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Thanks, prendrelmick. Thanks, tailor. :)
Alright, for our next quote let's do something by the Belle of Amherst, the Debauchee of Dew, the great Miss Emily Dickinson.
From This World is Not Conclusion:
Quote:
Narcotics cannot still the tooth/that nibbles at the soul
Lost
the bobcat hunts
lost is that
tacet clarion -
the still noon
tail bent
north to the lost
this still as bone
cat couchant
lost is the silent
tao blur -
that cool-tint
note chants bach
no cotton lace
that's it - still -
the sabbath
the unicorn lost
2/15/2016
Each stanza an anagrammatic representation of the lines: "Narcotics cannot still the tooth/that nibbles at the soul" by dearest Emily.
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY
“Narcotics cannot still the tooth
That nibbles at the soul”,
I read and hope the nibbling stops
Before it eats the whole.
“Before it eats the whole? You wish!
You do not understand.
You are what’s nibbling at the root.”
No wonder it feels grand.
that sky
endless and eternal
— what it knows
yet,
I don't ask
the point of it all
in a dream
Great entries so far, guys. Let's set the deadline to next Sunday.
Gates of Horn and Ivory
‘Narcotics cannot still the tooth
that nibbles at the soul”.
Torment deferred with a procain mask;
a false façade is short lived.
Gnawing returns like rats in the night,
incisors pierce the stream.
The cavity is filled once again.
And so, the cycle continues.
Alright. Judgment time!
Thank you all for your entries. They were great.
tailor STATELY Amazing work. Very creative use of the "famous line". Using anagrams alone would be impressive but you also managed to make it into a coherent whole. Hats off!
YesNo Good stuff. The way I read it, it's about self-doubt but that may not be your intent. Great execution of rhyme and rhythm, there.
M4ngo Welcome to the forum and thank you for your submission. Please note, however, that the rule of this contest is to use the given quoted line somehow in your poem.
Gilliatt Gurgle I really like the imagery in this one. I think the general atmosphere of your entry is closest in spirit to the original line. I would be interested to find out how "the [soul's] cavity is filled".
This was a close call, but in the end, I will have to give the win to tailor STATELY for a truly remarkable entry.
Thank you _Joe_ ! ... good entries all !
Next line is from the "Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám of Naishapur", 'translation' by Edward Fitzgerald/Quatrain 12, L4: "Oh, the brave Music of a distant Drum"
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY
“Oh, the brave music of a distant drum”
Is best felt through that distance drawing some
To make their present paths aim true and sound,
Pause fear, and place their faith in what’s to come.
In the Transvaal, 1901
OH! The brave music of a distant drum
The savages are out in the moonlight
Dancing like demons around and around
I hear the music of that distant drum
Roll over, and go back to sleep
Thanking God that it IS distant...
Pendragon 3/14/2016
Deadline: 1-more week or so... I'm thinking end of Tuesday... I guess that's 2-Tuesdays from now...4/19 PDT.
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY
Enjoyed both poems very much.
YesNo - Enjoyed the poetics of your piece: A worthy quatrain (4X10) with an AABA rhyme scheme utilizing enjambment.
Pendragon - A poem perhaps depicting the Kipling era; eliciting the 2nd Boer War (googled) and the consequence of stirring up ill will with the natives, luckily a safe distance away. Kipling might have gone with a rhyming scheme (as in "Fuzzy-Wuzzy" http://www.bartleby.com/246/1128.html ), but your short form gives just enough to satisfy without rhyme.
Tough call... going with Pendragon on this one. Congratulations to both !
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor STATELY