after Marvell

The nightingale is quite a nuisance,
like you, the midges and the toads.
She comes as I try to patch my plans
of a family together, and unloads:

“My tale is so full of tragedy;
I was so beautiful once, my tongue
was pink as summer strawberries,
and all the men would beat their drums.

“…anyway, my favourite worms are silk;
though you look pretty juicy. Have
you met the duracell bunny? He kills
me; his stupid ears!” By then, the grave

is a bright idea and I take my torch
to the shed for a shovel; a pair of legs
appears belonging to a rake like you!—crutch,
bent double with pen, ash raining from a fag.

Fascinating and fun, James. Your last image - crutch to fag" wickedly vivid. Tom

thanks, tom. Did you write something about glowworms recently, or is my mind playing a trick?

Much enjoyed, James. I'd some work to do to find my own logic for it, but that doesn't matter. Agree with Tom, a great finale.

milner

i like the italicized "so" 

“my tale is so full of tragedy;
I was so beautiful once,"

It's a good trick, as I don't think I posted a draft yet, but yes, though all I've written are fragments so far:

Has no one hated fireflies yet?
No one seen past their little trick
of light—not children, so eager
to squash almost anything else,
not parents, who run for a jar
to bring them into their house?

Would that I could get so far
flashing my wan, yellow smile!
If only I were tiny, intermittent,
the paraphic signature of summer eve
which quiets


The light's a warning: poison
that will seize up your heart!
And some of us flash to lure
sexed-up males, who we eat.


-Tom

Thanks, Milner and Michelle. I like it, tom! I believe glowworms both female and male can glow to find a mate; is it only the female firefly?

They think originally it was warning to predators of toxicity (the larval glowworms glow but don't mate); then evolved another use as mate attraction, both sexes (makes sense with male, but why female glows in response as she approaches not so clear); then used by females of one genus to lure males of other genus, to eat them; who knows what else?

James, I've read this poem five times.  I love it.  Although I'm wondering if I should (lol).  For some reason something about it seems male vs. female.  Glowworms seem so feminine, and geez look at a mower.  What's fem about a mower?

Have no idea what 'Marvell' is or where it came from, where it's going.  Maybe that would help me.

Love the use of your imagination in this poem.  Love all your poetry, though.   Really like the last verse and use of the word 'pen'.

Excellent.                           cheryl

Hi cheryl, many thanks for the read and thoughts. If you're interested/bored enough, look up Andrew Marvell's 'the mower to the glowworms'. James

The Mower to the Glow-Worms
by Andrew Marvell

Ye living lamps, by whose dear light
The nightingale does sit so late,
And studying all the summer night,
Her matchless songs does meditate;

Ye county comets, that portend
No war nor prince’s funeral,
Shining unto no higher end
Than to presage the grass’s fall;

Ye glow-worms, whose officious flame
To wand’ring mowers shows the way,
That in the night have lost their aim,
And after foolish fires do stray;

Your courteous lights in vain you waste,
Since Juliana here is come,
For she my mind hath so displac’d
That I shall never find my home.

Ahhhh.

capital M to begin S2, James? Tom

James, wonderful capture of the metrical sound and stretching images back and forth through time. I think the bunny reference works despite its risk.

Think how Marvell played with the mower in several other "songs" using as a refrain:

What I do to the grass, does to my thoughts and me.

Wonderful.

larry

Yes, now once again, in a new light, wonderful, as Larry says.