Always the writing writhes
to be born and flower,
pushing up through a dark
ceiling of earth.
Always it pounds in my blood
wanting to break on you,
on the reef of your hard body,
explosive as tides crashing.
The writing is rhythms that swell
and will not be gainsaid.
It pushes, burrows, surges, leaps.
Hammers and shrieks. Weeps. Begs.
After the blind climax, the ebb
has the panting of breath,
a giant wave receding.
I am its point of calm.
Written 1988; posted here now in response to dVerse Meeting the Bar: Volition and Velleity (which raises the question of whether poetry is wish or enactment).
First published The Nonsense of Living anthology by The Aardvarkers.
In Secret Leopard (Paris, Alyscamps Press, 2005)
the blind climax...ha...like the build in this piece...the writing as a rhythm that swells...lots of energy in that third stanza...nice...
ReplyDeletePerfect. Always a breaking, nothing less.
ReplyDeleteWow, I feel the writing move and breath in this, a living thing that can't be contained. Brilliant piece of writing!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the great strength of shoots and roots of plants They push both ways and emerge triumphant through the soil above ground and within the soil with their network of roots. One can almost feel these movements when reading the poetry. Great take Rosemary!
ReplyDeleteHank
very cool Rosemary and I'd say it's stood the test of time too ...
ReplyDeleteindeed power of words and writing is unmatched
ReplyDeleteI love how I get the feeling of waves of words, and images of sea-shores come to my mind. I think that is a very powerful image for poetry.
ReplyDeleteI certainly have the feeling that something needs to be released when a poem forms in my mind - I like how you have captured it in natural based analogies.
ReplyDeleteThe insistence in this, its desire for creation and impact in the world is affecting and effective. Your conceit is apt and well executed. Beautiful work.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes...what delightful movement in this.
ReplyDeleteKeen write on just what motivates us..writing is necessary result; trite to say,, but one must give birth..pregnancy lasts only so long and baby bursts forth ;)
ReplyDelete"I am its point of calm."
ReplyDeleteIt all moves to this point, the writing, the living, the creative juices. Only at the end, when something is finally born, at its point of calm, we realize we have had a part in this process.
The point of calm at the end, being the end, sums it up!
ReplyDeletelike a flower pushing up through the dark...lots of energy in this and love the images you use to describe the proces...build up...climax..release...yeah...writing is much like that...smiles
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to you all for the appreciative comments. I'm glad you - my fellow poets - endorse what I say in this one.
ReplyDeleteI really liked "Always it pounds in my blood" and "The writing is rhythms that swell." There is a nice movement and coherence to composition. I like how it climaxes in rhythm and word choices, and then relaxes at the end. It's funny, my writing style rarely moves as you describe yours, I find myself putting pieces of a puzzle together upon a metaphorical sheet of paper.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by, I enjoyed your comments.
Well, I was describing the impulse more than the style - though in this case, of course, the style had to match what was being said. I wonder if you aren;t taling about process rather than style? I hope I have a variety of styles, albeit one recognisable voice - but I most often think of my my process as akin to sculpture.
DeleteYes, always something needs to be said, but to say it so well, just the right way, it's a labor. I enjoyed this very much.
ReplyDeleteWOW! I LOVE this, especially, "I am its point of calm," after all the wave images. Fantastic.
ReplyDeleteVery good! The strong imagery is so accurate. I especially like the image in the first stanza, the flower pushing up through the dark ceiling of earth. Dark ceiling. Just beautiful!
ReplyDelete