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Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 11 May 2018, 07:05
by Bernie01
Gang---

how can i thank you? this poem has hung around my desk much too long.

your comments helped greatly to nail this more final version.

for now, mastodons, but thinking hard.



Rains wash across
the grain carriers,
the massive ships
lumber a glassine
sea, the occasional
whistle like a woman
speaking a secret wish.

The softened glimmer
of their passage glows
on the black ocean,
I face the rains
and my memories of you
trail out to wrap me
in winter night.

The yellow ship lights
melt across the ocean,
ships like mastodons
meshed on the sea,
cantos for the disinterred,
melancholy speech soft
like your voice talking.

The clean moon hangs over
the sea, the slackened rain
siphoned away,
the visiting night
drapes across slowing dark,
her voice sounds itself
in night hours of struggle.

*Sarah Jane Sloat




Original

Rains wash lumbering
grain carriers
on the glassine sea,
the occasional whistle
like a woman speaking
something secret
to a friend next door.

Big bulky ships sail,
the wet season all around
and the softened glimmer
of their passage, the lingering
glow across the darkened sea
facing into rains that I face
empty without you.

The sultry yellow running lights
melting into the dark tide,
ships like watering mastodons
meshed on the sea,
cantos for the disinterred,
melancholy speech softened
like your voice talking.

Imagine how clean the moon
hanging over our ocean view
with the rain siphoned away
after storms in the inkblot of sky,
the visiting night draped for love,
the slowing night dressed for love



*Sarah Jane Sloat
and awarded the fallen.

Re: The Fierce Missing After Your Separation

Posted: 11 May 2018, 10:13
by BobBradshaw
Many striking lines, as always....

the softened glimmer
of their passage, the lingering
glow across the darkened sea
facing into rains that I face
empty without you.

but I would take out the line
"the wet season all around"

since it isn't necessary.

Similarly, with this lovely picture,

The sultry yellow running lights
melting into the dark tide,
ships like watering mastodons
meshed on the sea,
cantos for the disinterred,
melancholy speech softened
like your voice talking.

I would take out
"ships like watering mastodons
meshed on the sea,"

since references to mastodons, dinosaurs, etc. rarely work, and detract here from the lovely mood you have created.

Similarly for the last stanza, another beautifully written one,

Imagine how clean the moon
hanging over our ocean view
with the rain siphoned away
after storms in the inkblot of sky,
the visiting night draped for love,
the slowing night dressed for love
and awarded the fallen.

I would take out "after storms in the inkblot of sky"...it doesn't live up to the quality of the other images...plus there are references to rains preceding it...

another lyrical beauty

But it's a fine, fine stanza...I love "with the rain siphoned away"....siphoned...great choice

Re: The Fierce Missing After Your Separation

Posted: 11 May 2018, 12:57
by FranktheFrank
B.

1st S
Maybe: a glassine sea,
love that word glassine
did you invent it.

2nd S
and the softened glimmer
of their passage,
Maybe change with a comma
so you say:
all around the soft glimmer of their passage

These are a class act in descriptive passages
I've been to sea, I see it as you see it
in the poem.

S3
Maybe start with Sultry:
and drop the gerund 'melting]

Sultry yellow running lights
melt[ing] into the dark tide,
ships like watering mastodons
meshed on the sea,
cantos for the disinterred,
melancholy speech softened
like your voice talking.

Mastodons is fine with me,
love cantos, so apt.

S4
Imagine how clean the moon
[that hangs?] hanging over our ocean view
with the rain siphoned away
after storms in the inkblot of sky,
the visiting night draped for love,
the slowing night dressed for love
and awarded the fallen.

You know two 'love's' on two line endings
will jar, your choice.

Marvellous poem
a masterclass in descriptive passages
well, you know that.

Suitable for a nomination, a very fine pom.

Re: The Fierce Missing After Your Separation

Posted: 11 May 2018, 15:14
by SivaRamanathan
Fierce Missing?
First let me say that it is a well crafted but natural sounding poem.
facing into rains that I face
empty without you.
These lines bring out the vacuum very well. 'Sultry' seems to be your trade mark word. Ships like mastodons, why watering? Does watering have any other meaning? We say elephants in (I forget the word) must/mast/when they are turning mad?
talking. or whispering?
the slowing night (also) dressed for love
I don’t get the last line, but that is me.
My only grouse is with the ‘fierce in the title. Surely there must be a way of expressing this without using the word.
It is a poem of love and longing and missing and vacuum. The sea, the ship and the rain form an essential back drop.

Re: The Fierce Missing After Your Separation

Posted: 11 May 2018, 19:03
by SivaRamanathan

Re: The Fierce Missing After Your Separation

Posted: 11 May 2018, 22:27
by Bernie01
Rains wash across
the grain carriers,
the massive ships
lumber the glassine
sea, the occasional
whistle like a woman
speaking a secret wish.

The softened glimmer
of their passage glows
on the black ocean,
I face the rains
and my memories of you
trail out to wrap me
in restless night.

The yellow ship lights
melt across the ocean,
ships like mastodons
meshed on the sea,
cantos for the disinterred,
melancholy speech soft
like your voice talking.

The clean moon hangs over
the sea, the slackened rain
siphoned away,
the visiting night
drapes across slowing dark,
her voice rises to speak
amid my struggling night hours.

Re: The Fierce Missing After Your Separation

Posted: 11 May 2018, 23:32
by BobBradshaw
I like what you have done here...especially these lines:

I face the rains
and my memories of you
trail out to wrap me
in winter night.

Maybe you could substitute imagery of divers working wrecks for the mastodons'? The lights being divers' lights? just thinking out loud....

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 12 May 2018, 05:42
by SivaRamanathan
B

The revised version of the poem is for keepers.

S

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 12 May 2018, 06:44
by BobBradshaw
I have changed to a certain extent my view on the mastodons' image. It works, although because of my personal bias I would prefer something else....but as long as it works, all is good....keeping personal biases in check can be a challenge(sigh)....

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 12 May 2018, 07:51
by Kenneth2816
I'm confused Is this a poem by Sloat?

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 12 May 2018, 08:03
by Bernie01
Ken:


no, i just used her title.



bernie

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 12 May 2018, 08:53
by Kenneth2816
Ahh. In that case it's beautiful. My only comment would be change to
Like your voice trailing

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 12 May 2018, 09:54
by FranktheFrank
This poem has to be nominated for this month's
IBPC
I nominate it,
seconds?

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 12 May 2018, 12:52
by SivaRamanathan
Kenneth

and awarded the fallen.
this line is by
*Sarah Jane Sloat

Frank
I second the nomination

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 13 May 2018, 10:07
by SivaRamanathan
B
I googled 'mastodons' and my first impression was that of a sea beast above the water.In my second vision it looked like a giant lyre,also above the water.Then finally I realized that it was a ship.

S

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 13 May 2018, 17:04
by FranktheFrank
I wrote a poem about mastodons recently Bernie
and parrots, have you been reading my poems? :)

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 13 May 2018, 18:53
by SivaRamanathan
Which one is it Frank? No matter,I would like to read it now.

S

Re: Night Lowers Jet Blue Wings*

Posted: 14 May 2018, 23:42
by Bernie01
wonderful review of Sarah Sloat chapbook:


https://www.vianegativa.us/2009/12/in-t ... h-j-sloat/