i don’t want this poem to be about anything
i want this poem to be the something
that other poems are about
because a bowl of fruit is
a bowl of fruit is
a bowl of fruit
but there is a tremulous enormity between
my fiery synapses
and the faded maps of my fingertips
it’s not
the sea
the sky
the life of
the death of
it’s
everything
waiting to get out
because a bowl of fruit is
a bowl of fruit
but this poem is so much deeper than that
cheers all. i dont believe i suffer any more or less than anyone else subjectively. objectively of course, i go through an absolute fraction of what some people face. grief always struck me as a very personal thing, relative to age. when a bird i rescued died after three nights i believe my ten year old self mourned the way one may mourn the death of a child or a parent. whose suffering is greater, the child who loses his teddy bear or the adult who loses a son or daughter. objectively, its a no contest. but at the time i expect the sense of injustice and disarray is quite the same.
who knows. this didnt start out as a poem about manchester, but im pleased people enjoyed it and shoots grew out of it.
Is it? Are you sure?
But there's no quarrel with your power to move words to move worlds. The poem is outstanding.
I often wonder whether a really clever person recognises the fine line between creativity and madness. Intelligence is such an 'iffy' arena of human understanding. Just a general thought, connected to the title, I think.
<Deleted User> (13762)
Fri 26th May 2017 20:15
if this was panto season I'd be tempted to shout back 'oh no it isn't' but it's not so I'll shut up and just say fab poem instead.
Stu - I tend to agree with David on the subject of true grief, and I favour a more discreet, contemplative approach. However, some acts of unity can give voice to those most impacted, but usually too reserved to express their grief. I like your piece as it opens up perspective on recent events. The mass mourning over sudden or shocking deaths is not a new phenomena, but I seem to think that it is fuelled these days by media and social networks. Keep poking the conscience mate!
Rob
Having been touched by familial bereavement quite recently, the way in which grief is processed is a really interesting subject to fathom.
The difference between sudden death and anticipated death and how differently we approach them both albeit the outcome is the same.
A thinker's piece I think!
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Martin Elder
Thu 1st Jun 2017 19:32
Once again you have nailed with this one its few words Stu. I think it has already been stated here but bereavement is different for everybody and indeed affects everybody in different ways with we let it all out at once or whether it suddenly hits us in bursts. My wife and I recently had a bereavement which I have to confess hit me harder than I initially realised. But at any rate a marvellous poem.