Original poem reprinted online here: "A Servant, A Hanging, A Paper House" by Lucy Anderton
Originally read: December 3, 2012
More information about the Poet: Lucy Anderton
"It's the construction of the sentences, the flow of strangeness (in language, image, syntax, speed, and sounds) that attract me here."
That's a lot to cover, but I'm thinking of the idea of adjectives in poetry. I've been taught to be weary of adjectives and adverbs in poetry. An image that might sound refreshing or has potential in a poem like "a bird waits" but can turn boring and cliche fast with the wrong adjective "a singing bird waits." Not saying that "singing bird" is boring...yes, it is. Note: please don't use these adj./noun combination in a poem "blossoming heart," "joyous earth", "delicious morsel", "broken heart" -- these combinations are cliche.
So here's some interesting adj./noun combo in the poem: "ghost leavings", "apple biter", "Jack hammer wrists", scarlet seminary ribbons", "pregnant wing", "glittering scream".
I also write down a comment that I feel is how I feel about the whole poem and the usage of adj./nouns. At first, the comment refers to the line "Wisps / of chambermaids blinking / through my lips" though. "This is an interesting sentence -- there's something phantomesque/haunted about this poem (duh) but the language adds to the strangeness"
"Glittering scream" is particularly interesting -- the adjective brings a visual aspect to an auditory image. One of the benefits of adj./noun combinations.
Originally read: December 3, 2012
More information about the Poet: Lucy Anderton
"It's the construction of the sentences, the flow of strangeness (in language, image, syntax, speed, and sounds) that attract me here."
That's a lot to cover, but I'm thinking of the idea of adjectives in poetry. I've been taught to be weary of adjectives and adverbs in poetry. An image that might sound refreshing or has potential in a poem like "a bird waits" but can turn boring and cliche fast with the wrong adjective "a singing bird waits." Not saying that "singing bird" is boring...yes, it is. Note: please don't use these adj./noun combination in a poem "blossoming heart," "joyous earth", "delicious morsel", "broken heart" -- these combinations are cliche.
So here's some interesting adj./noun combo in the poem: "ghost leavings", "apple biter", "Jack hammer wrists", scarlet seminary ribbons", "pregnant wing", "glittering scream".
I also write down a comment that I feel is how I feel about the whole poem and the usage of adj./nouns. At first, the comment refers to the line "Wisps / of chambermaids blinking / through my lips" though. "This is an interesting sentence -- there's something phantomesque/haunted about this poem (duh) but the language adds to the strangeness"
"Glittering scream" is particularly interesting -- the adjective brings a visual aspect to an auditory image. One of the benefits of adj./noun combinations.
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