Poems for Dec. 20

Poems: 

Toward the Winter Solstice by Timothy Steele 1948 –; Family Secret by Nancy Kuhl; Next Time Ask More Questions  by Naomi Shihab Nye; Christmas Gift  by Jim Jordan; Wonder and Joy by Robinson Jeffers 1887 –1962; The Coming of Light by  Mark Strand (1934 –2014); New Year's by Dana Gioia;    The World  by  William Bronk

Nutshell: 

Towards the Winter Solstice: We loved the sounds, effects of alliteration, rhyme, the sprinkling of holiday words in Christmas carols -- but transformed with new associations: boughs (not to deck the halls, although deck does come up with necklaces; here it is "the cord among the boughs so that the bulbs will accent the trees elegant design"); UPS vans are compared to the Magi; Valets replace shepherds tending flocks of cars and SUVs.  The poem gave rise to many fine memories of Christmas trees and decorations, but the title reminds us of the Pagan tradition way before such traditions. This is the  Janus-faced hinge moment. The pith of the poem:  "we enjoy some festival that mitigates the dwindling warmth and compass of the days".  

Family Secret: Without the title we might not know what's going on, or appreciate the navigation through territory where secrets lie.  We enjoyed the use of all 5 senses, and a certain playfulness.  The pith of the poem here had a haiku-like moment:  "familiar and confusing".  Many associations including the book and film, Foster, by Claire Keegan.

Next Time ...  The poem felt uncharacteristic of Naomi, with a scolding tone that starts in the second stanza with an increasingly staccato delivery.  Life doesn't revolve around YOU... (the pressure you share is a misplaced hinge, a fantasy.).  We felt the final line a bit odd and difficult to fit in with the title.  Bernie shared his 3 questions used in his practise:  1)   Do you really need to do that? 2) Do you want to do this?  3) Do you really want to do this?

Christmas Gift: We could relate to the opening feeling pressure of making a gift...  The poet explained the poem came from reading AE Stallings's poems in her collection Like  where he encounters the word "widdershins": "With scything hands you hasten through the week/Clockwise, while widdershins, the fair hours drain."  (I posted her sestina in the Solstice poems) c We appreciated the overtones of the journey of the Magi, transformation of "measures" of time to that of variations we never see coming and music. For sure, "It helps if we sing."

Wonder and Joy:  We enjoyed the  apparent contradiction between title and first line and discussed tone at length.  How might you say the first three lines?  The tight rhyme scheme, the formal choice of sonnet, punctuation helps the reader choose.  Jeffers loves birds, and indeed, the only animal mentioned in the poem is a bird.  Be careful... do not take anything for granted... and ask yourself why you might tire of certain things... 

The Coming of Light: Beautiful example of a short, circular pearl.  Long poems, according to Graves are simply real pearls in small packets strung together. We discussed at length the last line-- different ideas about "tomorrow's dust flares into breath":  for some, cremated ashes, for others metaphor for the work of a poet, others, association with Omar Kayyam's potter. 

New Year's: We enjoyed the sounds and images!  And what is it we want?  For Gioia, is seems this: "To be brought along to see everyday uncrossed and waiting... a field of snow without a single footprint."

The World: Another pearl.  This was cited by Christian Wiman in the broadcast below.  How is it that we think someone is an anchor?  Such a skillful handling of he question:  three times, the word anchor but on the 4th line, it has disappeared.  Three times, but no: (followed by colon, starting the second line); Oh no (ending the 3rd line) Oh no.  It separates the first line, replacing "an anchor".  Brilliant sense of fragmented drifting. I thought you were.  Oh no.  The drift of the world. 

We joked about the idea -- this is the way it is... or not. 

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/13/1218953700/christian-wiman-zero-at-the-bone-cancer-religion

Poem to be finished: Postumous Finish: This is a participatory poem -- it needs YOU to finish it. 

Only

 

            had been one,

but lost it's e replaced

by ly as if its unique

self were adverbial

at most, at best,

as little as

 

only last year, no longer

ago than that.

 

It had entertained

wanting to be 

a conjunction, but not

in the way of 

except that.

 

It had a talk with lonely,

doubling the l's adding

back that e wondering

what to do with the y.

 

If you ask Only how it feels

when put in a position

of just one aspect

of anything

you will see a slow

tear slide down its cheek—

it wants more than 

to walk only with if

and its wishes

or to be placed 

with only one side

of its many-sided selves.

** Polly's ending                                            Paul's ending

But Only (finally admits)...                        Ole Roy Orbison

                                                                               knew

One (quite simply)                            The complexity of Ones,

needed 1's and y's                             And before his time for unity

love, ah                                                             He sang it 

(yesss!...)                                                Only the Lonely  Roy Orbison:

                                                                                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6Aw3ZnqQrY 

     

Do check out the November 2023 issue of  Rundelania: https://rundelania.com/verse/