The Overcoat

[PrinceMyshkin]

Sometimes you can feel a poet
shoulder his way into a poem
as if it were a favourite old overcoat
that had never failed to protect him
against the rain, sleet or heartbreak.
He slips into it, sleeve by sleeve.
There’s lint, a few overlooked pieces of change,
a once relevant shopping list
in the pockets and the hem
reaches an almost negligible inch
closer to his ankles.
It might have adapted itself
to fit any one of a number of men once,
but now it has come to fit
just the one man, perfectly.

[Delta40]

I feel so comfortable in my overcoat! (inch is misspelt) What a wonderful way to describe the poet, their protector and the nuances of development, including the wear and tear. This is one of my favourites by you Prince.

[blank|verse]

Nice image, Prince, which reminds me of the more political 'Cousin Coat' by Sean O'Brien (http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do;jsessionid=DB2FFF5D57BCD2B5FF7E4546B 9730E10?poemId=1715). And 'Shirt' by Charles Simic.

I found some of the line breaks a bit odd, like the one at line 3, but otherwise it's nicely done.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Nice image, Prince, which reminds me of the more political 'Cousin Coat' by Sean O'Brien (http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do;jsessionid=DB2FFF5D57BCD2B5FF7E4546B 9730E10?poemId=1715). And 'Shirt' by Charles Simic.

I found some of the line breaks a bit odd, like the one at line 3, but otherwise it's nicely done.

Quite right! I've gone and changed that and made the further changes necessitated by that one. Will look at the links you provide soon as I have the time. Many thanks.

[Buh4Bee]

What a great way to describe the writing experience of a poet with talent. I am not a poet, so I cannot relate very well. I do however like to try the coat on for dress-up!! Haha!

[Hawkman]

Hi Prince. This, as always is an interesting poem from you. It’s well written and thought provoking. But I have trouble relating to it. It seems to allude to the process of writing with the reference to the poet feeling his way into the poem, sleeve by sleeve, and I suppose it could be said that some poems, just feel right as you write them.

But the comfort and the description feel a little at odds with the message, at least to me. The excellent visual imagery conjures in the mind of this reader a strong picture of a poem that is unmistakeably the work of a specific poet, like seeing old clothes hanging on a line which reflect the shape of their owner. After all, when we publish a poem it’s on its own, empty (in the sense of clothes) and vulnerable. We hang it on the line and wait to see if someone will slash it, iron it, or hug it to themselves for comfort. Personally, when I post a poem, I feel as though I’ve taken something off, rather than put a garment on. And for me, each new poem is exactly that, new.

So, I find that your extended metaphor only works convincingly for an old, favourite poem, one that I revisit and re-read often, just for the pleasure it gives me, whether I wrote it or not.

Live long and prosper - H

[PrinceMyshkin]

What a great way to describe the writing experience of a poet with talent. I am not a poet, so I cannot relate very well.

Try starting out with a vest and see where you can go from there!

[firefangled]

Sometimes you can feel a poet
shoulder his way into a poem
as if it were a favourite old overcoat
that had never failed to protect him
against the rain, sleet or heartbreak.
He slips into it, sleeve by sleeve.
There’s lint, a few overlooked pieces of change,
a once relevant shopping list
in the pockets and the hem
reaches an almost negligible inch
closer to his ankles.
It might have adapted itself
to fit any one of a number of men once,
but now it has come to fit
just the one man, perfectly.


More than anything this seems like a man who has become enamored with a poem (for instance Yeats's The Coat) already written and finds comfort in it over time until it seems to him to fit everything about his life. I am not suggesting you are N (even though I know you are fond of Yeats's poetry).

For this to be about writing a poem that comes to provide comfort, I also think this is contrary to how poets feel about poems they've written. It is more exposing that protecting and, if fact, isn't that what we strive for in writing. I know I feel quite vulnerable giving something up I've made so it can be scrutinized.

[Delta40]

while poetry may expose, it also protects the poet, like the coat Prince suggests. One can easily snuggle up in their blanket of security, knowing the exposed parts are covered by all manner of prints, ruckles and overhangs.

[Haunted]

An unique metaphor for the writing process. I do have an overcoat but I don't wear it a lot. I put it back on whenever l feel too exposed.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Many thanks Hawkman, Jersea, Firefangled, Delta & Haunted. What I was getting at is that some though by no means all of us have a strong style (or voice) that we can alter a bit one way or another but which is always to some degree recognizable.

[Haunted]

What I was getting at is that some though by no means all of us have a strong style (or voice) that we can alter a bit one way or another but which is always to some degree recognizable.

That's exactly what I was trying to get across. I alternate overcoat and halter top so not to be that predictable. Now you have to tell me if I was.

[everyadventure]

I can relate to this one. I'm not sure if it's the curse of the less-experienced poet, but certain themes always sneak their way into my poems. Sometimes I'll begin writing about one thing, but then, when I look closer, I see the same old message lying just beneath.

And I agree that writing in your own "style," or about things that are close to your heart, is a comfortable way to write. It's cathartic, and is very much like slipping into your favorite old coat.

Wonderfully done, Prince.

[Jerrybaldy]

A princely sum from something of a prince. Exquisite analogy.

[paperleaves]

Beautiful, impeccably written, Prince! A fantastic read.


love
paper

[PrinceMyshkin]

Many thanks, Haunted, Everyadventure, JerryB & Paperleaves.

[deryk]

The definition of quaint adaptability. This took me back to everything I've written in my own coats. It also made me realize that my better work is written on the move, while wearing just such a thing! Thanks for triggering that epiphany.