PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

Sorry I missed replying to: Sorry I missed replying to this in a timely manner, but thank you for the compliment.  Today was the first day, since Thanksgiving weekend of 2019, that I have not awakened with a cranky attitude . . . whoo-hoo!  Ain't medical procedures a hoot?

Wow, you do know how to set a: Wow, you do know how to set a stage! The ambiance, crafty and evocative in itself, was an effective part of the character study, the dynamics of the relationship and the shattering exchange.   I was absolutely seeing—and feeling!—the moment when everything plummeted and "the wallpaper was going/ to be permanently indelible" and "the taste of garlic lamb wine sauce would/ smack of rejection".   Even the mussels became part of the tragedy—collateral damage, you might say.   Small details carry a lot of weight in your surprisingly efficient, very human drama. You slyly linked emotions to small yet highly symbolic details and allowed the scenery to express the devastation, but when you were overt, you took it to a stunning level of artistry:   "Is there a way to let the air out of your soul so many times That it no longer can be filled again?"   Everyday sorrow turned into art. Marvelous.

Your comments, as radiant and: Your comments, as radiant and artistic as your poetry, are appreciated more than you know.   "A nocturne". I had to smile when I read that.   I'm wildly gratified that you accurately defined the effect and the message I was going for. You always get it and you always express it with the astute and masterful precision of an aficionado of poetry as well as a great poet.   Deepest, endless gratitude. God bless.  

I have said before, and will: I have said before, and will continue to do so, that the posting of a new poem by Patricia is an event; a significant event; a colossal event.  This poem is no exception to that trend.  I truly believe---and I have no ulterior motive to say, and nothing to gain by saying so---that she is not only the greatest Poet that I have ever encountered at postpoems, but that her work sets benchmarl's (like Vergil's. Stevens', Eliot's).  Studying these poets in my undergrad years, I often wondered what it would have been like to see their poems or books appearing one by one.  In my undergrad years, however, I would not have been mature enough to appreciate the experience of watching greatness unfold in my sight; now, decades later, I am able to witness it and declare it.    In its remarkable litany of metaphor, this poem reminds me of the work of two powerful Poets, Pop Stevens, and the French_diplomat (Ambassador to the United States, 1928-1933)---both of whom used metaphor heavily in their poetry.  Patricia's poem presents a catalogue of night metaphors---a nocturne, if I might be permitted the pun---and one can almost hear the delicate piano notes of Chopin's Nocturnes---in the background.    In the final three stanzas of the poem, we arrive at its center of gravity, about which all the other metaphors orbit.  And we also see a very subtle shift when she reaches the "unutterable love":  she shifts from using metaphor to using simile, which is an entirely different kind of comparison.  The Apostle Saint John described the nature of God, God is Love.  No Poet, not even one of Patricia's stature, can improve upon that; so simile becomes the best strategy here.      She also reminds us that there are no insigificances in God's eyes; even each hydrogen atom in the entire universe is significant, and known to, God.  Again from Saint John:  For God so loved the world; and that which is loved cannot never be insiginifant to the Lover.  And when I check the word for "world," I find that the word Saint John used was "Cosmos."  Not just this planet; not just Jupiter; not just Alpha Centauri; but also the farthest known stars, Icarus and Earendel.  And all the microbes that have fossilized in the pits of empty Martian lakes.     Patricia has the great talent of being able to explain a cosmic process in terms of the cosmosc, first and foremost, but in metaphors and similes than the language conveys.  This is one of the most difficult tasks facing most Poets.  She, however, presents it so successfully that it almost seems that she invented the concept.       

I will: I will no longer judge my own apologetic hot tea in the summer request of air conditioned waitresses.  Thanks for the thought to fill my thought filled Sunday. D~

It's ultimately your decision: It's ultimately your decision what you cut out, but in my humble opinion, these stanzas are keepers:   "I feel, We may have robbed eachother of something that may have been,   and potentially could still be, truly more beautiful,   by having kept the reigns held tight"   Could-have-beens are always emotional powerhouses, especially as you presented them: with a delicate, wistful voice and as a question. Your questions added variety and emotional impact to your graceful reflection on life's harsh twists and turns.   Very nice.