What a rush of poems Link #9 has unlocked… 13 poems from 9 poets, each of them with the ability to take the poem by the scruff of the neck and change its course forever.
So many of the images here startle on first reading – Carly’s ‘cigarette mouth’ slaps the senses good and proper; Cindy’s ‘head on collision’ shakes the entire body; and Nigel’s ‘behind teeth’ seethes with the rage of a whole season’s storms.
Other poems creep up on you – Carly’s ‘I look to the husband’ settles with a slow weight; Andrew’s ‘aaaahhhh’ is delightfully sonorous; Lyndon’s ‘filtered sunlight’ holds you in its claustrophobia; Andy’s ‘broken shell’ reveals a subtle pattern, Miguel’s ‘skeleton’ sings an unsettling song; and Mal’s ‘river’ rusts our dreams.
Some poems such as John’s ‘Stonehenge’ have a boldness, a willingness to experiment with form and content.
A fine pool of poems to dive into… so just which poem did I bring to the surface to become the next pearl in our shisan?
It was a tough decision… in my head I have been juggling three poems: Carly’s ‘I look to the husband’, Cindy’s ‘recalling’ and Nigel’s ‘behind teeth’, but in the end, the intensity of ‘behind teeth’ won me over.
Thank you to everyone for your poems; they are the engine that drives this poem.
Now we move into the final phase… So let’s open the call for Link #10. This time we are looking for 2 lines that bristle with love.
I am looking forward to the passion of these verses.
*****
My Aching Back: Shisan
Started: 15 May 2013 – Finished:
Written between: Matt Hetherington, Lyndon Norton, Ashley Capes, Lee-Anne Davie, Chris Lynch, Mal Keeble, Chloe Callistemon, John Wainwright, Nigel Ellis,
Side 1 – jo – preface
Link #1 (3 lines) – hokku (autumn)
my aching back
a leaf falls
from a branch
(Matt Hetherington)
Link #2 (2 lines) – wakiku (autumn)
as I put down the rake
the sky darkens
Link #3 (3 lines) – daisan (non seasonal)
in the shed
removing a dropcloth
from old paintings
Side 2 – ha part one – development
Link #4 (2 lines) – winter moon
gravy smears the dinner plate
winter moon
(Lee-Anne Davie)
Link #5 (3 lines) – non seasonal
I regret
the light switch
cockroaches
Link #6 (2 lines) – non seasonal
the old dog dreams
of the chase
Side 3 – ha part two – intensification
Link #7 (3 lines) – spring blossom
the puppy
pisses on all
the daffodils
(Chloe Callistemon)
Link #8 (2 lines) – spring
spring shower
yolk burst on the tongue
Link #9 (3 lines) – non seasonal
behind teeth
a storm gathers
I cannot swallow this
Side 4 – kyu – finale
Link #10 (2 lines)- non seasonal, love verse
Link #11 (3 lines) – non seasonal, love verse
Link #12 (2 lines) – ageku (summer)
No need to leave the mouth just yet …
#10
sweet kisses soon
reveal the nut within
#10
China doll
Still holding hands
#10
your bite
wrapped in my scarf
loving all the images…
#10
all that remains
broken on the shoreline
instead exhaling your name
my steam-powered heart
#10
change slips through my fingers
i feel your touch
Pingback: taken to the grave | migueljacq.com
#10
the cold metal
wraps around my finger
#10
exploding out the way it came
your name on my lips
i shave twice
once for work, once for you
or in two breaths:
#10
i shave once for work
once you for you
every night with a kiss
she folds the wing mirrors back
Pingback: Shisan: My Aching Back (post 1500 on Another Lost Shark) | Another Lost Shark