silence toward word

11:23 AM Posted by James Owens

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Three poems at foam:e

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9 comments:

Marion McCready said...

Very nice selection of poems. I particularly like the first one - all those 's' sounds echo beautifully throughout and climax at the command/request to 'speak' at the end. (I love the word 'spindly').

James Owens said...

Thank you, Sorlil. "Spindly" is one of those words that feels like what it means, isn't it?

sam of the ten thousand things said...

Enjoyed the works, James. Our Steps Untangled Rags of Shadow is an astonishing piece. It really connects with A Skiff of Snow which I'm reading to my students. Congratulations.

James Owens said...

Sam: You mean Ralph Coleman's chapbook? He would have been so happy in his quiet way. And I'm complimented....

Roxana said...

'to find the speech that opens,
spindly with longing—

So, speak.
Speak now.'

I who cannot speak, am always amazed at the poet's grace, that he can open his mouth and make the words be. and thus, the world be. do you know how much I love this Bachelard quote: "le poète parle au seuil de l’être". I feel this truth every time I read your poems.

Roxana said...

and I'm here again: Our Steps Untangled Rags of Shadow, it is like a blow right into my heart. so beautiful.

James Owens said...

Roxana: I am humbled when you speak of me in this way, as the poet. And secretly pleased, of course.

Roxana said...

'secret pleasures' are the best ones :-)

James Owens said...

Roxana:

"secret pleasures" -- yes :-)

Of course, I know how important Bachelard's saying is to you. I've read your book....

And this idea of the seuil is important to me. Even before I knew anything of Bachelard, I wanted to title my first book Threshold, but the editor thought it was a bad idea because there were other books with the same title (well... actually I wanted to call it Schwelle, because of a passage in Duino Elegies, but no way that would happen). Still, I got the "doorway" into the title....