05-16-2017, 11:54 PM
(03-25-2017, 02:32 AM)burrealist Wrote:Hi burr,Burial
Floods and cold crestsShift grain fromDwelt rocks
Its strength sweeps lineBy line, cracksDredged deep
White specs dance, flaresOf sprees rushLike wasps
I thought I couldStand its strengthAs stone
I've sunk in, stuckI was wrong —I'm frail
I drudge each footHands thrash outSplash down
Stern mud pulls meBoth feet cringeEyes swell
These coarse hairs gritBone with skinFringed, caged,
Trapped, struck by nailsMy form shredsJoints numb
Crack hard, like iceBreak and flailFreeze burns
Sheer, thick sheets slideDown my lungsTeeth stung
Gagged, crushed, I snap —Dropped stones fade,Hearts sink.
The ghosts off-shoreWatch this tideAwe-struck
Its flux, its ebb,Its course, breezeDraft, whir
Some time has goneIce still washedCruel flows
Deep in those flowsI still swayMute shift
On a cursory read I took this to be just nonsense.Subsequent readings convinced me I was correct. The other crits have tried politely to see the King's new clothes but I see him bollock naked.
Look, this "thought train" stuff is all very good at convincing some of the people some of the time that there is something inherently worthy in saying it "as it is". That may be a bonus in politicians but not in poets.The quintessential point about poetry is to find another way. It takes some skill, some intuition, some talent and some effort...the latter being inversely proportional to the sum of the formers. Read this out loud and make changes to clarify, dazzle, impress and IMPROVE. If you need it spelling out in a kindly way,use your thoughts as a frame on which to hang out your metaphorical washing...it needs to be cleaned up,rinsed through, to flutter and dance in the fresh wind...that is poetry, this is just dirty linen on the line.
No line by line as every line would require comment which you would find detrimental to whatever you thought you were doing...BUT I am NOT convinced that you thought you were doing anything poetically germane...and there's the pity. If you genuinely wish to "make" a piece worth reading...and I hope and believe you do...then please take this crit in the round. It needs more (correct) punctuation, more (potent) imagery, more (clarifying) metaphor, more (consistent) rhythm, more (thoughtful) aliteration, more (tuneful)assonance, more (vectored) direction, more....more....POETRY.
Best,
tectak

