Concluding the retrospective posts, I had in mind to showcase a few poems from the Drought/Lagoon collection. When I came to look at it, however, I found it troubling reading (again) and I found I didn’t wish to focus on a set that was quite so grim, especially immediately after the Surviving the Devil set yesterday.
I decided instead to take a look at the mythologically inspired poems that have been posted through the year and to feature a five of those.
These poems were largely generated from my reading of Joseph Campbell, a great mythologist and an absolute inspiration. Without ado, my Top 5 Mythologically inspired poems are:
Five: maketh the man. This was an idea that fired my imagination. The possibility of shaping a person as an incidental event in a god-child’s game. Leanne and I recorded this piece and loaded it up on Soundcloud, where it is still available for a listen. As someone once suggested to me – do yourself a favor and check it out.
Four: a call: a dance: here again: gone.The lapis lined harp was an object found in a great burial chamber in old Ur (a city mostly featured in crossword puzzles these days).
This piece calls the moon through her cycle.
Three: way poem #10: a court farewells its king. More recently written, this poem came after I read some descriptions of the burial arrangements discovered and interpreted in old Mesopotamia. One in, all in.
Two: the moon concedes in three parts. A personal favorite. The Sun has defeated the Moon in the battle for the skies. The Moon formally concedes, but sets conditions, for, though defeated, there is still pride.
One: the day craft. You’ll have seen images of the women of particular age groups, particular culture groups, particular eras spinning at their wheels – wool, flax and so on. Then on to the loom to weave the thread into linen or similar. Very rustic scenes.
In our home, Leanne and I have cloth that was spun and woven in just such a way by my grandmother. We treasure the few items we have even though they have been put to hard use over their working lifetime. It is a craft skill that was once upon a time critically functional.
What if … the Sun was a spun and woven object. Spun and woven new, every day. Surely a woman’s work. What raw material would be used?
Leanne and I have recorded this piece. As with all of these recorded works, Leanne is composer, musician and producer. Kudos due. You can listen to her marvelous accompaniment and my reading on SoundCloud.
Lastly, and Honorable Mention:
a long night to sunrise.
Old lady, can you get a working man a man a cup of tea …
As with the day craft, above, I’ve enjoyed playing with different ideas for how the Sun is created, how it works. My own father is a clock man – he repairs them, tinkers with them, makes them work right again. Here, the Sun as a clockwork arrangement tended by a querulous old man and his wife. It gets an Honorable Mention, simply because I like it.
This one is another piece that we recorded and it can be heard on SoundCloud.
Top 5 (or 6) – end of year review
Top 5 for 2016 – from the archives (daily prompt)
Top 10 for 2016 – from the Poem-a-day Collection (Part A)
Top 10 for 2016 – from the Poem-a-day Collection (Part B)
Top 5 from the Bushfire set
Top 5 – Mythologically inspired poems
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