My Arsenal of Poetica

Published on by Laura Bloomsbury 
i
Cut to the chase
précis the prose
polish the words
notes in a song
thread them along
bracelet for tongue

ii
But where to begin?
In a desert, distilling dry air
some drips of condensation
some half-sensed sense
a semblance of sentence
a stuttering of lines that slip
in, down and past the part
where rhymes like uncaged lions
pace, as pendulum, as meter 
between syllable and silence

iii
Into mixed company, comes my poetry
often you I mourn, and with chalice
of sweet bitterness, him as Merlin.
Death prowls by inference, deals the knave 
of hearts, damns the course of romance
and dammed it is too with millponds
where I've drowned so many foolish drafts.
But epic's just eponymous, trivia is trumps
and this sphere's so full of beautiful blown roses
west wind has summoned early snows.

For Grace’s MTB prompt- Revisiting Ars Poetica she encourages us to show how our poetry comes to life through imagery, symbolism, and/or personalization.

23 thoughts on “My Arsenal of Poetica”

  2. I smiled at the wordplay in your title, Laura, and love the alliteration and rhymes in the first stanza – I had to read it aloud! The second stanza resonated, starting with the familiar , the sibilant ‘half-sensed sense’, ‘semblance of a of sentence’ and ‘stuttering of lines that slip’. But oh, these lines are beautiful:

    ‘…and this sphere’s so full of beautiful blown roses
    west wind has summoned early snows’.

    1. I thought of you when I found the title as I know you too like wordplay. Thank you Kim for taking time to comment on all 3 parts and the ultimate couplet appreciation ❤️

  3. What a powerful arsenal of poetry Laura. I love the second part with rhymes like uncaged lions and the third part mixed company, with millponds of foolish drafts. This is a heady work and I love it. Have a good summer break!

    1. I loved the revisit so thank you for prompting this and also for your encouraging feedback as I did wonder if the poem had strayed off.
      P.s enjoy a well deserved summer break

    1. yes it begins with the ultimate aim of what poetry means to me – the military connection is interesting as the parade ground soon becomes ‘at ease’ in the following stanzas 😉

  6. It seems like we are all familiar with the “millponds where I’ve drowned so many foolish drafts”, Laura, and I love the bracelet for the tongue…

  7. I especially like the rhymes like uncaged lions and the millpond where drafts are drowned…powerful imagery, Laura!

  10. Laura, I love how this poem shows writing as both careful work and wild magic, moving from “polish the words” to the quiet space “between syllable and silence.”

    ~David

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