Something Old As New (Revision 2c)
#2
Hey Danny,
I like what you're going for here. I do have some thoughts though:

(03-30-2018, 08:20 AM)danny_ Wrote:  Something Old as New  -Why not just title this "Something Old"? I say this because it would refer to the houses, but also to the feeling of love.

In the sun in winter time we -The wording here is a bit awkward. Why not rephrase this to something like: "Beneath the winter's sun we"? I think this would still have the meaning you want and flow a bit better.
would shoot old houses,
red shutters, -I can't explain why, but I want this to be "red shuttered".
tips of frail branches almost
touching the window glass. -Would old abandon houses still have glass in their windows?

Yellow, frozen grass
crunched under our footsteps. -The word "footsteps" implies sound, but you already have "crunched". May be change "footsteps" to "feet" or "boots"?
Our fingers were cold, -I feel like this should be "Our cold fingers". I say this because it is more economical and plus it better sets up the ending.
found the buttons of our cameras.

We found angles from the shadows of trees, -I know nothing about photography, so this line might make a ton of sense when it comes to that. However, this line sounds menacing to me. The use of shadow can't help but make me think something negative is happening. I might be stuck on the symbolism of shadows here.
kneeled and wet our knees, -The words "Kneeled" and "knee" seem a bit repetitive to me. I would suggest rewording one. 
framed the quiet streets
that ran through the town. -I would suggest dropping this line. It doesn't add much.

Cheeks flush, short hair curled
around your ears. -I like that the poem moves in this direction. I wonder if you could come up with a metaphor or use some other literary device to describe the cheeks or hair. It would just give this stanza some more punch. 
Our breath vanished quickly. -I like this line. It works with the winter and love imagery.

Your careful hands touched the old door. -Not to be technical, but shouldn't she be touching the door knob?
I focused in closely,-The words "closely" and "magnifying" seem a bit repetitive to me. I would suggest rewording or dropping one.
magnifying the chipping green paint
and your fingertips in the light.

We never got inside,
only looked through windows -I don't think you need this or the next line. These two lines don't really add much, and the repetition of the windows as an image isn't needed.
into dark rooms.

We took a sycamore to the roof -Maybe "climbed" instead of "took"?
to be sun-warmed by the chimney
under a single phone wire
that hasn't carried a voice in years. -I like this image of the phone wire. I wonder if you could then describe what was said between the speaker and the other person? It would be great juxtaposition.

Hunched together in that small angled place -I would suggest cutting this line to just: "Hunched together". The rest of the line doesn't really add much.
I took your hands,
cupped them in mine,
and blew inside. -I like this image of the hands, and I think this is a great payoff as an ending. It's romantic without being mushy, which is always a good thing.
Overall, I think you have a good start here, and I look forward to seeing where you take this piece from here.

Cheers,
Richard
Time is the best editor.
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Messages In This Thread
Something Old As New (Revision 2c) - by danny_ - 03-30-2018, 08:20 AM
RE: Something Old As New - by Richard - 03-30-2018, 11:41 AM
RE: Something Old As New - by danny_ - 03-30-2018, 01:20 PM
RE: Something Old As New (Revision 1) - by Knot - 03-30-2018, 10:18 PM
RE: Something Old As New (Revision 1) - by danny_ - 03-31-2018, 12:43 AM
RE: Something Old As New (Revision 2) - by danny_ - 04-01-2018, 06:49 AM
RE: Something Old As New (Revision 2) - by Knot - 04-02-2018, 12:00 AM
RE: Something Old As New (Revision 2) - by danny_ - 04-02-2018, 01:00 AM
RE: Something Old As New (Revision 2b) - by Knot - 04-06-2018, 10:08 PM
RE: Something Old As New (Revision 2c) - by Knot - 04-09-2018, 09:37 PM
RE: Something Old As New (Revision 2c) - by Knot - 04-10-2018, 01:33 AM
RE: Something Old As New (Revision 2c) - by Knot - 04-11-2018, 09:13 PM



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