Poets are strange –
Why can’t they just call the spade
a spade? And what’s a rock but
rock: sandstone, shale from the tiredness
of weather? Coal and limestone, plant
and animal dross
— but nature wastes nothing.
Why do poets look for metaphors under
every rock, the walls that hold the creek, earth
that crumbled, forged resolute, and grew above
my grandmother’s rib, beat hard when she was
widowed with six children on the road
fleeing the Communists
fleeing the Communists
fleeing the Communists
and soldiers who ran out to drag their own
men screaming without their arm
back to the trenches in
too many battles and
and bald children in hospital beds who still
know how to laugh.
Why can’t poets be simple? They see
a crushing burial in heat and time:
marble, quartz, gneiss
— living, burnished beauty.
Poets. They think they can say it
better than
rock.
A Holistic Journey 
And I’ve often wondered the very same. The irony here…this is such a poetic piece. Beautiful writing, D.
By logic, poetry lovers too are an odd sort. =)
I fully agree with that one!
Love this!
Tk u. 😉
ooo! 80’s song choices by way of response.. we’ve the Whisspers; Rock Steady. We also have Def Leopard Rock of Ages… we could toss in a biblical stoning but that’s usual tasty in a messy religiony way…. hmn rock bad joke perhaps? what do you call a LITTLE rock?? groan now…. rocket 😀 whooosh, and there i go!
I will be frank. I rarely get your comments. Thx for the read.
it’s okay. careful, one moment i may then surprise you yet.
Chuckle. Never say never!
Beautiful! You can’t stretch for metaphors – they have to come naturally otherwise they do feel contrived.
Agh- contriving poets are even worse. =)
Ugh…pretentious beasts if you ask me….
The worst of literary narcissists.
(I miss your poems.) ^ ^
🙂
Yup.
Wonderfully witty and wild wordplay for a poet hating poet. XD
Self-deprecation isn’t always a bad thing. 😉
The last stanza is especially…solid.
Ha ha. Tk u. 😉
Actually, your poem as a whole calls to mind the definition and justification of poetry given in my high school poetry anthology: Poetry can describe a thing better than a photograph or a scientific definition…or a rock.
Laughing. Love that, H. Beats a scientific definition for sure! Imagine a world without poetry. (Of course, not possible. The world IS poetry.)
Poets amaze me. Short sentences, so much meaning. Very vivid poem 👌
Ironically contrary to the poem, poetry at its best is most efficient. =) A Native Indian writer Sherman Alexie thinks his poetry audience is more demanding than his novel readers bc prose is more forgiving with the length and space it offers the writer to polish oneself (build one’s characters and so forth) but with poetry, you have to it nail it more immediately.
Space and prose allows one to waffle and drift off too…easing you into what you may feel. With poetry, it hits you harder.
Your guest post on my blog was cited here:
https://moiretyue.wordpress.com/2017/06/05/if-youre-from-africa-why-are-you-white/
Your blog is power, D. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Whew, heavy stuff, Diana.
Which I framed lightly.
Yes, you did. Very well, I might add.
Long ago in school geology gave me a world view that has survived so many changes. It took a lot longer to get the appeal of poems, but in this piece I do: “tiredness / of weather” . . . “plant / and animal dross” . . . ” a crushing burial in heat and time” (eye and mind openers, but nicely offhand)
Maybe people who like poetry see connections easier. Here the soldiers, your grandmother, the innocent children are bound together in your words by forces similar to what makes rocks — fire (love, maybe anger too), presure (suffering), and loss (death). You saw these important persons as strong and permanent, and now I can too.
About the italics at the end, one puzzling commenter made a connection with music. Should I have? I think I should. It fits the changes in tone throughout the poem.
I love that they were eye/mind openers. =)
No need to read into the italic.
Love, anger, suffering, endurance all forces to be reckoned with.
I love how we can show this in a single poem, not explain or pontificate.
Interesting thought – but then we couldn’t take our imagination with us into the metaphors if it were all laid out. 🙂
Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge. I think it’s bc knowledge stops with knowing but imagination allows us to keep discovering, as poetry can enable us to do. Not with the fastidiousness of a scholar or scientist, but with wonder.
Beautifully said. And Einstein even visualized his theories. A true genius. 🙂
Poetry is its own reason for being. Strange better than ordinary.
Wonderful. Thank you. =)
I think we forgive poets for their eccentricities because we enjoy the color their works bring to the monochrome scenery that is literature.
However English students, please note that you can’t answer the following question like this:
Give me a sentence with a metaphor.
“Last night, I called my girlfriend and metaphor a drink.”
Right. And I love the need for that skill, that eye, that understands the rules that allow breaking (and those that don’t).
😉 ❤
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Thank you. Glad you enjoyed.
I wish to become a magnet for metaphors where a rock is never a rock but it is 🙂
Better yet, if you became the rock. =)
Yes, I like that!
Amazing, to excel in both prose and poetry. You’re a goddess!😝
I appreciate the generous word, Pam.
😘
“and bald children in hospital beds who still
know how to laugh.”
This got to me. I once knew a child who went through it.
Otherwise the poem contains everything it questions about poets. The irony makes it enjoyable. You know, one time in high school I asked our Literature teacher why stylistic devices are taught in class as if they too special in language yet they are so commonly used that it is impossible to make a complete speech without them. Metaphors, similes, rhymes, alliteration, consonance, assonance, antithesis, onomatopoeia, etc. I have never read a passage that did not contain at least one of them. The teacher never really gave me a satisfactory answer. He seemed more interested in the idea that I could identify them in everyday conversations.
Thanks for the poem.
So many children like these everywhere, Peter – and we are oceans apart. For all the pain and loss (of strength, vitality, freedom) they are so ready to seize joy. It is humbling.
As for the literary devices, I gave it some thought and think it might be like asking why we bother naming our body parts when they are so common. Something along that line. =) But good question (I have to say that, as a former teacher and a homeschooler.)
Hmm, I guess I’ll have to be careful writing poetry in future to live up that reputation. 🙂
Don’t be too cautious now. You might turn out normal. 😉
Great piece. Looking forward to reading more.
Thx for the follow.
Ultimately Correct
Amen, amen, and amen. I think there is good poetry that can touch the heart, as in the book of Psalms or hymns. However, the poetry of men more often than not speaks with flowery words but says nothing, or would leave me depressed if I didn’t know better. We’ll said.
“leave me depressed if I didn’t know better” Oh dear!
poems are strange. Thanks for sharing.
=)
A great idea to write a poem about poets using difficult metaphors when you yourself are also a poet using wonderful metaphors made of powerful words. Love how you link the different ideas with adequate transitions from the poet topic, then the nature images and finally the family’s history with the Communists and the war. As a reader one immediately feels the increasing tension within the poem. The closing lines go back to the beginning and so I think the word “rock” is a clever choice. Yes, poets think they can say it better than rock. As a reader I can interpret a second meaning of the word “rock”: harshness, for life is not just beauty, especially considering the events you describe in this poem. And the idea of rock connected with harshness has also a positive meaning to me: resilience. After all, as Catalan philosopher Josep Maria Esquirol says: “To resist is to exist”.
I like the quote. I have said life is struggle.
Yes.
Beautiful 🙂
Was thinking of you, C. Been a while since you’ve posted, as of the other day, at least. Thank u. =)
Life has been cluttered lately. Sure, lookiing forward to write pretty soon I hope 🙂
The depth of these contemplations truly speaks to me. Thanks for the wonderful poet that you are 🙂
One of the beautiful things about reading your work is that I can tell you “hear” the words come to you as I do. That there is a rhythm they follow–and you hear it just like me. It’s a trait I wish more editors had:). It would make the writer’s life easier!
I so enjoy the cadence of your writing, K. =) Thk u for the thoughtful word.
This is golden Diana ~ cannot argue with the conclusion or the perfect line of: “Why can’t poets be simple?” Something I bet your husband may whisper to himself every now and then 🙂
From all your writings, I’ve learned the amount of power you can pack into words is impressive, and in poetic verse, the power grows exponentially. It is always such a feast for the mind to ponder your posts. Wishing you and your family a wonderful summer.
Therrre’s my friend. How are you, R?? I hope it was good things that kept you away from us. I can only imagine the richness of the tales you have to tell. And thank you for the gracious praise. Means a lot. =)
Ha, ha…yes, a whirlwind of activity and as I looked around it was already August. It’s been a great year for me, although I can honestly say I missed you 🙂
My turn to laugh. I will forgive your absence if you can report an engagement, but that would be to disallow you your other amazing adventures. Hmmm….I will forgive. 😉
Ha, ha, yes indeed, I would not want to jeopardize those future adventures 😉
Hopefully you can have your cake and eat it too: enjoy them WITH her. =)
Always dream for the impossible 🙂
What are metaphors but word pictures to help us understand. Some poets create blurry pictures.
Why write if you’re going to keep us out? We have to ask.
Marvine Bell on his early work: “I knew I was an experimental poet. My poems didn’t make sense.”
I like this Diana. I often regarded some poems like the camouflaged photo on a cereal box. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t find the hidden rabbit.
Likewise in some poems the intended message is lost as it is buried under the camouflage of metaphors.
-Alan
I just addressed this (overdone, ridiculously) cryptic writing with Robyn in the thread just above you. And your metaphor was just right: it didn’t need the explanation. =)
😀
😉
Dear friend!!! A poet can see,imagine n write whole those things,about those many humans r ignorant.
Some would call that a prophet.
I am not a big fan of poetry… I think it has always been too fancy and cluttered for me to fully engage with the poet’s intention. However, as I get older (with more life experiences), I appreciate the poet’s dance with words. It can be slow and romantic, or fast and jumbled. But still it is a dance that can enthrall us with the music of life!
That is neat that your palate has evolved, Deb. on this comment board, I quoted a poet earlier who said that he knew he was an experimental poet in the past bc looking back, he didn’t make sense. =) But you know, the poetry landscape has also evolved. It is far more accessible emotionally, less falutin.
We all need more peace and happiness in our lives. Thanks for the beautiful words.
I love that poem. It describes so exactly what poets do. Or at least, some of what they do. And it’s so beautiful.
Thank you so much. And I appreciate the follow. =)
Because we’re complicated creatures who need to unfold our truths in shrouded meaning.
But why, as complicated creatures, can’t we face or present stark truth? Perhaps we are afraid.
Eh, maybe not. I realize fear is not what drives my poetry. =)
No, I don’t think fear has a role in writing poetry. Poets are brave, they face their fears on the page, but mostly they are lovers of words and the effect they have when they play with them. I like to stretch reality and that’s why I use one word in place of another.
Very good. I think the stretching should serve a clearer vision of reality, not unlike a zoom-in on a microscope or camera. As opposed to purposeless convolutions.
You said it better than I ever could! Thank you for a great exchange in literary fare!
And I really like the fearlessness. It’s interesting because I’ve been sinking into old, darker realities and facing them in new poems that are more raw than what I have out here. Thanks, Alexandra. *raise glass to literary fare*
Loved this! My youngest is a geologist and a rock is never just a rock for her. Maybe poets and scientists can have an inner affinity.
Oh, neat! A geologist. Work that brings her to the poetry and science of nature. Just wonderful.
This is awesome…
Thanks. =)
Welcome
Hehe. Words are candy to the ever inner child called poet.
Oxygen. =)
Love that!
I think many poets wish to share an emotion or thought, but want to hide from the story that created it. I’m not sure how to place the though further. Also, to share a beautiful description of the “rock”. To share how important that rock is? Hmmm.. maybe not expressing myself well.
I used to think that way but the deeper I go in the study of this art, I am discovering that at its heart lies the quest for truth, which means honesty with oneself before (in the company of) the reader. If one doesn’t break through that thick wall of (un)consciousness, the poem reflects the deficiency.
I agree. Bullshit words that rhyme are meaningless without a truth to them.
A great text. Thank you.
(Merry Christmas and a Happy new year)
🙂
Thanks. Wishing you the same. I hope flood clean-up has brought some semblance of normalcy.
I’m no poet, and wouldn’t even call myself a writer, but this post made me laugh at myself, being kind of an analogy hobbyist. 🙂
Ha ha ha. Always good to laugh at oneself. =)
What a gorgeous piece that captures an essence of what it is to be a poet; to notice and make those small things into the biggest of stories or to simply leave them as they are and let the reader make their own interpretations. 🙂
I think you liked this one more than I did. =) Thank you for the support.