This week I delved into my extensive poetry vault of unassigned pieces of verse and plucked out a pair of poems connected to the central theme of music. Sometimes it is about poetic form and sometimes it is about topics and themes. This time it is about both.
The first poem is an etheree poem and the second poem is an example of docupoetry. The unifying theme is music. Music is a life long thread in my life, so it is understandable that it should emerge in my poetry. I have a notebook dedicated to the musical memories that have constantly arisen in the course of my life. Music is so entwined in my history. Consider your links to music, your musical history and the influences on your listening tastes. It might surprise you...
Here are two of my music related poems.
First
A note
Softly calls
Drawing me near
Melody unfolds
Captivating my heart
Each verse a warm, sweet embrace
Beguiled by tonal beauty
Entranced by the sound of rising notes
A new song now echoes deep within me.
Alan j Wright
The Longevity of Great Lyrics
Music and melody are the kings
Inspiring great lyrics
Lyrics that last much longer than noises
Lyrics, timeless connections to a song.
Well shaped lyrics
Arrive like precious crumbs
Shaken from the melody
Their beauty enduring.
Then there is
Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu
A song by Dicky Doo & The Don’ts
That hit number 40 in 1958
Sometimes, lyrics are just plain crumby.
Alan j Wright
It is once again Poetry Friday and our host this time is Buffy Silverman. Buffy shares some snakey tales and presents a cleverly constructed poem about the Hognose Snake to round off her informative post. Slide on over to check it out...
Ha! Sometimes, the lyrics are crummy...and they are the ones that stick! LOL. I do love the feel of the first poem. The new song emerging.
ReplyDeleteThose irritating lyrics do tend to stick, Linda. Earworms!
DeleteAlan, I love the idea of a song moving from its first note to a place deep within where it will live on. You pulled me in with: “Well-shaped lyrics arrive like precious crumbs, shaken from the melody,” and then you hit me with the “Sometimes, lyrics are just plain crumby.” I couldn't help but laugh. Well played, dear sir!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your most kind comments, Tracey. Much appreciated.
DeleteAnd isn't it strange that those crumby lyrics stay with us as long or longer than those timeless ones? The jingles of my childhood play over and over when I can't sleep!
ReplyDeleteSpot on, Buffy. They stick like glue. Like you, I hear those jingles. They regularly pop up without warning or recognizable connection.
DeleteOh I love that new song echoing deep...poetry is a type of music, yes?
ReplyDeletePoetry and music are close siblings, Irene. We are in solid agreement here.
DeleteWhen one simply 'looks' at lyrics, sometimes they feel, well, a bit silly, but add that music to them, they live, and as you ended poem 1, "Their beauty enduring." Even "Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu" could be a rap or a lullaby? I enjoyed reading your intro, too, Alan, and the music love you showed in your poetry.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. My love of music and love of poetry run like parallel streams. I agree that music can add an extra dimension to seemingly banal lyrics.
Delete"lyrics...shaken from a melody" -- and those hope-filled rising notes... both familiar to my musical bones.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased you made a connection to my words, Patricia.
DeleteAlan, what fun your poems are. Thanks for sharing them and your love of music. The idea of docupoetry was new for me. I read a bit about it, but I'm still fuzzy. I thought it might be researching a topic and then responding with a poem, but I'm not sure that captures it. Anyway, I love the musicalness of your etheree and how finding a newly loved song feels. Your sweet poem about lyrics--some lyrics "like precious crumbs" and some "just plain crumby"--what a fun play on words there. Very clever and smile-worthy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your considered response, Denise. Good luck with docupoetry...
DeleteThe etheree is the perfect form for your first poem, Alan. It unfolds word by word just like a new song unfolds note by note, melody by melody. I love experimenting with forms and find that finding the right form for a particular poem is often a challenge. Thank you for the loveliness.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rose. I am prompted by your comment about the choice of etheree to deliver this poem and I now appreciate how the etheree form helps convey my growing appreciation of the song. Appreciate your insights.
DeleteI'm fascinated by a notebook dedicated to musical memories! Music has never been that big a part of my life. Maybe my notebook could be memories of trees...
ReplyDeleteI have numerous dedicated notebooks, Mary Lee. Maybe you could 'branch out' into a notebook solely about trees. I think that would be wonderful.
DeleteMusic is a constant in my life. The last two nights my husband and I have gone out to hear live music in two very different scenes. It is the fabric of our joy together. I had the experience of your etheree last night hearing Spanish Samba for the first time.
ReplyDeleteLovely images emerge for me in your response, Margaret. What musical delight, shared.
DeleteI really enjoyed your poems! It's amazing how I can remember even the silliest song lyrics from fifty years ago but cannot remember my grocery list!
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda. It is quite unnerving the way those rather simple, often irritating lyrics, cling to our memory with such tenacity. They are certainly earworms.
DeleteI love that music is a thread that holds all of these together. I really love the line: "Music and melody are the kings."
ReplyDeleteMusic is a great thread to hang onto, Marcie. Thanks for your response.
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