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Yitzy
Junior Member
since 2003-05-12
Posts 30


0 posted 2003-05-13 09:24 AM


Time Shreds

Blowing
Herb through my lungs
Mind swirls, colors swarm, time
Shreds, feel hopeless as THC still
Lingers

© Copyright 2003 Yitzy - All Rights Reserved
hush
Senior Member
since 2001-05-27
Posts 1653
Ohio, USA
1 posted 2003-05-15 01:06 AM


I've read the three poems you have posted in this forum, and I think this is the strongest of the three.

A few points:

'Blowing
Herb through my lungs'

I can't say I'm an expert on smoking, but I do believe that action is something more of an inhale? Tongue in cheek here, but little details like that can trip people up. Taken literally, it's hard to swallow... on the other hand, you could be using this word as a play on the term "being 'blowed.'" In the case of the former, it's a good idea to rethink your wording... but if the latter is true, maybe you should make it more obvious:

'I Blowed
Herb through my lungs'

Just a suggestion, maybe not the direction you want to take at all.

'Mind swirls, colors swarm, time
Shreds, feel hopeless as THC still
Lingers'

I like the imagery and phrasing here. I would, however, suggest that you rethink starting each line with a capital... it can throw a reader off, especially when the line isn't the beginning of a new sentence.

Hope I've helped.

Yitzy
Junior Member
since 2003-05-12
Posts 30

2 posted 2003-05-15 01:16 AM


I always thought that traditionally the first line of a poem starts with a capital. Anyway I reworked the poem based on admonishings from critics, my teacher mainly, she says that there should be more action to pronounce feeling. So here is the new version, all input is welcome.

Time Shreds

Smoke swirls,
Teasing my mind
With gracious highs. Waking
To minor chords. Cut class, downcast
Time shreds.



Yitzy
Junior Member
since 2003-05-12
Posts 30

3 posted 2003-05-16 03:06 PM


I modified it yet again witha  commentary on the bottom, please tell me what you think

Time Shreds

Smoke swirls,
Teases my mind,
A waltzing friend. Waking
To minor chords. Cut class, downcast
Time shreds.

double interpretation is possible with this line "a waltzing friend" 1) my friend is dancing in an escapist withdrawal
2) it is a metaphor for my mind which is waltzing to forget its sorrows (something done often in the 1930s) Also it is a friend because I would not feel fully connected to it in that state, I would not relate to my mind as my essence(it would take a cognizant state to be as one) my mind would go off on its own -- as a friend, a inanimate object with a mind of its own, so to speak. Yet at the same time it would effect me directly and that is emphasized in the strung out state of the day after, the price for waltzing all night.

hush
Senior Member
since 2001-05-27
Posts 1653
Ohio, USA
4 posted 2003-05-19 02:24 PM


Hi.

'Smoke swirls,
Teasing my mind
With gracious highs.'

I really like the way this sounds, and I think grcious highs is an interesting idea...

'Smoke swirls,
Teases my mind,
A waltzing friend.'

On the other hand, I like the ideas behind a waltzing friend, the different possibilities in interpretation. Waltzing is an interesting description of the mindset.

'Waking
To minor chords.'

I'm not sure here what you mean by waking to minor chords... on the radio? In your head?

'Cut class, downcast
Time shreds.'

Cut class, downcast is a little clumsy to say, and it isn't much of a segway into time shreds. I liked

'time
Shreds, feel hopeless as THC still
Lingers'

much better. It almost seems that your idea has strayed from the initial image/title. That's not necessarily a bad thing... but as is, it seems a bit forced. I would try to either work the element of time in a little more thoroughly, or think about maybe shifting the emphasis a bit to events instead of time itself? That seems to be the direction your heading in.

Hope I've helped.

jbouder
Member Elite
since 1999-09-18
Posts 2534
Whole Sort Of Genl Mish Mash
5 posted 2003-05-28 06:11 PM


Yitzy:

You could also call this "Cannibis Cinquain" ... but that would be too obvious, wouldn't it?  

quote:

Blowing
Herb through my lungs


The confusion over "Blowing" could be easily remedied by inserting "Drawing" in its place.

quote:
Mind swirls, colors swarm, time
Shreds, feel hopeless ...


While I thought the line break was well placed, I thought the imagery was a little flat.

quote:
... as THC still
Lingers


Good ending.

Like hush, I like what you are doing with some of your re-writes, but you've also taken away some of what I thought were strengths in the first version.  I don't know how strict the cinquain's construction is, but rules are meant to be broken, right?  Just look at the poem's subject matter!

What I'd recommend is that you incorporate some of your changes into the original poem and simply write a longer poem.  Call it a double cinquain or something.  

Good offering.  Thanks for the read.

Jim

[This message has been edited by jbouder (05-28-2003 06:11 PM).]

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