Faulted Outlier

[drumpf]

Some Intelligent

Great example of letting the reader interpret what happened to the English. The foreign diction micmics the texture of the terrain: muddy, rocky; dirty. I wonder, I am not sure of how the spanish flu came to be, but the poem suggest the English brought it there.

[drumpf]

The Family econcmy

I love these geological vignettes that suggest the harsh working condition. Like an impressive hell that receives sunlight.

[new leaf]

I'm fascinated with your dovetailing of the antique pamphlet's content with your intimate knowledge of local terrain and inhabitants, plus the beauty of the sounds you use to build each instalment. The idea of hair as contour lines is brilliant, and the precision of the naming adds depth to the rather fantastical feeling that swirls around the geologist's wife, dowsing, and all.

[Scrow]

Let’s just say I’ve made relationships, and divorce especially (all foreign), an expensive hobby...

Part English (part Manx), but if you cut me down the middle you’d find the word bastard written through the middle. As for the Welsh? I make a point of applauding on those rare occasions you beat us at Twickenham or, erm, your place. It’s lovely to see a little principality do well now an again (why are the emojis here so ‘turd emoji’) - several dozen crying with laughter emojis...

On a side note, Mumbles Head, Port Eynon, Pembrokeshire: where I spent summers as a kid on holidays that I wouldn’t trade for all the tea in Porthcawl. Wales also has the best place name of anywhere in the world; Splot.

Mumbles is beautiful. I had a boyfriend who used to surf on the Gower (there were some fantastic beach fire parties). But, for Pembrokeshire coastlines I'd personally choose further up now, to King's Quoit and (for loafing) Manorbier beach.

I am still musing on your secret superpower - you're (for me) an imagist poet par excellence, but we need to work 'promising bluebeard' in there somewhere.

[Scrow]

drumpf - thank-you so much for stopping by and sharing your comments - much appreciated

new leaf - I am sighing with relief because you're 'getting' this. I worry so much that I'm catapulting people into a tiny, tiny headspace which doesn't make sense. But yes, it's about the pamphlet. I'm also super-happy that the 'naming of things' thing works without being boring.

Onwards!

Sarah

[Scrow]

The Silurian district of Ledbury, valleys
cut in the soft shales, sheltering,
where dirt and tree roots curve the rocks
with violets, ferns, lichen and moss.
Where trees shout green in spring.

Underneath, tiny creatures lie
in layers of sand and silt, compressed.
The landscape shares a very rich fauna
shared in stories of dragons,
shared in maps and drawings after E. S Cobbold,
after W.W, Woods, after T.T. Groom, where
histories become crystalline
like quartz or feldspar.

(I have found a different backstory for the geologist's wife, thank-goodness)

[Gabrielle]

Hi Scrow,
Really enjoying the unfolding of this geologic tale. Especially the 3rd where husbandly neglect gets to the emotional core.

[Scrow]

Thank-you so much, Gabrielle. I am more thrilled that you 'get' the meanings I was trying to put across with that, and appreciate your taking the time to share (you're a great reader, I've read your comments in other threads, too).

Sarah

[Scrow]

A school for artisans, and a collection of exemplary objects which should visualise good taste for all social classes (Myzelev, 2009)

The Department of Practical Art shipped
boxes of busts and stuffed birds
from London to Hereford’s distinctly
red sandstones, often soft and sand-like.
Where the school of Art and Science
sat commonplace women
between workers and some frilled
ladies taking drawing classes.

[GreaterMandalaofUselessness]

Hey Sarah

The family economy of the rural poor -- loving the contrast: the geologist drawn to tears and slices and resistant rock, versus his left-behind wife's soft shales and sheltering. Wasn't sure if "date needed" was true, or part of the presentation, but if the former, then it's: The Agricultural History Review, Vol. 52, No. 1 (2004), pp. 83-98

The Institute of Geological Sciences does not credit the illustrator of the fossils So, the geologist's wife is an illustrator? That's a surprise. I do like the fossils as dragons: "tiny creatures ...
in layers of sand and silt, compressed".

Exemplary objects There was a Department of Practical Art? (googles --- yup). Aha, so that's how she learns to draw. I was wondering. It makes more sense to me now. So now I'm imagining her, Welsh and earthy, among the frilled ladies.

Keep 'em coming.

[lauriene]

The subject(s) in all three is(are) over my head,I don't get it lol, but, that could be more my limited knowledge on geology and the demographic; it's very strong writing. Great language and sonics as is always present in your poetry.

[Jee Leong]

I like the very human peek into the commonplace women sitting between the workers and the ladies. More, please!

[JFN]

Sarah, what a lovely title for The patterns of her hair…. It's interesting to see Gallipoli brought into the poems about the borders, but the central italicised line links to two halves together nicely. It does put me in mind of the Russell Crowe film though. The action at the close feeds into the previous poems from Sevens nicely.

I love the folklore in the second poem, and the Gaelic is lovely. I can't work out if 1916 is deliberately early as a nod to the other invented story, but if not double check the dates. I have the Spanish Flu in my head as 1918-1920

The family economy… continues the theme really nicely. I can't wait to read these as a full series; they are truly engrossing. The italicised quotes work so well.

The imagery of S1 in The Institute… is lovely indeed. The focus on S2 of the buried fossils and the dragon legends brings a deep historical feeling to the place too.

I love the way commonplace can be, and almost certainly would have been, spoken with such disdain. Less geology in this one, but what is there works and adds to the imagery.

Keep well,

John

[alondra]

Hi Sarah! Being somewhat of a geology fan (and rock picker-upper)myself, I´ve enjoyed reading these descriptions for their appealing combination of science, linguistics and a strong tinge of mysticism. That said, I don´t understand all your references but respect them anyway for their scholarliness: this is highbrow stuff! Do you like astronomy too?

[Emily Bronte]

Hi, Sarah,

Fascinated to see what you will do with this.

Beautiful work so far.

Hope you come back.