These are poems sent to me by my good friend Travis at various times. I have applied meter and some other sort of scheme, such as rhyming or alliteration.
This is the second poem, sent on 2024 October 19th. I did not regularize the meter and rework the wording until Halloween.
I have attemtped to redux this into something like Germanic alliterative verse. In my case, this means having two halflines, each with two lifts (stressed syllables). The first or second lift of the first halfline must alliterate. The second lift in the second halfline does not alliterate with the other three.
The wind is howling like mad, the trees waving their arms in protest like they’ve protests to lodge. When the light hits their shifting surface faces emerge by the moment, a fluid skull of green, menacing as a laugh, and looking down at their gnarled roots, holding fast, I think of the fungus that binds them beneath in wet darkness, and know it thinks and speaks, perhaps of me, a fledgling tree, about to flee
The wind . is how- . -ling like . mad
the trees . waving . their arms .
in pro- . -test . like they've . protests . to lodge.
When the . light hits . their shif- . -ting sur- . faces
emerge . by the . moment . a flu- . -id skull . of green
mena- . -cing as . a laugh
and look- . -ing down . at their . gnarled . roots
holding . fast, I . think of . the fun- . -gus that . binds them
beneath . in wet . darkness, . and know . it thinks . and speaks, . perhaps . of me
a fledg- . -ling tree . about . to flee
Wind is wailing. Waving branches,
trees in challenge chamber downward.
Leaves' silouttes... light hits, showing
faces fluid, followed greenly
by a bonehead, booming gaily!
I look under at the gnarles
finding fastened... fungus 'mong us!
Down in darkness, dampened, speaks it,
Flee ye, fledgling! Folly -- we're trees.
This poem was originally written on a whim by my good friend Travis on 2018 May 12th.
The same day, I decided to regularize the meter and see how it might be reworked. It is largely written in iambic pentameter.
Can I just say I like words like arcane and architecture and ancient, time and tome and rhyme and thyme, blasphemy and heresy and prophesy We need a compendium of rare but valid words to comb over for such writing I want to make an epic, a story of poem and song that sings by being read And savor the fetish of pages rich and deep, woven warm with threads steeped in pools of vivid light besmirching text with stained reverie Bound between a rustic wood wrapped up in bow and steel, locked with a puzzle that opens only to the one ready to read it
Can I . just say . that I . delight . in words .
like time . and tome . like rhyme . and thyme . some like .
arcane . and an- . -cient, arch- . it-ect- . ure
like bla- . -sphemy. with her- . -esy . and pro- . -phesy .
We need . to keep . some such . compen- . -dium .
to comb . for writs - of rare . but val- . -id words .
To make . want I . of po- . -èm and . of song .
an ep- . ic that . will sing . by be- . -ing read .
and sav- . -or of . the pag- . -es rich . and deep .
a fet- . -ish for . they're wo- . -ven warm . with threads .
in pools . steepèd. of light . vivid . with rev- . -erie . stainèd .
besmirch . -ing text . between . a rus- . -tic wood.
by puzz- . -le bound . forwrapped . in bow . and steel .
but riv . -en by . a reck- . -oning . reserved .
to on- . -ly who . is read- . -y to . read through .
Can I just say that I delight in words
like time and tome, and rhyme and thyme, some like
arcane and ancient - architecture.
Like blasphemy, with heresy and prophecy -
we need to keep some such compendium
to comb for writs of rare but valid words.
To make, want I, of poèm and of song
an epic that will sing by being read
and savor of the pages rich and deep
a fetish, for they're woven warm with threads
in pools steepèd, of light vivid, with reverie stainèd
besmirching text between a rustic wood.
'Tis puzzle bound, forwrapped in bow and steel
but riven by a reckoning reserved
to only who is ready to read through.