Monday, July 5, 2010

Ishga Maninga! It's that old Bus of Poetry!


Wonderful Weaver set the bus in motion this week with her task HERE

If you have not yet been over and done , then get over and do.
Poetry! Try it, you may like it!
It's not marmite and marzipan, it isn't pins and needles,it isn't a waste of time but when it is, it's a glorious one.
It's a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea on a foggy November morning, it's holding hands and skipping, it's two bottles of red wine with a friend,it's a lemon mousse after a sunday roast, it's different, it's odd, it's an uncaged bird, it's seeing things with your heart as well as your eyes, it's the part of you you don't understand, it's what you thought you had forgotten, it's not just a poem written in 5 mins, it's everything that has ever happened to you up till the second before you write.
Exercise yer brain or exorcise your soul. Write a poem today.

I wanted to write about a woman I once saw in a big park in the north of England. (This is true and I have witnesses.) It was summer and the park was crowded.Up ahead of us mingled among the strolling hordes were a family. The mother was large walked slightly oddly and was dressed vividly in loud colours. There was something out of kilter with her in general but her gait in particular. Drawn like magnets we sped up and strained to see more. There was something about her legs. Did she have two? Were they the same colour. As we got closer we still couldn't quite believe it.She had two legs alright, but one of them was from an ornate dining table. A proper fughin table leg, thick heavy mahogany or teak and Edwardian looking all shaped and carved with rings and bulges and square bits.

But I couldn't get me poetry head round that and so was at a loss.Not drinking doesn't exactly oil the poetry metabolism either.

Luckily I walked into the garden yesterday(somewhat gratefully on me two flesh and bone type legs) and saw two flies on a snail- and there was my poem. Or should I say here is my poem.




Fireflies

Despite failing sense

I came across them

Broad sunlight upon their backs

Feeding, fighting, flirting,

A greenbottle and bluebottle,

Flies on the hard and soft carcass

Of yesterdays snail.

They were ugly. but so beautiful,

Their colours bright as fire

A reflection of midday heat

And it meant something

It meant everything

It meant nothing

It was all you wanted it to be

It was life.



33 comments:

SUSAN SONNEN said...

I like your poem. No hedging, no big fluffy words, no confusing metaphors. Just the plain way it is. Life. Pretty and ugly are rolled into one. :)

Dr. Jeanne Iris said...

Isn't it wonderful how nature has a way of making it all work out, as you do in this poem.
Now, I'm a bit confused. Are bottle flies the same as fireflies?

Unknown said...

Hi TFE - The sense of languid time you have in this piece is glorious it just shouts 'summer'
"A reflection of midday heat"
I can feel the moment some how insignificant but also huge. I really enjoyed reading this. Hope you do try and write a piece about the Mother with a table leg :)

Enchanted Oak said...

It was ugly, and it was so beautiful, TFE.

Dominic Rivron said...

A very immediate poem. It captures that sense of suddenly really seeing (rather than simply looking in the direction of) the everyday for what it really is.

The woman with the table leg! Tantalising. I wonder if she did it as a "one off" (haha! pun unintended) or if she used it on an everyday basis?

The Weaver of Grass said...

Beautiful stuff. Interesting - flies are often so very pretty and yet they carry disease - think this might be a good metaphor for something - but can't think what.

Peter Goulding said...

Feeding, fighting, flirting!
I can empathise with that snail. My back may be broad - and my arse too - but I'd love to have a tail and swish the little feckers off.

Rachel Fox said...

If it were mine, I'd stop this one at 'fire'. But it's yours so you can do as you like!
I really like the first half.
x

Kay said...

the true poets eyes...finding solace in the "smallest" of things...

it's a disturbingly beautiful piece (which, of course, is a good thing) :)

Gwil W said...

It was everything and nothing and it was life. I think D H Lawrence would have liked that. I did. I mean I do.

Titus said...

Wow to the photograph.
Gracious to table-leg. A pirate ancestor, perhaps?

And then amen to the poem.
A moment masterpiece. Loved it.

Unknown said...

Hello TFE,

A great explication of life! To see the beauty and ugliness all in one vivid image.

Heather said...

You have made something beautiful out of what was really quite ugly - so clever. I like this poem very much and your photo is amazing.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Susan! Twas simple likes meself!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Sorry Jeanne, that should be bluebottle not blue bottle, as the former is fly and the latter is, well, a blue bottle! I've corrected now, and no they're not fireflies but someone mentioned fireflies and I've never seen one and I'd love to, but these were so brightly coloured they amazed me and made me think of fireflies.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Gwei Mui, thank you! Yes it was simple but it did have a big effect on me for some reason,their vibrant colour and the dead snail and how ugly and beautiful they were.

Totalfeckineejit said...

Ps yes, Gwei Mui, I mustn't give up on old mother table leg!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Enchanted Oak, glad you saw that!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Dominic, that's what it was I think.

And yes, I wonder did she have a selection of table and chair legs etc??

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Weaver and yes but I can't think of it either!!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Pete I managed to refrain from using the F word and opted for flirting instead!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Rachel, glad you liked the first bit and I can see what you mean about stopping at 'fire'

Might go back to it sometime!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Kay, 'disturbngly beautiful'?

Ooh, I likes that indeedy!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks PIR, glad you liked and real nice to say that DHL (the man not the couriers)would have liked. Cool!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks a million Titus!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Pirate ancestor? Yes, I never thought of that. Har!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Hi there Derrick, 'explication of life'? Ooh I likes that too.Thanks!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Heather glad you liked it and the photo too! Coolio!

Mags Treanor said...

Great poem considering it was written by a sober man.

Dominic Rivron said...

Challenge for the coming week duly launched...

http://dominicrivron.blogspot.com/2010/07/poetry-bus-challenge.html

Totalfeckineejit said...

Thanks Mag, tis a terrible affliction being sober, an aspiring poet's worst nightmare!

Totalfeckineejit said...

Good man Dom, neat challenge!

Anonymous said...

perfect poetry, observation and reflection
thanks for sharing
cfm