Is this the real thing?
Can I call myself poet
alongside all those published
paragons? And what if words
rub off on me like silvered dust
from moth wings?
Not pinched, not plagiarised
but deep impressions of the metrical
in wax moulds, I reconstitute.
- pinchbeck – something sham, spurious, or counterfeit.
Just 44 words for De’s Quadrille prompt: Poems in a Pinch
PoetryPix 
No you are not… everyone who sees themselves as poets are true.
that’s encouraging but there are some lofty heights ahead
I think everything is reconstituted in some way.
possibly
Oh this is so moving! To me, you are one of the finest poets, Laura! ❤️❤️
and you so encouraging Sanaa – this was spawned by my gathering my poetry over the years for some self-publishing rather than have them virtual all the time
You’re not a pinchbeck, Laura, you just love words and their many combinations. I love the idea of words rubbing off ‘like silvered dust from moth wings’ and the ‘deep impressions of the metrical in wax moulds’.
many thanks Kim -as you say I love words and ‘pinchbeck’ appealed too
Laura, I ask myself that question all of the time. It feels like I’m playing at poet as a thief. Then I have to ask, who is my poetry for? It’s a process of grokking the world for me, and there is nothing new under the sun. I’m a thief, but there is no other way.
I’m OK with that until I read Eliot, or Thomas or Hughes etc
Laura, don’t you think we’re all in middle, somewhere between the worst and the best? It really takes the pressure off in all areas for me. It doesn’t mean I won’t try to get better, be it poetry or any other thing, but I realize I will never be “the best.”
I agree and mostly content to be middling but….
Indeed…
I think sometimes we don’t realize our own poet personality as perhaps our readers do. Let the “silvered dust” land where it may. You are unique, dear lady.
such appreciation – thank you for the encouragement Mish
No, not a pinchbeck. I loved “what if words rub off on me like silvered dust from moth wings.”
thank you – this a metaphor that came to me out of blue probably from having caught so many moths to release them from window or candle flame
I love the idea of reconstituted words in molds! What a great description for our poems.
good title for an anthology perhaps? I’m putting all these years of writings into print now
Thank you. Yes, I think you are right that would be a good title!
Such a lovely tribute to all the unsung poets!
that is memorable! thank you
Oh, my, Laura. If you ever, ever have any doubt in your poetry, come back again and again and simply read this line:
“And what if words
rub off on me like silvered dust
from moth wings?”
Sigh. So beautiful.
thank you De – for the prompt that gave me a pinch of moth dust!
Love this one Laura. We are all reconstituted in one way or another. Love the rubbing of words like silvered dust from moth wings.
we are indeed Grace and our dVerse gatherings are such a place for this (for which I thank you and Bjorn)
I was just reading a quote from a poet (of course I forget who) that said all poetry is just a rearranging of words. (K)
it is and in that rearrangement comes the best of lines Kerfe
I love this!! So relatable. So beautifully expressed!
relatable is definitely part of poetry so thank you for that
Don’t they say that some of the best writing comes from the influences of good writers?
it does – and I must keep reading or else!
You do fine enough I think, but what you think is matter more. Old quote, relevant, if you can’t take the heat (or the doubt) get out of the kitchen. Also Rilke’s notion, if you really “must”, then you must, else find another avocation. Middle is a very good word I think. I’m none the match of Wm.Stafford or many I can name, although I’m far better than many I’ve seen, so yea, middle. I do work at this craft, I try, and some good advice was try to express yourself differently than before, rather than just the same same same because it’s comfortable. If a writer isn’t uncomfortable, doubtful, and often fails, maybe they’re not trying hard enough.
Fair enough?
Middle is fair but aspirations and struggle keep that place from going stale. My father used to say: “Never rest on your laurels, Laura” (from which my name derives!) – and so I’m often restless 😉
Restless, said that way, yep.
Laura,
Your contemplation on the authenticity of being a poet and the transformative nature of words is one that I can relate to…
~David
you are a maven of poetry styles David and your output is remarkable
I can definitely relate to this, Laura, and I question my own ability.
As for not pinched or plagiarized, but impressed by or reinterpreting–probably everyone does that. Shakespeare lifted stories, and Bernstein et al took Shakespeare and made West Side Story.
I think of them as steps/stepping stones to follow in
A good way to think of them!
Great verse Laura and so relatable, I am sure other people’s words do ‘rub off’ on us from time to time 😊
thank you for relating!
A poet you are indeed! Love how you used ‘pinch’ in the quadrille and in the quadrille title!!
just to prove I’m no pinchpenny – thanks Helen
You are no fake, my friend. And you better believe this.
This poem is a testament of that. Allthe words lined just so and the imagery they leave behind are heartfelt. “and what if words rub off on me”– what if indeed… and I love to think that they do. Thanks for sharing.
what generous and uplifting words from you Selma – many, many thanks
Before last May, I had only written a few poems whilst living in Ireland. Since May a flood has been unleashed, but when I ook back to those earlier few, uninfluenced by others in the present and bearing no resemblance to the “greats” I had studied at school, I wonder where they came from and I have come to the conclusion that poetry is a language that some of us speak and of course, most of the words have been used before as too, most metaphors and other poet’s tools, but you, and so many others I have met here, have something unique to say in the language of poetry and you have a very strong voice Laura…
May a definite watershed – tapping in to your Muse, opening the channels or however you might phrase it. All the ‘Greats’ maybe gathering in the ether to give you a push – so glad they did and thank you for being such a support to me and others
With twenty six alphabets and their innumerable combinations, we arrange and rearrange them to the best of our ability. You are a fine poet, Laura, there is no doubt about it but I agree, when one reads the greats, self-doubt creeps in.
This is exquisite and relatable.
a nice way of looking at it – all those permutations of alphabets and the words they form. Thank you for relating to this!
p.s. Coincidentally my daughter has just posted this on her blog
“Yesterdays thoughts,
lay tomorrows ground”
a poet through and through Laura, a delightful ars poetica as question.
many thanks Paul – I will add that as a tag to the post as had not recognised this for what it is
Very welcome Laura 🙂
Yours are the only poems I read. For your words, and your view of the world.
Diana – that is one of the most encouraging of feedbacks – very many thanks