Experimental poetry

[novella]

Does anyone else do these? Sort of a freewriting associative exercise, just to see what comes out . . . here are two, based on random strings of letters (for poetry aficionados, I think John Ashbery does something similar in his work):

Experimentals

#1

Bring my little dinner slut to me, slutting down the gravel
mix, that kitten girl is gritty, girded with mystery and jitters.
Enemies slain, I lay down to wait. I just wanted something to make
me whistle, the whistling wind through her hair, something not like joy,
but like a sad passing, taken by the air. I woke from that, hours later,
trying to grasp the dream and realized I was mistaken.
It was never me inside.


#2

Each minute minimal, all come counting with just a word from the scion
Who's late, mind, he had a lot going on, but more to gain. He tired so quickly
and even mother was slow. Slowly picking up after his mistakes,
she lagged behind with a tray, hoping it would stop soon.
You could say it was complex. The kit we were given was
insufficient, poison, socks, something to bring comfort, and
it was all lost on us, by the time her son finished his business.

 

[Poppy1]

You are amazing Novella. Saw some of your poetry elsewhere, please keep posting it. Am I right in saying Dylan Thomas in Under Milk Wood wrote somewhat like this? Love the playing round with sounds.

 

[novella]

Thanks, Poppy, for such a nice comment! Though I know Under Milk Wood, I'm not familiar with its genesis.

I referred to John Ashbery because I read a profile of him not long ago. Apparently he rarely revisits his poems, just writes first drafts and publishes them. He writes, generally, in one sitting. I suspect he is very practiced at quickly submerging himself in his process, mixing enough muse with enough life experience, good ear, and untethered psyche to get the best result in the first draft.

 

[steffee]

I understand poetry even less than crossword clues. Or maybe about the same actually

But it looks and sounds good. It's not metrically even, which I like. And it's not even iambically rhythmed, is it? Or am I wrong? And the end of the first poem really works.

Have you used a feminine ending? Gravel, jitters, mistaken. Oh interesting!

 

[Poppy1]

No, I doubt if Dylan Thomas wrote in this manner. I just thought the use of words and associations was similar eg. " sloeblack, slow ,black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea." and " hymning in bonnet and brooch and bombazine black, butterfly choker and bootlace bow, coughing like nannygoats"
I know very little about poetry,a bit like art - but I know what I like
When they started dissecting poetry at school it somehow took my enjoyment away.

 

[stigmaticman]

I love the abstract innocence of your poetry