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Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Incomplete figure (the poem)

By Francis Scudellari

An incomplete figure, he stands
Before, self-mocking mannequin
Un-wholly cobbled together,
Invented in-human partner

Steel wire ribs ringed round hollow core,
Naked half-shape silhouetted
On confined walls, soul company
Oft-visited in cramped workshop

Its minded floor strewn with stray parts,
Pulled from dusted shelves, odd pieces
That he attaches, appraises,
Then soon sad discards; starts over

Curve of an arm, pointed elbow
Elegant fingers, marble knee,
Countless recalled countenances,
Un-inventoried memories

Passerby's smile, friend's crinkled nose,
The glint of re-imagined eyes
He projects on glassy oval,
Spins through mismatched combinations

This blank slate never sparked to life,
He new wipes clean, till it mirrors
Now creased face, twin dying portals
Leading down to his own gnawed gap

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Looked at your last three posts today, and was struck by the continuity of the theme. The poems are clever though painful, but I see a spark of hope in the latest. I hope, for your sake, that was intended.

Francis Scudellari said...

@jakill I appreciate the feedback, and there's always hope to be found in self recognition, as long as it doesn't come too late. Intention is a tricky subject when it comes to writing. I believe that what the writer had in mind for a poem recedes to the background once the piece is received by the reader. What's most important is what that reader takes away from the experience.

Unknown said...

That's a lovely idea and a great philosophy. My own few poems are much more mundane and I hesitate to post them on my blog, feeling embarrassed. But perhaps now I will.

Francis Scudellari said...

You should definitely not be embarrassed. I for one would love to see them, and I'm sure your other readers would appreciate seeing another side of you.

Melissa Donovan said...

I like this a lot. This poem had me at:

Un-wholly cobbled together,

Good work ;)

Melissa Donovan at Writing Forward

Francis Scudellari said...

Thanks so much Melissa. I was just reading your post about poetry books, and I think I'll pick one up so I can explore some other structures and work with meter. I'd like a little more musicality.

John said...

I liked the imagery that you tried to portray; very very good.

Francis Scudellari said...

@quackster Thanks ... I've just checked out your site and will explore it some more. Good to find someone else traveling in the stream :).

Anonymous said...

Fantastic work Francis when I come here I am always in for a great read and contemplation. What an incredible journey you take the reader on. Thank-you.

Francis Scudellari said...

Thanks Deborah. I owe a lot of it to you, as you got me to start writing poetry again at Climate of Our Future. I think I'm closer to what I want to do with these last couple pieces, but I still need to take it a couple steps further.

Anonymous said...

Great job Francis. I see the self reflection in this poem but I can't help but view the analogy with an old abandoned car sitting in a garage never repaired :-) I know however that is not what you meant. As usual very well written.
I haven't seen your work at the MW Society page. You should view Mikes last question of the week. I fear the level of interest in the MW Society is waning and have told Mike that I am serious considering pulling the plug on the whole endeavor or, just walking away like some members have done.
I haven't been visiting much because I've recently had eye surgery and it makes it difficult to be in front of the computer too long and that fact has become apparent in the lack of visits to my own personal site. People in the blogging world are way too fickle. However, on that note,take care my friend.
~JD

Francis Scudellari said...

Hi JD,
I've been in a bit of a creative funk the past week, so I only have this poem to post since the last one I put up at MW. I didn't want to monopolize the space either. I'll check out Mike's latest and see what I can do to revive the site a bit.

I'm a bit soured on the blogosphere lately myself. I feel like it's sapping too much of my energy to promote the site and build traffic that's superficial in most cases. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I'm leaning toward retreating from virtual space for a while to work on something lengthier.

I hope the eye surgery went well, and you're back up to speed soon.