This Poem was Submitted By: Mell W. Morris On Date: 2003-12-12 11:29:01 . . . Click Here To Mail this Poem to a Friend!To Listen to Music While Reading this Poem, just Click Here!
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Saluting Robert Creeley
Dew-jeweled, fresh,
renewed. Raindrops
filled with treasure
as a river pleasuring
in its persistence.
To find emptiness
is to fill it, even
his words with aching
holes. Smoke signals
are noisy compared
to his spare speech:
simple, select, rare.
Merely a mouth like
Noah's dove. |
|
Copyright © December 2003 Mell W. Morris
Additional Notes:
One of my favorite modern poets.
This Poem was Critiqued By: Jennifer j Hill On Date: 2004-01-04 22:52:41
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.94444
Mell,
Short and sweet.
I went to church tonight and gave my testimony for the first time ever and then talked about
the crisis pregnancy center where I volunteer. It was the most exhillerating experience.
To come home and find this little peach of a poem is just is more than I could have hoped for.
Talk about a great day.
To be honest, I hadn't read any of Robert Creeley's
poetry untill I read this poem. Then I did a search and read some poetry.
He does have a unique style that is quite pleasantly intriguing.
"dew-jeweled, fresh, renewed"--You outdid yourself with that one! The perfect rhyming
is fabulous, but the pairing of dew and jeweled is simply scintillating.
"Raindrops filled with treasure"--I can picture a thousand sparkling diamonds in each drop.
treasure/pleasuring--I'll say! This is a treaure trove of linguistics and you are a semanticist
if there ever was one.
( I think that is the right name for it)
His words find emptiness and fill it. There's that music again. I can see the words dancing
like musical notes as they hop to find the spaces to fill. Either I'm on drugs or this poem is
causing a euphoric reaction.
"Smoke signals are noisy compared to his spare speech"--amazing and an alliteration frenzy
"simple, select, spare"---like 3 perfectly timed notes played on a magic flute and more "S" alits.
"Merely a mouth like Noah's dove"--I can't think of a more dramatic yet flawless ending. This is wonderful.
Got any chapbooks golden tounged lady? If not then we best get you started making em.
And I want one.
mmmmmmmmmm, thank you.
Jennifer
This Poem was Critiqued By: Claire H. Currier On Date: 2003-12-22 06:25:25
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.76316
Lovely tribute to the man you admire as a modern day poet Mell........I honestly have not read any of his work and to be honest my eyes do not allow me these days the privilege of doing so. They want to schedule surgery in January and I am not sure.........but what I have read above indeed tells me this man is worth reading so when I get my new eyes I will go in search. Nice structure, good word flow, never did I want to stop for as always your work is superb and I like the closing line referencing Noah's dove.......
Thanks for posting and sharing with us. Be safe and God Bless you and yours this Holy Season. Claire
This Poem was Critiqued By: Joanne M Uppendahl On Date: 2003-12-20 18:57:55
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Dear Mell:
No one - NO ONE - writes the way you do! I enter into your poems with
an anticipation I can only liken to certain pleasurable obsessions of
mine, such as encountering a book I've longed to find, or discovering
a new, thrilling author, or -- entering a flower nursery for the first
time in spring, with full knowledge that I am going to fall in love,
over and over again, relishing the scents and colors. And taking home
more of them than I can rightfully claim as my share of joy. Reading this
poem just now is like that for me.
Dew-jeweled, fresh,
renewed. Raindrops
filled with treasure
as a river pleasuring
in its persistence.
What can I say in response to such intense linguistic "pleasuring" but
"ahhhhhhhh"? You capture the movement of water, the thrilling sparkles
of dew, rain and rivers with your liquid sibilance and exquisite
sounds, as in "dew-jeweled/renewed" and "treasure/pleasuring."
To find emptiness
is to fill it, even
his words with aching
holes. Smoke signals
are noisy compared
to his spare speech:
simple, select, rare. --- "compared/spare/rare" -- I am dumbfounded with the beauty here
Merely a mouth like
Noah's dove. --WONDERFUL!
Oh! The final two lines have sent into ecstasy. As Creeley writes in "Water Music",
"The words are a beautiful music.
The words bounce like in water."
Your poem honors him and enchants me. It will take its place with your finest,
and with the finest I've read on this link! Kudos, and garlands tossed. . .
All my best,
L.L.
This Poem was Critiqued By: Sherri L Smith On Date: 2003-12-19 13:15:26
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.57692
Dear Mell,
I have read this as it has been on my list for a while, but I wanted to read his work before I commented.
Now I understand the poem! Thanks for sharing and giving us a look at a modern poet. I learned of
someone new and it brightened my day! Happy Holidays to you and Gary.
Love,
Sherri
This Poem was Critiqued By: April Rose Ochinang Claessens On Date: 2003-12-19 03:30:34
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.37500
mell, this is a neat poem,not wordy but everything is just there.thanks so much for posting it. april
This Poem was Critiqued By: Jordan Brendez Bandojo On Date: 2003-12-14 13:31:59
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Hi Mell,
I became very excited to know the favorite poet of one of my favorite poets in the link!
I can't critique this without researching on the life of Robert Creeley, now, I got some biography:
"He was born Arlington, Massachusetts, on May 21, 1926"
"He has published more than sixty books of poetry"
That's enough just to let you know that I was curious knowing this author, how
he makes you admire him. The author is really undeniably prolific in his poetry works.
I read some of his pieces like "Goodbye", "Zero", "The Mirror", etc. If I can compare
it with your pieces, yours are more profound and more deep. Yours are different in style
and concept, I can say. Anyways...I should also salute to that poet because you does.
With only 45 words, you have versed the tribute so well with no trace of unsatisfaction
to this reader. The first three descriptors (Dew-jeweled, fresh, renewed) are agreeable
with me as I can his works reflect it as I read some of them.
"Raindrops
filled with treasure
as a river pleasuring
in its persistence." ----When you describe this, I can second the motion by saying that his works are full of nutrients and life the readers can savor.
Smoke signals
are noisy compared
to his spare speech:
simple, select, rare. ----this tells to the readers that this guy is humble. I think he is timid and not arrogant. But his silence is more than a loud voice through his writings.
THe last input satisfied me completely with:
"Merely a mouth like
Noah's dove."
What an amazing phrase! Mell, if you have somehow followed the footsteps of Robert Creeley, I'm sure you are more eloquent and more prolific.
Thanks for sharing this with us. If I have time I would research further on the life of that poet.
Take care,
Jordan
This Poem was Critiqued By: Drenda D. Cooper On Date: 2003-12-13 12:53:23
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 1.00000
Mell,
Although I am not familiar with Robert Creely's poetry..I feel I've had a glimpse into his works by your "salute" to him...I may be wrong, but I feel that he must be able to very concisely express himself to the point that each word assumes rare importance and has to be carefully selected in order to do this. As you can see--HEHEHEHE!!!-I am overly wordy and so very unlike your favorite modern poet..that is one thing I know I need to work on..honing and paring down my thoughts into fewer words, thus making careful choices (as you do my friend) in vocabulary....I feel that you are saying that Creely has perfected this art..I thought your imagery in this poem was superb (as always) ..And you seem to be emulating this favorite poet in using words as pictures of thoughts themselves as in "smoke signals are noisy compared to his spare speech"..I loved the sibilance/alliteration with all of the s's..And the last line was a wonderment...I am still mulling it over..It strikes me at first as being a way of showing through "silent" imagery what needs to be known about Creely's work being so concise, spare, simple, select, and rare that it approaches as close to "silence" as language can do. I am probably way off, but I enjoyed the poem and feel that in its own conciseness it may be the best "salute" to your favoite modern poet.....................drenda
This Poem was Critiqued By: marilyn terwilleger On Date: 2003-12-12 21:42:10
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.37500
Hi Mell,
I am happy to see this poem tonight because I know it must mean your
surgery went well and you are back creating agan. This is a great
tribute to a poet that you admire...I hate to admit that I have never
read his work but I will...."Dew-jewled" this is fabulous descriptor!
I love the way your mind works when you are creating poetry...."To find
emptiness is to fill it" this line is so profound and could easily be
used to describe so many situations...."even his words with aching holes"
love this line but since I am stupid about his style I am not brave
enough to comment on it..but I am inspired to search the net to find
his work...."smoke signals are noisy compared to his spare speech" so
he must be a soft spoken man that can create volumes with a few words.
Now I am intrigued!..."Merely a mouth like Noah's dove"..what a
beautiful and simple way to end this magnificent writing. Another great
writing from your creative pen...loved it. Hope all is well with you.
Blessings and wishes for better health...Marilyn
This Poem was Critiqued By: Thomas Edward Wright On Date: 2003-12-12 19:25:22
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 10.00000
Mell-
Another good one from your fingertips ("pen" works better, but who's got one?).)
I had to jump over to American Poets to see what he's been up to. You're right: sparse.
Big holes, huh!! (I love that one...)
Noah's dove went out to find land, did she not?
She came back with a myth.
Ok. Put the top down on the Buick and fly.
Tombo
This Poem was Critiqued By: Turner Lee Williams On Date: 2003-12-12 12:02:44
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.88889
Mell--Super tribute to someone whose work you adore-smile. Great descriptors (esp, dew-jeweled);
metaphors (raindrops filled with treasure, to find emptiness is to fill it, words with
aching holes--wow!); similes (as a river pleasuring, a mouth like Noah's dove); alliterations
(smoke signals, spare speech, simple select). All the above things combine to produce a short,
fast hitting, rhythmic, and powerful piece!
NOTE: Thanks for the word "dew-jeweled." I have just added it to my Poet's wordbank-smile. If you
keep writting, I'll keep reading. TLW
This Poem was Critiqued By: Mark Steven Scheffer On Date: 2003-12-12 11:51:42
Critiquer Rating During Critique: 9.44444
Mell,
Excellent. I'd have mad the river treasure and the raindrops persist. Very wise and poetically put with "To find emptiness / is to fill it, even / his words with aching / holes. " I don't know about the "Merely." Seems kinda off to me. First, it sounds pejorative. Of course, the tone COULD be ironic, but the "like / Noah's dove" would mean merely without irony to me. A dove is a merely a dovel; a poet, particularly one like this guy, evidently (I don't know his work), is not a "merely." I guess you're saying he carries the olive branch like Noah's dove after the flood, which is not a "merely" act. I get that. In that context maybe the "merely" can be viewed ironically. Forgive me for thinking out loud, but maybe there's a value you can glean from this blubberer thinking out loud on your poem.
My fav of the month. No, wait, Tom's poem about preservation of memories is that. This one is very close. Two gems.
Mark
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