Dislocutions
by Bill Yarrow
My ex-boyfriend is serving time in Attica.
The wedding colors will be ochre, black, anisette, and beige
Politically, the coalition failed due to a lack of application of confluence
Leonard sat in the shaded corner of the deck
The opposite of “lui,” she explained, is “elle”
It's futile. Can't you see it's futile?
I shall season your petition with gravity
Come, I will show you the way to Hillcrest
Not I! Not I! Not I! Not I! Not I!
To a cinematographer, color is a drug (Michel Jean)
You've never read Klopstock?
If you want me, I'll be on the lanai
Unaccommodated woman; overaccommodated man
Artichokes with ginger, cube steak with fennel, potatoes with nutmeg
The cymbal concert will be Tuesday in the Taj Mahal of Ontario
A sentence which reserves its inventive zest for the end is called periodic
My favorite writer? Quintilian
She wanted to put the “o man!” back in romance
A letter written from the bottom up would end with the salutation
I went to Japan and all I got was this lousy tanka
Assonance in “Ulysses”
Bellicose boys. Jericho noise. Varicose veins
Shakespeare, Cowper, Blake, Wordsworth, Yeats: all Williams
Q: This name in Basque means “owns a new house.” A: What is “Xavier”?
A Perfect Day for Banana or The Bride Comes to Yellow
I need to reread The Prisoner of Zenda
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Author's Note
A version of this poem appeared in Altered Scale.
Thanks, Jeff Hansen.
This poem appears in Blasphemer (Lit Fest Press 2015).
(a version of an abecedarian poem)
Very effective. Wonderful writing.
No nutmeg on the potatoes, please. *
'The opposite of “lui,” she explained, is 'elle' / It's futile. Can't you see it's futile?"'
*
I like:
I shall season your petition with gravity.
In the interest of obliging "the return of honest assessment of poetry" -
I can't help but feel that this:
"Lack of clarity. Willful confusion. Pretentious difficulty."
Describes this particular piece with incredible accuracy.
Wouldn't you say?
Playing the language poetry game, are we? I like it.
Hey, Sally, I love your comment. Regarding the poem's "confusion" and "difficulty," maybe its intent is not as obvious or clear as I hoped it would be. The poem is an abcedarian with the alphabet appearing in the order of the last word in each line. Hence the title. As Joani said, it's a poem playing with language. But I accept your criticism and welcome your honest assessment.
"To a cinematographer, color is a drug (Michel Jean)"
This line is the heart of the matter, of the poem. To a poet, words are the drug- the blessed or cursed confusion that opens or points to other worlds. I like that in this poem.
Thank you, Ellie, Mat, Amanda, SDR, Sally, Joani, and Sam for your comments.
The inventive zest of this sure beats Klopstock. Thank you for introducing me to the abecedarian form. Now, let's all have drinks out on the lanai.
*
"Now, let's all have drinks out on the lanai."
Deal!
Thanks, Gita!
So very good**
Thanks, Sandy!