Saturday, May 26, 2012

ALAN CASLINE'S TOUR OF STEPHEN ELLIS POEM DANGER ZONE

TOUR OF STEPHEN ELLIS POEM DANGER ZONE


gesture forms motion matches body whole
succession of poses activates dance

         graceful animals
         message that brings the gift

       heavy metal titans fury
from drops of blood
           the Erinyes  arose
            wave crests of  sea foam
                birthed      Aphrodite

   tree root and tree crown balance
“Healthy roots, yer gettin’ quite a deal there.”
 
           the expanse of the leaf crown
   at edges where branches reach—
                                                     a dripline
          place to water  & fertilize newly grown roots

ax the “re” from all words
each moment new
      as gangs of sages knew
    splendent and splendent
    and splendent new.
shine on the rootless birds
mountains were rootless birds
  in the very beginnings
the roots of the mountains
  that hold them in place
calmed the chaos
clouds on their slopes
are remnants of their wings

where we stand, up or out

                glow cloud high above rain

pieces of blue

                exchange mutability

        singularity a wind race

shine crystal white, shadow dark

further and forth as up the evaporation goes


gravity another fool game
content has no definition

                                                                Alan Casline
                                                                May 24-25, 2012
                                                                                      Elsmere, New York


note: A literary form I invented is the "tour of a poem." Starting at first line of the poem you are touring you write along with the poem as you read your way from beginning to the poem's end. The tour itself consists of impressions, reconfigurations of the poems line, echoes of content, flights away from the original poet's text, some back talk if you are in the mood, kenning and lines directly quoted.  I have taken the tour of a number of poems over the last few years. Not a study or a critique more a trip over a poet's landscape by an active observer.















Casline at Cloudburst

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