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    Howard, sorry it's taken most of the month to get back to your small songs. I did not know about direct registration with cats; thank you for that. The poem is fun and characterful.

    The lost boot in Glimpse is familiar to me. I couldn't count the number of times I've had to pull one of my children's boots out of the mud. I like the musing on the struggle here.

    The blurred feeling in Fuliginous makes the scene very atmospheric. Lovely title too, a new word for me.

    Playlist is a great observation of something often seen as nothing more than an irritant. I want pizza now.

    Transmutation really is a beautiful image of lost potential. We've lost a number from the apple trees recently too. The imagery is perfect.

    The stars orphaned by cloud, disconnected from one another, is another wonderful observation well told, and a possible metaphor for social distancing. Clever.

    That last wisteria holding on is a wonderful metaphor for weathering the storm. It could be applied to current events too.

    Your Bashô homage is hilarious.

    I've been sorting our herb bed a little and those fragrances are definitely worth putting into a poem, including the soil. Definitely worth speculating on.

    I love the reflections in dew on spider webs; we showed the children one the other day. ten thousand moons is beautiful.

    The alliteration in Pond really suits the swarm of little fishes well. Nicely done.

    Sounds like a decent autumnal recipe in Appetizer. This has a lovely balance of scent, colour and flavour.

    Another beautiful image of nature in Aria, with wonderful associated sounds. I think this is my favourite of yours so far this month.

    I like the positive, upward edge to everything in Assurgency . dew-hued has a lovely sound to it.

    Back to herbs and the downpours. The rosemary is resilient, but the others will regrow. There are a lot of descriptive words for the drooping etc., which may not all be necessary but they do add to the oppressive nature of the heavy rain.

    I found the old bird feeder in the outbuilding the other day, and the seed within it had sprouted, so Purpose makes perfect sense to me.

    That tide of jasmine scent, the brushing of fingers through the flowers, Venus watching over. Beautiful stuff.

    Breasts and turtles, what's not to like. The correlation between the two seemingly disparate images works really well.

    Keep them coming,

    John
    Poetry is everywhere; it just needs editing.
    James Tate

    johnnewson.com

  2. #137
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    Thanks again,everyone, taking the time to read and comment.

    I'm desperately behind fluffing. urk
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

  3. #138
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    "Small Song: Contrapuntal"

    Branches of Chinese privet,
    loaded with tiny white blossoms,
    cascade like a fountain suspended
    in mid-motion; that sweetness
    rides the rain of a gray afternoon.

    Chinese privet
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

  4. #139
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    Howard, love that telling detail of the half-sunk logs in ""Braille." And "Contrapuntal" captures perfectly the imagery and spirit of much Chinese poetry and art.

  5. #140
    Dunc is offline but say it is my humour
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    Howard

    Thanks for the cranesbill link.

    Braille ─ down by the river, up in the bedroom, the message is conveyed by touch. An interesting contrast of contexts and styles.

    Contrapuntal and the counterpoint of cascading blossoms and rain. Again an exact feel for the moment.

    Regards / Dunc

  6. #141
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    Thanks, Jee and Dunc; I appreciate your time and comments. And thanks, Jee, for the compliment about Chinese poetry; I've been rereading a fair bit of classical Chinese poetry the last few days, particularly some of Red Pine's translations which I'd not really read much of previously and which I'm really enjoying.
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

  7. #142
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    "Small Song: Coda"

    The faint slow staccato
    of the remnants of rain
    detaching themselves
    from pine and elm at midnight.
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

  8. #143
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    "Small Song: Neighborhood"

    At noon, the pond is still.
    No ducks paddle, no fish jump,
    no dragonflies whirr. The green mirror
    of the surface is broken only
    by the ripples of the water strider
    which fracture the reflection
    of the microwave tower.


    Water striders
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

  9. #144
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    Another fly-by, but I enjoy your thread,

    Contrapuntal - the sonics here show the balance between the two images, and the sweetness/rides the rain is a wonderful way of placing an image in my head where raindrops gather and fall from branched flowers and those warm rainy days when everything is scented.

    Remnants of Rain - yes, they just do! But so nice to have that recognised in a poem as now it's been articulated rather than just being a tacit thing-some-people-hear but also, articulated in a sensitive, sensory way rather than appropriated. I like so much how the small things matter in your poetry.

    Neighbourhood - This makes me sad. Even in our deep horrible green ponds here (they are gross and truly smelly) there is a great deal of very vibrant life, and no towers to reflect. But the water strider brings hope.

    Onwards!

    Sarah

  10. #145
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    Thanks again, Sarah; I always appreciate the comments.
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

  11. #146
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    "Small Song: Compline"

    Leaves whisper on the wind's breath,
    treefrogs lift their plain song out
    of darkness, and, in the distance,
    the canticle of the late freight fades.
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

  12. #147
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    "Small Song: Endowment"

    The fronds of dill in the pot
    on the balcony railing entangles
    the crescent moon like a net;
    I lift it free and pin it
    to your blouse, fixing the momentary
    firmly in place.
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

  13. #148
    Dunc is offline but say it is my humour
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    Howard

    Coda ─ The evesdrip of the forest, 'the remnants of rain'.beautifully realised.

    Neighborhood ─ and another small, subtle disturbance to fracture that reflection.

    Compline ─ again the weaving of technology into the landscape, with that exactness of effect.

    Endowment ─ and the power of a frond of herb.

    You've maintained a remarkable standard with these from the start.

    Regards / Dunc

  14. #149
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    Thanks, Dunc. It's almost over for 2020.
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

  15. #150
    HowardM2 is offline The little guy behind the curtain
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    "Small Song: Tally"

    After the storm, the world
    is frightened into silence;
    no moon, no stars break
    their way through cloud
    to light what's lost;
    only the heavy scent
    of ruptured pines
    hints at the cost.
    "Poetry is not a code to be broken but a way of seeing with the eyes shut." -- Linda Pastan

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