From the window

This is a serious poetry forum not a "love-in". Post here for more detailed, constructive criticism.
Post Reply
User avatar
camus
Perspicacious Poster
Perspicacious Poster
Posts: 5413
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2004 12:51 am
antispam: no
Location: Grimbia
Contact:

Sun Aug 21, 2005 2:28 am

In bed
like a forgotten
Obelisk,

I fold my
arms across
my solid chest.

Heavy heart
thudding, slowing.

----------------------------

Outside young men
Preen, in violent
Nike purple.

Argue about Charlotte,
her diseases, and how
they’d rather fuck a dog.

Their intoxicated tones
sink into the night
like molten-steel casualties,

my foot upon their heads.
http://www.closetpoet.co.uk
Sean Kinsella
Persistent Poster
Persistent Poster
Posts: 130
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:59 am
Location: Chesterfield
Contact:

Sun Aug 21, 2005 8:59 am

CAMUS

In fairness I think the second part is slightly more effective than the first. Overall I liked it however, as it reminded me of many a conversation I used to overhear outside the halls of residence at UC Swansea, (usually after the bar had closed.)

There was one woman who fitted Charlotte's description, and she (ALLEGEDLY) had so many diseases she was referred to as 'Lucky Dip'.

Some lines in this are well crafted and for me they are:-

"In bed
like a forgotten
Obelisk,"

and...

"their intoxicated tones
sink into the night
like molten-steel casualties,"

The memories are all flooding back now...

BEST REGARDS
SEAN KINSELLA
User avatar
dillingworth
Prolific Poster
Prolific Poster
Posts: 455
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2005 2:53 pm
Location: Oxford, UK

Sun Aug 21, 2005 1:40 pm

i really liked this - i would disagree with sean, i think the first part is as good as the second. one question though - why "obelisk"? they are usually upright, and though i suppose a "forgotten obelisk" might have fallen into the horizontal, it doesn't quite fit with the detail of the arms across the chest - that's more like a sarcophagus or effigy.
twelveoone
Productive Poster
Productive Poster
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 11:44 pm

Sun Aug 21, 2005 2:47 pm

Camus, this has an unsual stucture that I like, I've been looking at it for a while, at first glance it looks like two poems, the last line clues me in.
The line between the two sections is great. Charlotte section jars nicely.
dillingworth makes a good point "forgotten Obelisk" is a problem area.
The other problem area is:
"Heavy heart
thudding, slowing."
which really adds nothing, either make it add or drop altogether.

I like this:
"Preen, in violent
Nike purple."

if you can find a word that evokes both fallen, and forgotten I would keep Obelisk, otherwise I would consider sarcophagus,.
User avatar
camus
Perspicacious Poster
Perspicacious Poster
Posts: 5413
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2004 12:51 am
antispam: no
Location: Grimbia
Contact:

Sun Aug 21, 2005 10:11 pm

Thanks for the input guys,

All worthy.
http://www.closetpoet.co.uk
Post Reply