In the compressed space of a poem, every word is very important and often does the work of many words. Poets love words with many meanings, and words that can be multiple forms of speech (nouns, verbs, and/or adjectives at the same time). If each word is so important, why would we use repetition? How does the same phrase or line transform as it’s repeated?
Example Poem: “The Wolves of Egremont” by Dorothy Quick from Dark of the Moon: Poems of Fantasy and the Macabre(Aal)
The Wolves of Egremont
Beware the wolves of Egremont,
The wolves that prowl night after night;
Beware the wolves by any light
But surely when the moon is bright.
Beware the wolves of Egremont,
The wolves that run in deadly pack,
That wait in ambush to attack
And torture surely as the rack.
Beware the wolves of Egremont,
The wolves that run by night and day,
Who, when you hunt, are far away—
The wolves that only blood can stay.
Beware the wolves of Egremont;
The wolf pack numbers more than ten,
But others join them in their den.
These gaunt, gray wolves that once were men
The wolves of Egremont!
~Dorothy Quick
What effect does the repeated warning have? How does fear build in this poem?
Prompt: Write a poem of warning. Start each stanza with your warning. Leave an important detail until the end.
Possible form: Kyrielle
~
Lockstep
Beware the road that shines too clean,
the glass with no thumb-smear, no stain;
when paths are polished, it’s routine:
the danger knows your given name.
Beware the voice that flatters right,
that trims your laugh to “well-behaved,”
its praise fits tight as borrowed white:
the danger knows your given name.
Beware the tests that call you good,
the rulers carved from other ribs;
they weigh your breath like stacked firewood:
the danger knows your given name.
Beware the door that clicks like yes,
the lock that yields as if it cares;
you’ll learn, at last, what I confess:
I taught it how to spell your name.
~ Oizys.
There was something about this poem that made me feel uneasy; reading it made me feel a twinge of fear: Impressive. I really liked "they weigh your breath like stacked firewood."
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maria. That sense of unease was exactly what I hoped would creep in. I wanted the rhythm itself to feel a bit claustrophobic, like breath under surveillance. I’m thrilled you picked up on “they weigh your breath like stacked firewood”; that line anchored the whole piece for me.
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