Poetry Drunk
When virtue’s burden bends until its spirit breaks,
when living becomes a diminishing value,
her wish becomes a desire to ditch all — then
she disappears, retreats into a room
of her memory palace to drown herself
in poetry.
This came pretty fast and started with the phrase ‘poetry drunk’ which I later shifted from the body of the poem to the title. You can find the words at The Sunday Whirl, as well as others’ efforts.
cloudfactor5
13/01/2013 at 9:50 am
Really liked this Margo ! feel like I’ve been on a poetry drunk binge for a while myself !
margo roby
13/01/2013 at 10:50 am
It’s a lovely feeling, hangover and all!
brenda w
13/01/2013 at 10:06 am
This is strong, Margo. Moving the title engaged me. As I read the first stanza, I wondered how it would weave its way in, and was not disappointed in the ending. Setting the last two words aside separately is effective.
margo roby
13/01/2013 at 10:52 am
Brenda, thank you. Those are the things I wondered about, when I redrafted, as they weren’t in the first draft.
drpkp
13/01/2013 at 10:26 am
Fabulously succinct and completely unforced – Truly a little sparkling gem
margo roby
13/01/2013 at 10:52 am
Thank you!
anl4
13/01/2013 at 10:27 am
Love it!!!!
margo roby
13/01/2013 at 10:52 am
Big grin! Thank you, annell!
Veronica Roth
13/01/2013 at 10:43 am
Love it Margo! Completely understand the poetry drunk…and here I thought it was jet-lag. It’s so satisfying to drown oneself in writing/reading poetry. Did I say I love it? I do.
margo roby
13/01/2013 at 10:53 am
Why, thank you!
julespaige
13/01/2013 at 10:46 am
Up until the last line…you could have been writing about either my Mother or Mother-In-law -
I supposed though that they each have their own definition of a poetic retreat.
Somewhat fitting for our Elders I think who often loose their short term memory to ‘drown’ in the reality of their memories. Not always a bad thing, just a different door of their lives.
Sometimes, most of the time, the words come up fast, we have no control briefly coming up for air so we don’t drown…Creativity our life-vests.
margo roby
13/01/2013 at 10:55 am
I do love reading your philosophies, Jules.
‘Not always a bad thing, just a different door of their lives.’
‘Sometimes, most of the time, the words come up fast, we have no control briefly coming up for air so we don’t drown…Creativity our life-vests.’
Your name and these thoughts are scattered through my notebooks and show up in my poetry and my prompts. Thank you.
julespaige
13/01/2013 at 11:08 am
Doesn’t everyone think like that. I didn’t think of it as anything special. You do make me think. And that is a good thing. Now I’m going to have to copy and save those pearls for my children. Maybe they won’t think I’m so crazy when my time comes…or they actually read something I’ve written that I didn’t ask them to read.
tmhHoover
13/01/2013 at 4:39 pm
Jules-you crack me up.
julespaige
13/01/2013 at 6:12 pm
Then I have done my job…of adding some humor to the world. And can rest well this evening
Misky
13/01/2013 at 11:05 am
I like the idea of a memory palace. Very good, indeed.
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:40 am
Misk, I heard it on tv and love the concept.
Sabio Lantz
13/01/2013 at 11:35 am
Virtues and acceptable values are often worth ditching for the freedom of mind it offers. But such a left-handed path (tantric allusion) is fraught with danger.
Merely to drown in memories is certainly one of those dangers — albeit an understandable trade-off at times.
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:43 am
Sabio, hello. I’m so glad you stopped by.
I agree with you. I think writers often have their speakers offer a view of the negative part of the photograph [mixing media as a metaphor!], to remind them of the dangers, as well as the positive side.
Having said that, wordle poems are what they are often because the words dictate the result.
nan
13/01/2013 at 12:07 pm
Thought-provoking. I see the reason for the subject’s self-medicating practice… the memory palace and poetry. Deep wells of drink. Nicely done– much with few words.
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:46 am
Thank you, Nan. I enjoyed this one.
1sojournal
13/01/2013 at 12:47 pm
Beautifully accomplished, Margo. As I finished reading that last line, I looked over to your photo and knew the reality of your poem. It made me smile, wave, and whisper, “yes, me too.”
Elizabeth
http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/once-again/
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:48 am
Elizabeth, as I wrote, I thought of you, as you are one, like me, to disappear. I’m glad to know the disappearance is into your poetry palace. It’s probably good we surface occasionally from the poetry drunk.
margo
vivinfrance
13/01/2013 at 1:14 pm
This is really well crafter – a nicely succinct wordle.
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:49 am
Thank you, ViV.
Stan Ski
13/01/2013 at 1:46 pm
Concise, but right on the money!
margo roby
22/01/2013 at 8:57 am
Horrors! How did I miss you? Thank goodness WordPress tells me I have a comment somewhere, unanswered. Thank you, Stan!
Mr. Walker
13/01/2013 at 2:20 pm
Margo, I love this. Perfect form and content. I love the message of it, being a poet and an introvert, and how the lines and stanzas shorten. It just works beautifully. Reading your poem today was especially sweet as it described exactly what I was doing.
Richard
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:52 am
Thank you, Richard. With your ear and eye I appreciate what you say. May we long enjoy our poetry rooms in our palaces.
Janet
13/01/2013 at 3:50 pm
Easily a favorite today! One we can well relate to!
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:53 am
Thank you, Janet. You are right , of course, we are all a little drunk on poetry, aren’t we?
tmhHoover
13/01/2013 at 4:42 pm
Margo – I love when you write. Little by little I find my way. As you and others tun me on to the poetry drunk.
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:54 am
Teri, thank you. So glad you are partying with us. This hangover we can deal with!
Carol Carlisle
13/01/2013 at 5:11 pm
She who reads poetry will prosper and survive! May it be so! Great work, Margo.
julespaige
13/01/2013 at 6:14 pm
My first thought was Yoda-la ‘she’ who…but oops wrong sci-fi series.
Live Long, Craft Wordles and Prosper!
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 8:17 am
I can just see Yoda on the bridge of the Enterprise. There’s a giggle.
julespaige
14/01/2013 at 8:32 am
Hey Spock and Yoda both have pointy ears, maybe they are related? *snark-giggle*
“Live Long, and May the Force be with you as you Prosper.”
Morning brains are properly addled – Cheers!
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 9:46 am
Good point! I love your saying and think we should all adopt it. Grin.
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:55 am
May you live long and prosper with yours, Carol!
Irene
13/01/2013 at 5:18 pm
Quick and nice.
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 7:56 am
Thank you, Irene.
seingraham
14/01/2013 at 12:18 am
Succinct and a lovely little gem. Like others, I was surprised to find poetry at the end, not sure why and actually think that’s a good thing.
http://thepoet-tree-house.blogspot.ca/2013/01/line-breaks.html
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 8:18 am
Thank you, Sharon. I certainly think it’s a good thing if you reached the end without my telegraphing it!
rosross
14/01/2013 at 2:39 am
I like ‘virtue’s burden.’ It sounds like the sort of thing a Virgo would say.:)
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 8:16 am
It does, doesn’t it Ros! I read your poem before I saw your comment. I almost wrote: ‘Virtue’s burden?’ in comments
.
LadyInRead (vidyatiru)
14/01/2013 at 9:43 am
you used all the whirlie words in this short piece and so well..would love to drown myself in poetry..
margo roby
14/01/2013 at 9:45 am
Welcome and thank you. Sometimes drowning ourselves in what is written is the only way to survive!
Pamela
14/01/2013 at 1:51 pm
This something I can relate to as of late, Margo. Nice, thought provoking piece of writing.
Pamela
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 7:35 am
Pamela, you retreat into your poetry palace as much as you need to. If I haven’t seen you by Spring [well, sooner], I’ll send out the bloodhounds!
Pamela
15/01/2013 at 8:58 am
Oh, good my favourite breed of dogs, ,)
Cathy
14/01/2013 at 9:16 pm
Beautiful done.
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 7:34 am
Hi, Cathy! Thank you.
eikenlaan
15/01/2013 at 4:54 am
Loved this
margo roby
15/01/2013 at 7:34 am
Thank you, eikenlaan! I just got back from a visit to your blog and love the tanka you wrote on your father and yourself.