I dare not call myself a poet. But, nevertheless, I have written various lines which attempt to grasp certain truths and realities. The impulse has been there, though I can not be certain of the outcome.
Much poetry, as I think we all know, seizes upon the incidental. Tiny or large, they are events and things which, for the poet at least, momentarily stand out. For me the art of poetry is an attempt to verbally capture the true essence of these events and things. And those who do it most forcefully and meaningfully are the most successful.
If you have some time to idle away and would like to see what I have done, go to this site....
http://www.lqart.org/pomes.pdf
Ah, sir, beware the power of words. Especially in a place such as this one. The titles alone in the gentleman's poems...why, sir, it's like they have almost already escaped the gentleman's control. There is some of the elements of an Haiku seeking to take form within them.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is true that one may "attempt to verbally capture the true essence of events and things," it often is the case that it is the the "true essence" of events and things which captures us. It is all true what they say, sometimes the words write themselves...
I usually heed everything Bartender has to say. Wisdom from an older brother, who's heard it all. He's learned to suspect the exaggerated tall tale from that soggy patron on the stool before him. Maybe he's grown a bit jaded. Fatalistic even.
ReplyDeleteBut mixing the drinks over the centuries in every corner of the globe, in every dimension of space and time, also may have taught him to be wary of the lone drinker who speaks not at all. The tide has come in over such a man. How to get him talking? To begin to get it out?
A beautiful still life Quinty. Cool lemons in July. Thank you.
Words get out there and take on a life of their own, though I hadn't ever imagined that tableaux on the beach. If that’s how they end up then that’s how they end up. A haiku for Michael Jackson. Actually, that isn’t bad......
ReplyDeleteSorry about creating some confusion regarding the still life. If it hung before you you would see the three objects are grapefruit, not lemons, being life sized. Others have made the same mistake, thinking they are lemons, by only looking at the photograph. The painting is in storage today in the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid, one of the great museums of the world. I think you people may be the only ones who have seen this painting since my father donated it to the museum decades ago. I went down there once, to the basement, where many other paintings hang, some very good. At least they take good care of their paintings there. What makes museum officials decide what they’ll show is a bit of a mystery. And how they show their artwork can at times be scandalous. Once walking through the Louvre I saw a Baroque canvas catching direct sunlight. I suppose the sun shines so infrequently in Paris no one there at the Louvre ever thought the sun might pose any danger. I reported this find and left my comment sheet at the desk on the first floor. Two or three months later, at home here in the States, I began to receive letters from officials at the Louvre, all in French, thanking me, I believe, for having alerted them to that situation. At least I believe they were thanking me. Maybe they were telling me to mind my own business. But at the Louvre, one would think.....
Grapefruit moon, one star shining
ReplyDeleteShining down on me
Heard that tune, and now I'm pining
Honey, can't you see?
'Cause every time I hear that melody
Well, something breaks inside
And the grapefruit moon, one star shining
Can't turn back the tide
Never had no destination
Could not get across
You became my inspiration
Oh but what a cost
'Cause every time I hear that melody
Well, something breaks inside
And the grapefruit moon, one star shining
Is more than I can hide
Now I'm smoking cigarettes
And I strive for purity
And I slip just like the stars
Into obscurity
Now that is pretty poetry.
ReplyDeleteWrite that yourself?
Or are these the lyrics for an old standard I'm not familiar with?
ReplyDeleteOr has the word "grapefruit" replaced the original word?
Bartender, please set up that table. Through the shadows I see some smiling which must go repaid.
It's a Tom Waits song, and if we're really generous with the Lady she may sing it for us. Mmm, I like grapefruits better than lemons---and so glad they seem to have made a comeback. Grapefruit juice still is rare in the Ohio markets. Lemons must be a common mistake regarding Luis' painting. So many artists "do" them, and nobody paints grapefruits. Why does the vision of a lowcut Mediterranean blouse keep getting into my mind? Lady Haig, it's so wonderful to see you stop by this evening.
ReplyDeleteNow I wonder if Tom Waits should get up and die if he would get the same coverage as our haiku lad, Michael Jackson?
ReplyDeleteIs there any justice in the world?
For those of us who have seen the American Dream as an increasingly odd smudge on the wall, with little reference to any verifiable reality, Waits' song, "Step Right Up," is a rolling stroke of high inspiration.
But to say that is so would be seen as UnAmerican in some quarters. Why, according to tonight's news, a recent poll indicates Sarah Palin would receive more than forty percent of the vote if she ran today for president.
We are in serious trouble.