where’s food for thought
bread has staled with festive glut
am slothful now and abstinent
unease grows amongst the quiet
only an urge to knuckle dust
the Muse and stir and turn about
tutting with that impatient
timpani of first finger and fist
stuck for words in a doldrum drift
of sea or snow, suspended in frost
where the curt letter-pressed prompt
cannot extricate the animate
even picking over an abstract
still blank imaginings abort
lithe lexiconic movement
oh! dry gerontic thought *
the medium’s unseasonably wet
this the first spurt
© Laura Granby 2015
*reference to Eliot’s lines ‘Thoughts of a dry brain in a dry season.’ [Gerontion]
Utilising the alliterative brevity of ‘t’ sounds to demonstrate the poet’s tussle in this first versifying attempt of 2016 and so enter into the resourceful riches of Poetry Pantry
For your first tussle this is very creative Laura…love the t-sounds, and the opening lines create a vivid picture of that slothful sense I get when my brain won’t engage…also loved:
‘unease grows amongst the quiet
only an urge to knuckle dust
the Muse and stir and turn about’
It does create frustration for me when I cannot get the words to make music on the page. I have found I am now creating in batches when the spirit is willing and the brain is firing.
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Interesting way of writing Donna – like baking cakes – long may the thoughts rise!
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Knuckle dusting the muse..sometimes she can indeed be quiet..and yet in the drought wonderful words still come
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Thought she needed a wake up call – in the end she surrendered some words – thank you Jae
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I agree.. such an exquisite piece 😀
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❤
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This poem definitely flowed trippingly (t-t-t-t) on my tongue. Indeed bread can stale ‘with festive glut.’ If you are speaking about being ‘stuck for words’ in the new year, I definitely can identify! Enjoyed the ‘spurt.’
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Stuck indeed Mary till the tongue tutted – so frustrating but the spurt was better than the drought
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I found it difficult to start writing after the break… the muse felt almost obese, maybe from the Christmas food… love how you got it flowing her Laura… now you are up an running.
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Yes Björn was pleased to read your winter piece & shared sense of difficulty – love the image of obese muse – is she fit enough to run I wonder!
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After reading your note, I reread it and admire the skill with which you used the “t” sound………an interesting exercise.
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Not a deliberate ploy Sherry at first – the curt word flow began & then I focused on how this letter speaks in terse staccato to fit my mood
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I love your expression of ‘an urge to knuckle dust the Muse’—haha 😉 Clever phrasing!
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Ha ha – thought about dusting her off but the knuckle duster was more how I felt!
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Haha 😛
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You definitely knuckle dusted the muse in this! The t sounds are wonderful to read aloud…like a drum rhythm moving the poem along. I didn’t take a break during the holidays but can definitely identify when the muse remains silent and distant. I think you are on a definite rule started by the spurt.
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bit of panic sets in doesn’t it in the distance that grows with the breaks – I liked your drum beat reference – maybe it’s the ominous sound of time lost
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Or maybe, it’s the rat-a-tat of the spurt quick stepping and leading you on to more words!
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There speaks the optimist – maybe I too often cloak the Muse – thank you for reminding me of the lightness of being too
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You are welcome. I have to often remind myself as well.
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I always appreciate a reference to Eliot, one of my all-time favorite poets. This piece also has a bit of Prufrock drift to it.
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Re-read Gerontion after the poem was almost complete but would not surprise me if Prufrock snuck in – love Eliot and Dylan Thomas’ rhythmic narrative
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Not so lost for words as you fear!
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Spat them out eventually Rosemary 😉
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well spurted, laura. enjoyed the alliterations
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Thank you & thankful for the terseness of t’s u
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Yet, a great way to start getting creative for the new year! I know how you feel..
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Let’s hope the ball keeps rolling for the rest of the year,
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You do this very well! 🙂
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Many thanks – makes the struggle worthwhile ❤
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I like the way your images and headlines flow so smoothly into your verse. It’s a uniform, evocative package. I can imagine you tapping your finger and fist as you contemplate the verse.
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What lovely thing to say Beth – x
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