My horror sestina Blink is up at Disenthralled Issue #5
(Thankyou to Angel Zapata for directing me to the poetic and rather mathematical art. It took me 20 hours to write this last summer. I hope you enjoy.)
As always Walter Conley's skills are topnotch at pacing, piecing each story, and choosing photography to enhance, build, and progress the disturbing flow of art. Every issue is a pure work of art in its entirety. Amazing writers offer their hearts and release their darkest thoughts.
For those interested in what a sestina is and the very specific formula it must be written in, read this site here.
ps. Yes, I'm still a CaveWoman. Stepped out for a breather, to get a fresh supply of (cherry) chapstick from Linda and because Carrie...nevermind. However, I am nestled back in and don't plan on coming out until you know what is you know what.
12 comments:
Terrific.
In particular: "A blink of rust casts a mess on fields of folly."
Thank you, David! I slaved over every line for hours. I liked that line too.
I super appreciate you reading my work. ;)
Wow, not just a sestina but a horror sestina! Excellent, and your last stanza gave me the chills.
I am curious -- did you work around the words, or did one stanza come to you, and then you chose the form?
Sestinas are my bane. I have two I've yet to finish to my satisfaction, and I've spent DAYS on them. Kudos to you.
Now, back to you know where. peace, Linda
Nice goin' Jodi.
I'm sending you a box of razors to go with your cherry chapstick-even cavewomen can keep sexy.
Love,
"On hard soil. Dead bodies do not blink."
Well done. Congrats!
Actually, it stemmed from a super short *something* that I didn't know what to do with. There is a jail out in the middle of nowhere I drive by when going to the big city. The field around the jail stretches on for miles and it's red as rust. One hot summer day (105) there were about five criminals dressed in white raking the red field. Vultures flew overhead and an officer sat on his horse. His gun was glinting in sun. I wrote a short prose about it. It wasn't a poem or a short story, so I sent it to Angel and asked him what I should do with it. He introduced me to sestinas. So basically I took the 6 main words out of the prose. Field, rust, criminals, blink, mess and vultures. I tried to convey the image from the vulture/ dark angels pov. It took about forever and a half.
I would LOVE to read your sesitinas Linda. Send them to me. (I can still read in my cave.)
Erin - thank you for reading and for the razor blades. You are right. I should be a classy cavewoman, toned and smooth. My hair will still be wild, there is nothing I can do about that. ;D
Deborah! Thanks for visiting and reading my horror. Glad you liked that line. The thought has always disturbed me (dead people do not blink). I suppose it would be even more disturbing if they did blink.
Friend Jodi, I will not fib. Poetry is not my thing and Dr. Seuss is about my highest gear in that genre. (Though Fox in Socks still defeats me).
Regardless, I'm quite happy for your success and wish you much, much more. I shall continue to read and feel ashamed at my lack of comprehension (though it's somewhat easier once you know the background, as you provided here).
--John
John,
Dr. Seuss is the greatest poet that ever lived. So you are well versed, my friend. I'm glad the background helped figure the sestina out. Thank you for the good vibes and I always look forward to your work as well.
and i thought a pantoum was difficult - wow. great work in pulling that off. just reading the explanation gave me a headache. have you got angel in that cave with you, btw???
I'd day your hard work paid off, as ever. Loved the use of vulture as a verb.
Thanks for stopping by to read, Mike.
Angel? Well, I have to tell you. Sometimes, when I'm deep in writing, I think I hear an echo of typewriter deeper in the cave than I care to go. So I think he might be. Either its Angel or the boogey man...probably both.
Barry! Thanks for swinging by. I was just thinking of you yesterday and wondering how you were doing. LOVE Dorlana's work! I'll email you soon. ;)
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