I love these poems - the first especially, but really both. If I may say so, I think it would be worth writing a collection along these lines, titled “The Woman who Writes these Poems”.
giggle....expectations of a creator's appearance are funny... Raymond Chandler looked like a tweedy academic, not a two-fisted guy like his Sam Spade. No reason to add to the "should" boxes for folks to put each other into. Hug!
These are wonderful, Elizabeth. Once at Halloween a friend and I decided to dress as members of the Sylvia Plath fan club--it was an idea from a movie whose name escapes me now--we wore all black and carried volumes of poetry and tried to look a bit depressed.
Ah! Thank you for this, Elizabeth. I once had someone say out loud to me in the interval of my concert, “You don’t look like a folk singer.” I was a little too glamorous for their taste — a little too sparkly. And at folk conferences I was a little too cheerful and too much like a kindergarten teacher. And when I feel sad, I look a bit too happy. Once again, in your beautiful way, you’ve touched something so complicated about being human — about having an inside and an outside.
Too sparkly...?!? Pffft. The bears and dolls and I (and lots of others) love your sparkly self, Jeni. We love your inside self too, whether she's sad or happy or in-between.
Your love is truly felt all the way across the land and sea. Thank you, Elizabeth the poet. We all needed a hug from you today! Now, we can carry on with our tortoise adventures with a sparkle in our heart.
Reminds me of the “Secret Life of Walter Mitty”. Not only do I not look like whatever a poet is supposed to look like, I never feel like one, however they are supposed to feel. I do think about poetry all the time though and that compulsion to create is real, like the compulsion to edit towards the impossible goal of perfection. Thanks, as always.
My wife says the same thing about singers. They come in all shapes and sizes but they all have the love of singing and the ability to sing. To be honest I am slowly becoming more comfortable with the notion of being a poet as I had looked on it as an affliction for 40 years.
These are lovely, Elizabeth! Sweeping the hearth (I think I commented on a sweeping / broom image of yours previously - it might be connected to your love for your parish broom!) is such a powerful, grounding image. And, I agree with MK below! arm of fog / reaching low is so gorgeous! I *might have a photo to share in that regard....
I love these poems - the first especially, but really both. If I may say so, I think it would be worth writing a collection along these lines, titled “The Woman who Writes these Poems”.
So good.
Hey Elizabeth,
Yours is the kind of poetry that inspires poetry.
A white dove sent your way,
Mahdi
I saw it flying, Mahdi! 🕊️
Honored and grateful.
giggle....expectations of a creator's appearance are funny... Raymond Chandler looked like a tweedy academic, not a two-fisted guy like his Sam Spade. No reason to add to the "should" boxes for folks to put each other into. Hug!
Oh, if only we could get rid of those boxes ... ! Hugs back, Nancy my friend. 🌼
These are wonderful, Elizabeth. Once at Halloween a friend and I decided to dress as members of the Sylvia Plath fan club--it was an idea from a movie whose name escapes me now--we wore all black and carried volumes of poetry and tried to look a bit depressed.
See, that's what poets are supposed to look like ...! 🤔 Thanks so much for reading, LeeAnn.
Most of the poets I know let their hair go gray and wear sensible shoes.
We need to. The fewer fusses and distractions, the better.
Moving. Both. You've shown us so much and given us even more to think about.
Thank you, Kim! 💛🌿
Elizabeth both of these are gorgeous.
"A face like this
scans only for cheerful couplets, rhyming, plump –
not these frayed lines, taut with metaphor and grief."
Oh that's really lovely. Love the play on "scans".
And: " muttering similes
and maledictions" such delicious alliteration-- and I love the word "malediction".
And all the lovely S sounds in the final stanza of the second poem as well.
What a generous close-reading! Thank you, Melanie.
Ah! Thank you for this, Elizabeth. I once had someone say out loud to me in the interval of my concert, “You don’t look like a folk singer.” I was a little too glamorous for their taste — a little too sparkly. And at folk conferences I was a little too cheerful and too much like a kindergarten teacher. And when I feel sad, I look a bit too happy. Once again, in your beautiful way, you’ve touched something so complicated about being human — about having an inside and an outside.
Have to say, I do think 'about having an inside and an outside' is waiting to be the title of a book I want to read! :-)
I think that’s a very fine thought, Sandy!
😂
Too sparkly...?!? Pffft. The bears and dolls and I (and lots of others) love your sparkly self, Jeni. We love your inside self too, whether she's sad or happy or in-between.
Your love is truly felt all the way across the land and sea. Thank you, Elizabeth the poet. We all needed a hug from you today! Now, we can carry on with our tortoise adventures with a sparkle in our heart.
Hugs every day, to all of you! Pip sends a special tiny fuzzy hug of his own.
Reminds me of the “Secret Life of Walter Mitty”. Not only do I not look like whatever a poet is supposed to look like, I never feel like one, however they are supposed to feel. I do think about poetry all the time though and that compulsion to create is real, like the compulsion to edit towards the impossible goal of perfection. Thanks, as always.
It adds some extra fun and mystery to the world, that carpenters and church ladies turn out to be poets. Glad you're here, Wes. Thanks for reading!
My wife says the same thing about singers. They come in all shapes and sizes but they all have the love of singing and the ability to sing. To be honest I am slowly becoming more comfortable with the notion of being a poet as I had looked on it as an affliction for 40 years.
These are lovely, Elizabeth! Sweeping the hearth (I think I commented on a sweeping / broom image of yours previously - it might be connected to your love for your parish broom!) is such a powerful, grounding image. And, I agree with MK below! arm of fog / reaching low is so gorgeous! I *might have a photo to share in that regard....
My brooms and I thank you, Francesca! And the photo you shared on Notes is stunning, thank you for that as well.
I like these both quite a bit, especially, that "arm of fog/ reaching low." Lovely image.
Thank you, MK. 💛🌿