Wallpaper

[deryk]

Wallpaper

Greenlief’s hands dab and smooth over white sheets.
He flattens corners of Cleveland’s Estate
until all stickiness is rubbed dry.
Once all the walls are framed white and sincerely,
his bucket hits the Studebaker’s bed.
He returns from the Ave, inspecting, seeing
lilliputian waves now against the bare white
-a macular defect he would never live to see unfold-
something to get used to and reflect upon
with a dull pain rolling through his left arm
and a cold swig of pilsner from the right.
This time, he shuffles backwards to survey
his boney canvas, that chandeliered clearing.
He puts a rag to his pate and with sighed,
labored breathing, drinks up the blackfall of night.

[MorpheusSandman]

I love the superficial banality that hints at something deeper. This is another piece that shows the strengths of simply describing a scene and allowing what's unsaid to play upon the reader's mind more strongly than what's said. I'm not entirely sure I get all the implications, but I very much liked it, especially the laid-back rhythm.

[Delta40]

Love the effect of a wallpapering session. especially:

He puts a rag to his pate and with sighed,
labored breathing, drinks up the blackfall of night.

The reference to an optical effect is a clever device since it prompts me to revise each image differently as if myself had the sight defect

[AuntShecky]

An entertaining piece on a refreshingly unusual topic. It's not often that the journeymen who work in professions related to the construction (and maintenance) industries are honored in poetry. Painstaking exacting work such as painters and plasterers (aka "tapers") is thought not to be as cerebral as the so-called "professions." Still, the former requires a great deal of skill, such as perfecting the project without making mistakes, such as avoiding "defects"-- the "liliputian waves" mentioned in your verse. (There are "l"s in the Swiftian nonce word, by the way.)

I may be one of the only people on earth who actually knows a joke about wallpapering. Even though it's completely "clean"--I'll send it via PM.

[Bar22do]

Deryk, Auntie has "stolen" my words! but just as well, for she always uses them better. So yes, excellent poem, and "liliputian waves" made me think of Swift as well! Bravo for this one! Best from Bar

[deryk]

Oddly enough, I wrote this poem for my grandmother for her upcoming 90th birthday. She will appreciate this more than some gaudy card. The poem is about my great-grandfather, who used to wallpaper the interiors of former Presidents' homes and described it as a luxurious position to have, before he died prematurely from work-related stress.


I love the superficial banality that hints at something deeper. This is another piece that shows the strengths of simply describing a scene and allowing what's unsaid to play upon the reader's mind more strongly than what's said. I'm not entirely sure I get all the implications, but I very much liked it, especially the laid-back rhythm.

Thank you MorpheusSandman. I suppose I was going for the "iceberg" effect. I'm not sure I get all the implications yet either.


Love the effect of a wallpapering session. especially:

He puts a rag to his pate and with sighed,
labored breathing, drinks up the blackfall of night.

The reference to an optical effect is a clever device since it prompts me to revise each image differently as if myself had the sight defect
Thanks Delta, I was trying to convey it as both a release and a mild stress to his health. I'm glad you liked the effect.



An entertaining piece on a refreshingly unusual topic. It's not often that the journeymen who work in professions related to the construction (and maintenance) industries are honored in poetry. Painstaking exacting work such as painters and plasterers (aka "tapers") is thought not to be as cerebral as the so-called "professions." Still, the former requires a great deal of skill, such as perfecting the project without making mistakes, such as avoiding "defects"-- the "liliputian waves" mentioned in your verse. (There are "l"s in the Swiftian nonce word, by the way.)

I may be one of the only people on earth who actually knows a joke about wallpapering. Even though it's completely "clean"--I'll send it via PM.

Thank you AuntShecky, most of the challenge came from trying to make the poem sound "plain" without ending up with a dull poem. I must confess, I originally chose lilliputian for the sound, but the choice turned serendipitous, because of its reference to the tiny trials of Swift's "everyman", which is how I pictured my speaker anyway. And I agree that trade-skills are more easily overlooked, no doubt because they are meant to "blend in with the woodwork".




Deryk, Auntie has "stolen" my words! but just as well, for she always uses them better. So yes, excellent poem, and "liliputian waves" made me think of Swift as well! Bravo for this one! Best from Bar

Thank you for the nice response Bar22do, it seems I've hit my mark for once.

Thanks to everyone again for the kind comments!

[Jerrybaldy]

This is full of obscure references to me. But that is not to say they prevented me from enjoying. I just had no idea what I was enjoying. I am unsure if that is ok.

[deryk]

This is full of obscure references to me. But that is not to say they prevented me from enjoying. I just had no idea what I was enjoying. I am unsure if that is ok.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macular_degeneration

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studebaker

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Cleveland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilliputian

That should be it. It's an american period piece. What else was confusing?