What a powerful poem. I finally had time to sit with it enough to do it justice. Sestina was the right form for its pounding theme. (Question: in the last stanza, wouldn't each line carry two of the end words? I'm not sure because that's how I learned it but there could be other interpretations.)
Thank you for the encouragement. I enjoyed that coming together. As for the sestina, maybe we call it sestina-ish. I wouldn't be surprised if I bungled the envoi a bit. I had to sleep that one off when I finished.
It's hard to write about these things in the right way. On one side, or is often glorified a little too much. On the other, it's so dark and greedy it feels hopeless.
You've written about glorification (end of poem) in the only way that's true and it takes getting through the blood and grit of the rest of the poem to reach that point.
Also, I've always been intimidated by the sestina. You managed to write one beautifully. This must have taken a lot of careful crafting. Thank you for sharing it.
Those are very kind words. I tried to walk that line between the two extremes. I 'm glad it came across that way. Thank you for your encouragement, Bonita.
The gruesome subject matter is, for me, upstaged by the glitteringly gorgeous words woven in such beautiful tunes, textures that explode and melt, much as I imagine the dear soldiers' bodies exploded and their blood melted into the earth. I LOVE your podcast honey! Just love it! 💖
What a powerful poem. I finally had time to sit with it enough to do it justice. Sestina was the right form for its pounding theme. (Question: in the last stanza, wouldn't each line carry two of the end words? I'm not sure because that's how I learned it but there could be other interpretations.)
Thank you for the encouragement. I enjoyed that coming together. As for the sestina, maybe we call it sestina-ish. I wouldn't be surprised if I bungled the envoi a bit. I had to sleep that one off when I finished.
I imagine so. One of those that leaves you shaken in the making.
Wow! This is an amazing poem.
It's hard to write about these things in the right way. On one side, or is often glorified a little too much. On the other, it's so dark and greedy it feels hopeless.
You've written about glorification (end of poem) in the only way that's true and it takes getting through the blood and grit of the rest of the poem to reach that point.
Also, I've always been intimidated by the sestina. You managed to write one beautifully. This must have taken a lot of careful crafting. Thank you for sharing it.
Those are very kind words. I tried to walk that line between the two extremes. I 'm glad it came across that way. Thank you for your encouragement, Bonita.
The gruesome subject matter is, for me, upstaged by the glitteringly gorgeous words woven in such beautiful tunes, textures that explode and melt, much as I imagine the dear soldiers' bodies exploded and their blood melted into the earth. I LOVE your podcast honey! Just love it! 💖
You are my believing mirror. 🤟