Tuesday, March 23

Nails

Photo: time after time © pop-aj from Onexposure

if somewhere a mad poet should raise a terrible axe

as the great owl hoots
the mighty axe rises to the moon
its steel face gleaming cold
in a final fell swoop
through the dark forest
thwunkkk
it bites the warm and supple wood

the avenging elm
shakes the imprisoned axe
makes it shiver like a mad tuning fork
calling out to the infinite
family of nails

countless mineral slivers
silently burrowed in timber
all awaken and begin
to hum and tremble
steel spikes quiver everywhere
wood tremors surge
through our carpentered world

crosses fall apart
becoming scattered rail ties
rafters shake
swallows flee quaking homes
mirrors release their looking glass
trapped reflections
shatter into jagged shards

I emerge from the ruins of my house
toppled logs kneel around me
listening to the moon owl’s song
lodged in the wounded
wooded heart of midnight


Magpie Tales 6 — Nails
This week's magpie tales deals with 'Nails'. Magpie Tales is a blog begun by willow, of Life at Willow Manor, and, in willow's words, "dedicated to the enjoyment of writers, for the purpose of honing their craft, sharing it with like minded bloggers, and keeping their muses alive and well". To see what other magpie scavengers have done with nails, click on the photo caption.

32 comments:

  1. vivid imagery...mad poets...mad tuning forks...perhaps anger management classes....smiles. nicely done...

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  2. powerful imagery, i felt like i was there. loved the use of the tuning fork, very clever indeed!!!

    Wow...

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  3. Very powerful... particularly liked the closing lines
    wounded
    "wooded heart of midnight"

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  4. Oh......would that I could use words and make beautiful imagery in my mind.

    Just beautiful.

    I LOVE the Renoir quote that you left for me. I am keeping it forever.

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  5. What a fine imagination you have! I liked the notion of timber humming and trembling, collapsing all around the world as the poet's mad axe drives into the wood. Really lovely work.
    Mine is here

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  6. I loved these lines:
    the mighty axe rises to the moon
    its steel face gleaming cold

    mirrors release their looking glass
    trapped reflections
    shatter into jagged shards

    I emerge from the ruins of my house
    toppled logs kneel around me

    The mad poet should indeed raise his terrible axe :)! He wields a might power in the swing.

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  7. You were attuned to the 'inner nature of trees' and expressed it eloquently. I think the mad poet heard the "silent whispers of the gods" Thoreau and yourself would have been good fellows together in silent walks through the woods.

    Joanny

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  8. ...lodged in the wounded
    wooded heart of midnight

    Gorgeous.

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  9. "the avenging elm
    shakes the imprisoned axe
    makes it shiver like a mad tuning fork"

    I LOVE this! You absolutely captured a moment we readers of poems more than likely have never read about!

    Beautiful imagery ... I was there! :))

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  10. Stunning imagery.
    Beginning,
    Middle,
    and ending as strong as nails!

    "...the avenging elm shakes the imprisoned axe makes it shiver like a mad tuning fork calling out to the infinite family of nails..."

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  11. I am spellbound by the imagery of your words.

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  12. "the wounded wooded heart of midnight" Gorgeous!

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  13. Wow--wonderful images here, and such a mellifluous, alliterative tone. Excellent job! I echo the line Willow quoted above--that one really struck a chord--I had to say that out loud. Well done. Take a bow.

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  14. The revolt of the nails! Great scene.

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  15. Splendid, powerful, great imagery. Loved it, thanks!

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  16. This is really powerful. The images and mood you call up - reminds me of Auden, especially these stanzas:

    countless mineral slivers
    silently burrowed in timber
    all awaken and begin
    to hum and tremble
    steel spikes quiver everywhere
    wood tremors surge
    through our carpentered world

    crosses fall apart
    becoming scattered rail ties
    rafters shake
    swallows flee quaking homes
    mirrors release their looking glass
    trapped reflections
    shatter into jagged shards

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  17. Very powerful imagery. It made me think of Ents :)

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  18. Lorenzo, this is impossibly brilliant, or maybe I'm poetry starved and that is the reason I've returned to re-read this poem again and again.

    You are a master of words. A life poet.

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  19. i do believe mad poets are about this kind of business often.

    I'm here by way of Amy. I'm grateful.

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  20. Hi Lorenzo (my grandfather went by the same name 1841 -1915). I loved your poem. so many effortless lines with great imagery:

    toppled logs kneel around me
    listening to the moon owl’s song
    lodged in the wounded
    wooded heart of midnight

    First time for me, reciprocating your visit to mine. I will be back.

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  21. great choice of words here! Hopefully, I can elavated to this level someday. Thanks for your wonderful example of creative writing. And yes, Yorkshire tea is hot and steemy! Come on over!
    :) The Bach

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  22. Loving the "mad tuning fork" line! The words paint such a vivid picture. Thank you!

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  23. Again... you are no longer allowed to claim that you are "not a poet."

    This rocked.

    As an aside, the first couple of stanzas reminded me of a rather controversial short film called "Treevenge." You should check it out if you haven't already. No, it's really nothing to do with the poem... just reminded me of it.

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  24. Just dropping in to say hello. Hope you're enjoying your holiday! xx

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  25. I am a baby writer and I felt to be in the light of one who dances with images in that poem. Wow is all I can say. Joan T

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  26. the moon owl!!! Oh my, this is indeed a real find of a poem! And thank you so much for listing Felicia's poem on your sidebar. I'll tell her. She's be delighted.

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  27. There are so many devastations in this poem, I feel the page can't contain them. Above all, the devastation of a mad poet with axe in hand.

    I'll come back. Maybe a day for each line would suffice.

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