11-27-2014, 03:57 AM
(11-26-2014, 07:29 PM)makeshift Wrote: A silver bell hoversThis poem reminds of another poem titled "Conversation" by American poet Ai (Florence Anthony). I enjoyed reading what you wrote and developing my own ideas of what is going on in it. It wasn't overbearing image-wise, vocab-wise, etc., but it still carried enough to "move" me. It's hard when people want to rub you down to the basic, standard format of it all and keep it strict with grammar and structure rules. They often abandon or disregard the writer's unique twist and style. If you want to write with little to no punctuation and hundreds of run-on sentences, then so be it, it worked out quite well for Allen Ginsberg. If you want to use words that wouldn't make sense in any other part of the literary world then do it, and if it works, it's a powerful skill to have. This is a good piece, and I'm really interested in reading more of your stuff.
above the skylight—
louder in the earth
than my ears. (The connection of these last two lines and the first two in this stanza is weak, but I somewhat grasp what you're trying to convey. What is the overall main image you're trying to get us to see? What emotion should we be feeling with this?)
It sinks, (Aside from removing the comma "it sinks" works fine. I understand a certain emphasis that comes from the particular wording. "Sinking" is too soft and would change the umph! you're trying to get across on saying that it sinks.)
slowly through the ceiling (I'm siding more with the general consesus that "slowly" could be omitted. It's more of an extra word that doesn't provide much with being there, the imagery all around is providing enough of a motion of slowness.)
like a dime descending (I'm very fond of these last two lines. I like the image it gives me.)
to the ocean floor
then engulfs the colour ("and" carries a better sound and easier transition between stanzas.)
off the off-white walls (I like the repetitiveness of "off the off-white".)
washed in my lamp’s vanilla cast
and piece by piece
pulls the whole house
between it's lips. (This stanza gave me chills. I love the impacting imagery from the simple wording--that can be a hard thing to do at times. Just remember that "it's" is ONLY a contraction of "it is" and NEVER used to show possession, that will just stay as "its".)
Only me and it remain—
a sunless earth
stalked by the moon. ("Stalked" is a bit basic and wouldn't be my first word choice here. I'd go for something with an intimate feel when talking about the earth and the moon as two beings and go as far as using "caressed" instead. It has a darker, seductive feeling to it, and I'm assuming "dark" is one of the tones in this?)
I feel it's concaves (its*. Honestly, "concaves" works for me as a reader. But if it really creates issues with other readers, then adjusting it to "I feel its concave surface", or something similar to that if you want to hold onto the word, would be best. I stray from the correct usage of words a lot, and if it happens to work, then it shouldn't be a problem. Poets do what they need to in order to get things across or convey better imagery.)
colliding with mine.
like two tectonic plates
uncompleting each other, ("uncompleting" is the only thing I have a problem with stomaching. It just doesn't sit right, and it's an awkward word to use right here. Might I suggest using "incomplete to each other", or "undoing each other"? Trying to discover what word would fit better without changing the general meaning of this stanza.)
a hole inside a hole. (It's a weak line. I don't know how else to put it, and for it being the last line to end your great piece, it's leaving me blank and feeling a bit cheated. I'm not expecting a BOOM for the end, but a better closing line that would beautifully release me from the intensity of the rest of the poem would definitely keep me re-reading this piece for days just to re-feel that power I was hit with by the end. Your ending is where we're all going to wonder, inquire, and think about after reading an image packed poem, so try to keep it above basic!)
"Place nothing above the verdict of your own mind."
- Ayn Rand
- Ayn Rand

