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longte
Member
since 2005-04-06
Posts 199
Australia

0 posted 2007-08-08 10:27 PM



That long cold breath of skeletons
hung eagerly across the bay
Oozing silent tendrils
this world of hungry grey
enveloping
insatiable
it blinds the buoy light
curdles sound and all around
movement hesitates in flight
Sensuously sinister
wraithlike shapes appear
to rearrange as nothing strange
Just misty envoys of our fear

..
.

Live It

© Copyright 2007 P.Nicholson - All Rights Reserved
viking_metal
Senior Member
since 2007-02-02
Posts 1337
In a Jeep, Minnesota.
1 posted 2007-08-10 12:55 PM


I think the last line could be changed to "envoys of fear" instead of "envoys of our fear."

But otherwise...

Flawless.

ChristianSpeaks
Member
since 2006-05-18
Posts 396
Iowa, USA
2 posted 2007-08-11 09:10 AM


Thank you for not making the rhyme the thrust of the piece. Well done there. I do have to say PUNCTUATION! But other than that nice work. I would like to see a little more reason rather that association of words.

Dane

longte
Member
since 2005-04-06
Posts 199
Australia
3 posted 2007-08-12 03:23 AM


Christian
Forgive me for not understanding this bit

"I would like to see a little more reason rather that association of words"

Any guidance etc gratefully accepted

peter
.

sampo
Member
since 2007-02-25
Posts 54
oz
4 posted 2007-08-12 05:25 AM


This is the crux of your poem -

This world of hungry grey
blinds the buoy light,
curdles sound
and all around
movement hesitates in flight;
to rearrange as nothing strange,
just misty envoys of fear.

Excellent description and sonics there.
It is good work all round, in regards
to imagery and sound, but it feels slightly
overdone, eg -

That long cold breath of skeletons
hung eagerly across the bay
Oozing silent tendrils

I like the opening line for the sonics,
but seems over-modified. My interpretation
is that you mean fog? But why skeletons?
Eagerly seems an odd word choice.
I'd say lazily would be a more apt choice.
L3 doesn't add much, except perhaps
to expand upon your skeleton image, but
again I'm missing the relevance.

Sensuously sinister
wraithlike shapes appear

This section reads like repetition
of description, and is therefore, superfluous, imo.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

sampo.

longte
Member
since 2005-04-06
Posts 199
Australia
5 posted 2007-08-12 07:58 PM



Hi Sampo
Skeletons was simply part of trying to 'reach' the fear factor of fog

I intitially tried Lazily but went back to Eagerly to give the impression of fog as a living entity, thus "oozing silent tendrils' as well
'sensuously sinister' just slipped in there  and felt right at the time

Fog seemed to simple a name for the poem so I just dropped "away" in there as an aside
One day I think of the correct name for it

Thanks for your help

Peter

ChristianSpeaks
Member
since 2006-05-18
Posts 396
Iowa, USA
6 posted 2007-08-12 08:16 PM


This may have already been discussed, but what I was asking for was more of a point to the piece. All I saw was groupings of words that sound good together. I don't see the fog.

However, they are good groupings. Not trying to write off the whole lot, but just want to see more of a direction in story or thought.

Dane

sampo
Member
since 2007-02-25
Posts 54
oz
7 posted 2007-08-13 10:07 PM


Thanks for clarifying.
It's an interesting approach.
Personifying the fog in that way.
To really extend the metaphor, you may
have to go all the way with it, eg -
(forgive my messing about here)

That long cold breath of skeletons
hung eagerly across the bay

how about -

The long cold fingers of skeletons
grasped eagerly across the bay

Something like this may provide
a better context for using
the skeleton as fog image.
Though this example conveys the fog
as something tangible and may not
be at all what you were going for.

Just my extra two cents.

regards,

sampo.

JenniferMaxwell
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Member Elite
since 2006-09-14
Posts 2423

8 posted 2007-08-14 08:54 AM


Pretty much all images and very little substance. I love the fog, don't find it the least bit scary.
longte
Member
since 2005-04-06
Posts 199
Australia
9 posted 2007-08-14 10:04 PM


Hi Jennifer
Thats the beauty of a good fog

I love taking people shark fishing in the pea-soupers here in my 20ft boat
20 miles from land
absolute silence
Then SMASH against the transom as a big one shows he is there

Whilst I love it, most other people only come out once
There is something enlivening about the closeness of fog
But not keen on smog though

Have FUN

Peter

Live It

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