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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Atticus on December 5, 2005, at 13:04:42
I wandered down the New York streets
Paved with hot burnt and blackened bones,
I heard mighty cell phone idols
Whisper secret sacred ring tones,
I saw white-faced heartbroken mimes,
Each caressed an unseen cheekbone,
I shivered at phantom whispers
Of every lover I’d ever known.Sometimes the signs just pour down
In something pure as heaven’s rain,
Strike the circus tents and feed the clowns,
Time to head out on the road again.I broke bread with switchblade poets
Who etched verse in flesh-and-bone tomes,
I drank with seven sad horsemen
Whom seven horses had all thrown,
I bargained with a sidewalk vendor
For Merlin’s philosopher’s stone,
I squinted as pitch black storm clouds
Curled like waves of cancerous foam.Sometimes the signs just pour down
In something pure as heaven’s rain,
Strike the circus tents and feed the clowns,
Time to head out on the road again.I gazed on cardboard-box castles
Where fallen angels made their homes,
I stood silent in Times Square’s glare
As the city’s prophets were stoned,
I joined crowds of long-lost pilgrims
But I never felt so alone,
I met Van Gogh on 46th
And we set off for parts unknown.Sometimes the signs just pour down
In something pure as heaven’s rain,
Strike the circus tents and feed the clowns,
Time to head out on the road again.
Posted by alexandra_k on December 5, 2005, at 16:52:36
In reply to I Shivered at Phantom Whispers, posted by Atticus on December 5, 2005, at 13:04:42
Vivid as always Atticus.
You do paint a picture.:-)
How have you been doing?
Haven't chatted to you in a while.
Sometimes...
I don't really know what to say in response to poetry.
I like your poems.
Very much.
But most of the time I really don't know what to say.
But I'm glad you are here.
And I'm glad you share them with us.
Thank you.
Posted by Atticus on December 6, 2005, at 9:40:46
In reply to Re: I Shivered at Phantom Whispers » Atticus, posted by alexandra_k on December 5, 2005, at 16:52:36
Thanks so much, alex. I've missed chatting with you, too, luv. The thing to remember about a poem is that you bring as much to it as the writer, so there's not (at least in my work) a "right" or "wrong" way to interpret it. My poems are essentially aggregations of words built around an emotion or around an observation that sparked an emotional response. But a poem that I wrote with one emotion in mind may spark quite a different emotion in someone else. For me, it's really a way of communicating without being too specific, as emotions and perceptions are quicksilver things that tend to slip away if someone tries to nail them down. They're also extraordinarily complex. That's why I find metaphors a useful way to say something that I don't feel can quite be communicated in the linear fashion of this post. I like the amorphous nature of a poem -- messy and subject to interpretation, just like life. At any rate, good to hear from you. Ta. Atticus
Posted by Toph on December 6, 2005, at 21:03:34
In reply to Re: I Shivered at Phantom Whispers » alexandra_k, posted by Atticus on December 6, 2005, at 9:40:46
> ...That's why I find metaphors a useful way to say something that I don't feel can quite be communicated in the linear fashion of this post. I like the amorphous nature of a poem -- messy and subject to interpretation, just like life...
Endulge me if this is just a manic non-sequitur but I can't help seeing your description of poetry as a kind of metaphor for life itself. I am recalled of the trouble I got into on another site trying to communicate through poetic metaphors. Each successive post became a reaction to the misinterpretation of the previous one. And that, in turn, reminds me of the horrible problem couples have in communicating with each other. It's like they (my wife and I included) are speaking in messy ambiguities. Actions are misinterpreted while words poorly represent the underlying motives, emotion and meaning. I guess what I'm saying is that I can never understand why I can't express my true feelings towards those I care about in a way that should not need interpretation.
Sorry for my drunken babbling which is not about your poetry, but I think you already know how I feel about that.
Posted by Gabbix2 on December 19, 2005, at 21:43:45
In reply to I Shivered at Phantom Whispers, posted by Atticus on December 5, 2005, at 13:04:42
You know Atticus, I am loathe to give you a compliment ;)
But when you write like this, you rock my world.
gazed on cardboard-box castles
Where fallen angels made their homes,
I stood silent in Times Square’s glare
As the city’s prophets were stoned,
I joined crowds of long-lost pilgrims
But I never felt so alone,
I met Van Gogh on 46th
And we set off for parts unknown.Sometimes the signs just pour down
In something pure as heaven’s rain,
Strike the circus tents and feed the clowns,
Time to head out on the road again.
Posted by Atticus on December 20, 2005, at 10:47:33
In reply to Re: I Shivered at Phantom Whispers » Atticus, posted by Gabbix2 on December 19, 2005, at 21:43:45
Many thanks. Atticus
This is the end of the thread.
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