Zumwalt Poems Online

Archive for November, 2011

Wednesday Poetry Challenge #5

Wednesday Poetry Challenge #5

These next two challenges are previews to a pair of challenges that will be posted around early to mid December.  If the challenges posted this and next week invoke no interest, than that is a good reason for me to re-think the more extensive challenges I have prepared for December.

For this challenge,  please provide a link to a page or post that references a poem by an established, published poet, and includes some commentary of your own — whether a note about how you discovered the poem, why you like the poem — or even a full analysis.

Please be sensitive to copyright and what is public domain and not.  The law varies from country to country.  For example, in one country, a Wallace Stevens poem written in 1930 is public domain, but in another, no Wallace Stevens poems are public domain since 70 years must transpire after the death of an author before the works are in the public domain.

I am posting my real response to the Mr. Linky prompt below but also including a sample post here.

For challenge introduction and previous challenges please see Wednesday Poetry Challenge Introduction, Challenge #1, Challenge #2 , Challenge #3 and Challenge #4. There is no time limit here, these challenges are open until site is forcibly closed down.

To link to you post

CLICK ON green Mr. Linky IMAGE BELOW:

If you wish, you can copy the above link and paste at the bottom (or top) of the post or page that contains your response to this challenge.  That gets even more people involved! Just simply copy (as in copy and paste) the Mister Link box above and paste on your post or page.  It’s that easy.  (Thanks to willowdot21 for the idea!)

SUMMARY:

1.  Click on green “Mister Linky” link above.

2. Enter the URL (address of your response to challenge not of your website’s home page) of your post or page that has your response to this challenge.

3. For this challenge, locate a poem by an established, published poet, post text to a post or insert text into a page. Follow text with your comments on poem.

4. Anyone that wishes to see responses can click on the Mister Linky link above to view links.

Category:

Wednesday Poetry Challenge

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There is no “i” in Phalanx

There is no “i” in Phalanx

Across calescent karstic plains,
attentive, observant, at walking pace,
searching
for a more than suitable place
to play these noble and momentous games,

purposely, resolutely stopping at this very ground
we converge and then assemble in formation
deliberately
aligning and establishing our corresponding location
shields brought up and eyes directed all around.

There is no certified start to victory.
There is no established end to self-defeat.
There is no single push that doesn’t come down to shove,
after which we hold, advance or consider our retreat.

The battle starts and shields meet shields
as outer layer on outer layer peels off and drops;
advancing
forward with counter-jabs and counter-blocks,
the winning forces shed more blood as the losing army yields.

There is no I in Phalanx.
There is no me in attack.
There is no volition in my ammunition
but there is no heading back.

As victor forces scatter defeated ranks
fallen bodies insist on being active players
incidentally
tripping up their remaining slayers
prolonging this conflict with mutilated arms, twisted torsos and lifeless shanks.

There may be stop but there is no end
and some sense of quiet but never peace.
There is some faint attempt to circumvent
but there is no means to cease.

And two thousand years later
archeologists dig for artifacts
and scour the settled ground
in which is conceivably found
the trace of the last impact.

This is what was left behind
and not much more
but then, what will be left again
when two thousand more years occur
and someone else digs around
excavating some hint of a sign
of those that previously searched these dusty mounds?

At some future moment this is all totally untraceable,
the conclusion of which is particularly inescapable:
no matter the plan or materiel,
all efforts are unavoidably replaceable
but much more to the point,
everything,
chalked up or not,
is ultimately and permanently erasable.

— Zumwalt (2011)

Category:

2011, T, Zumwalt

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Fourth Post at ChoicePosts.com

If you haven’t visited recently, please check out the latest entry at choiceposts.

Traffic is still pretty low,  so promoting it for now on this site.  Eventually, choiceposts.wordpress.com will be a great place to shop to find blogs of interest — one just chooses the category and see if they like and relate to the author’s top post — if so, they maybe read the other links for that author and end up following the blog.   WordPress doesn’t have anything like this — maybe this will get them to do this themselves and I can stop.  Until then, would like to add a post every week or so.

At present nothing queued up for next week.  If interested in being showcased just follow the instructions!

This is not just for poetry blogs so feel free to recommend this process to others.  If you find a site you really love, feel free to direct them to this link for instructions at choiceposts!  Would like to add a good photography site, good science site, good music site, etc.

 

Category:

Uncategorized

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The Sassoon Collection: vii. The Manager

The Sassoon Collection

vii. The Manager

‘Good-morning; good-morning!’ the well-rested manager said
When we worked through the night to finish on time
the urgent assignment he failed to review and release
until late afternoon.

And we mock his insincerity as a matter of routine:
‘I work for you’, ‘What can I do to help you finish this sooner?’
As our stomachs growl from the coffee machine brew
But nonetheless still polite to his face
since by his judgment alone is our performance scored.

— Zumwalt (2011)

Category:

2011, M, S, T

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Wednesday Poetry Challenge #4

Wednesday Poetry Challenge #4

Last challenge provided exercises that removed or added words.

This challenge is about information management by addition.

One should be skilled enough to reduce or increase the number of words in a line, stanza or poem as creative demands (or editorial requirements) dictate.

For this challenge start with a two word sentence such as

See Spot.

Add an additional word but maintain one sentence.

See Spot run.

Double the number of words from 3 to 6; stay with one sentence.

See Spot run down the road.

Double the number of words from 6 to 12 in the one sentence.

See Spot, the incredible wonder dog, run down the long winding road.

Double the number of words from 12 to 24 in one sentence.

On this chilly wintry morning, as flakes of snow tumble teasingly down,
See Spot, the incredible wonder dog, run down the long winding road.

Double the number of words from 24 to 48 in one sentence.

My friend, relax, rest, reduce your thoughts,
sit down in the most comfortable chair we have
so that on this chilly wintry morning,
as flakes of snow tumble teasingly down, 
you turn your gaze outside and See Spot,
the incredible wonder dog,
run down the long winding road.

Double the number of words from 48 to 96 in one sentence.

My friend,
once close in former times not so far ago,
please relax, rest, reduce your thoughts,
make my home your home,
sit down in the most comfortable chair we have,
this one that faces this window,
and gaze outside on this chilly wintry morning,
as flakes of snow tumble teasingly down
and ice forms like shadows on small ponds,
as you forget your busy day
and focus on all that is beyond the warm study
to a colder but truer world outside
and see Spot, the incredible wonder dog,
run down the long winding road.

Increase the number of words from 96 to 107 in one sentence.

My friend,
once close in former times not so far ago,
please relax, rest, reduce your thoughts,
make my home your home,
sit down in the most comfortable chair we have,
this one that faces this window,
and gaze outside on this chilly wintry morning,
as flakes of snow tumble teasingly down
and ice forms like shadows on small ponds,
as you forget your busy day
and focus on all that is beyond the warm study
to a colder but truer world outside and see Spot,
the incredible wonder dog,
run down the long winding road,
gathering speed with each progressive stride,
tongue hanging out in celebration.

This matches the number of words in the Wallace Stevens single sentence poem, The Snowman.  There are many more wonderful things about this Wallace Stevens poem than it consisting of one sentence, but this one single sentence is wonderfully incorporated in the whole approach and experience. (Is there any better poem than this written in the Twentieth Century?)

Next, start with a two word sentence and expand it to a 107 word sentence without taking progressive steps — try to reach the 107 number at one go!

Which approach is easier for you?

Now pick your favorite of these two versions and then modifying the words as you wish, adding and subtracting as you think appropriate, keeping the word count to 107 or more, change it to a one sentence poem.

My friend,
again,
close
as in former times
not so far ago,

when lives where simpler
and looked ahead and not back
please relax,
rest,
reduce your thoughts,

make my home your home,
sit down
deeply
in the most comfortable chair,
the one that faces this window,

and gaze outside on this chilly wintry morning,
as flakes of snow
tumble
teasingly down
and ice forms

like shadows
on small ponds,
as you forget your busy day
and focus on all that is beyond the warm study
to a colder but truer world outside

and see Spot,
the incredible wonder dog,
run down the straight, sometimes unexpectedly slippery, stretching road,
gathering speed with each progressive stride,
tongue hanging out in celebration of the sprint itself.

For additional details, please refer to Challenge #1, Challenge #2 , Challenge #3 and Wednesday Poetry Challenge Introduction.

There is no time limit here, these challenges are open until site is forcibly closed down.

To link to you post

CLICK ON Mr. Linky IMAGE BELOW:

If you wish you can copy the above link and paste at the bottom (or top) of the post or page that contains your response to this challenge.  That gets even more people involved! Just simply copy (as in copy and paste) the Mister Link box above.  It’s that easy.  (Thanks to willowdot21 for giving me the idea — she copied this on her site in her response.)

SUMMARY:

1.  Click on green “Mister Linky” link above.

2. Enter the URL (address of your response to challenge not of your website’s home page) of your post or page that has your response to this challenge.

3. For this challenge, start with a 2 words sentence and lengthen it following the steps above until you have a 107 word sentence, then change that sentence into a poem

4. Anyone that wishes to see anyone’s examples can click on the Mister Linky link above to view any and all of responses.

Category:

Wednesday Poetry Challenge

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