With Thee Conversing I Forget All Time
Hand in hand we walk along
This spring like day of birds and song
With thee conversing I forget all time
We smile and dream as up we climb
Swing and laugh, jump and sing
You my queen, and I your king.
by Margaret Bednar, Art Happens, May 17, 2012
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This is for Imaginary Garden with Real Toads "Kenia's Wednesday Challenge". This was HARD for me to do as I had to find a poet I don't like and find one line I do like from said poet and build a poem around it. I am embarrassed to say I do NOT like John Milton. A friend recommended "Paradise Lost" to me long ago and I have tried numerous times to read it and I find it an impossibly tedious poem to read. I know it is a classic and loved by many and I do keep it on my shelf thinking maybe someday I will appreciate it. The line I used is the title underlined and is in the Paradise Lost Book IV (between 635-640) We were supposed to link the poem (we hate) ha ... I have linked you to "Paradise Lost STUDY GUIDE - A simple guide to John Milton's complicated masterpiece" ... Here is a fun way to spend you summer ;P
By the way...
I have a new "side blog" called i & I. It is all about spontaneous photography, compositions that catch my eye, sweet moments that can't be choreographed. They won't be pixel perfect and will often be a bit grainy as they are from my iPhone (the above is an example of my son and his friend :) (and yes, my friend and I wish arranged marriages come back in vogue). I invite you to hop on over now and again to "i & I" and ENJOY!
21 comments:
Love the pictures and the poem--so much better than John Milton. I always wonder how some of those writers and poets got to be considered classics.
I can see I didn't fully comprehend this challenge. I was supposed to write in the same manner or theme of the poet as well. Sorry.
It's a lovely poem. I do love what you've done with that one line. That is an adorable picture!
PRICELESS, and definitely not something you can choreograph!
I don't care for your poem but only because this isn't the sort of style I like.
In high school and college, I enjoyed deciphering encoded poetry (Old and Middle English). But these days, I prefer straightforward language with layers of meaning to unravel. Anything that includes "thee" is not for me. :)
perfect picture, margaret!
i'm envious of those of you who have a gift for the lens.
i'd probably quit writing if i were better at anything else.
you did an excellent job inserting that milton line in your poem without it sounding pasted in. - even with the loud bark of the 'Thee' in there.
and i'm pretty sure the prompts are meant to be prompts... just nudges to get us started. not straight jackets. (unless, of course, they're grace's prompts... in which case... lace up tight. :) )
can't wait to cruise your other site!
It's a good piece and that is the reason I don't like so many of the classic poets because they are tedious and it's difficult to understand what they are trying to say.
The pic is lovely!
Your verse is sweet; I can imagine it as a children's verse to memorize, to hear its lyrical song. Personally, I would like the last line to be, "You my queen, and I your king" without the beauty modifiers. :-)
I wish I had taken a class on early poetry, with the likes of Milton and Donne. If you want a real treat, read some Robert Herrick, also a 17th century poet, but sensual and wonderful. My favorite is "Upon Julia's Clothes."
Shawna - :) Not so much my style and I realize NOW that I didn't really follow the prompt (and not sure I'm going to as it would be pure drudgery for me. I do think the sweetness goes with the extreme youthfulness of the photo perhaps?
Ruth - thanks for the suggestion and I took your advice - it was what I had originally wrote.
Thanks everyone - ALWAYS glad for all comments.
I hate Milton. I'd rather watch paint dry.
Margaret,
Your photo is SO SWEET! And the poem fits it perfectly. I haven't read much of the "classic" poets, probably because when I try, I find them tedious. So I appreciated your take on the prompt! Really, girl, this isn't grade school-do what you want with the prompt. Or don't do it at all. No one's going to slap your hand with a ruler if you don't follow the rules exactly!
Margaret, I didn't follow any of the rules. But I didn't read the prompt to require us to match the style and tone. I just thought the point was to find a redeemable line within a piece and turn it into a good poem.
I don't think it matters much at this point; a new prompt is already up. :)
Nobody can be all things to all people! ( in reference to your not liking a famous poet)
I do like the piece you wrote here-
with a lovely photo too!
Thank you Shawna for the "pass" ;) I actually tried to do Milton's style for a whole ten minutes and gave up.
Izzy - yes, you are correct. I chalk up my dislike of Milton more to my impatience and lack of knowledge when it comes to poetry. One thing about my delving into the world of poetry is how VAST it is.
This exercise has been fun and it did make me go back and look a bit closer at Milton. I think it is a great idea (and interesting) to try and pick things out like this and ponder what we DO like.
I love the sweet simplicity of this poem - a perfect accompaniment to the picture of the littlies!
Since a discussion has arisen re the "writing to prompt" question, I would like to categorically state that RT is not a school room (even if it is run by a teacher). A prompt or challenge is entirely open to the interpretation of the poet, and the only method, the "see where this will lead you" one.
Thanks, Kerry, for clarifying. But I don't mind stretching myself at times ... and if I hadn't the time constraints, I would have tried longer to do this as suggested. I think it created some very interesting poems and I enjoyed seeing the poets stretch themselves and step out of what is "usual". Kerry - I thank you for Toads! I just love the creativity here and feedback.
i agree that milton is not the easiest to read...i did enjoy your poem though...and getting lost ina conversation is not a bad thing at all...smiles.
I think your poem and picture are GORGEOUS...my favorite part of anything connected to Paradise Lost:)...my patience and intellect waned before the end of that masterpiece. I'm sure it is fabulous. Our pastor asked me last year if i would be willing to read part of it before a sermon he was preparing...after reading it I kindly declined and told him that I am quite sure it is brilliant but would be lost entirely on our 'country-folk congregation':) It is hard enough to read...to hear it without words to re-trace is a lesson in concentration.
Back to the photo. I think it should be framed and sold! it is so wonderful.
Janet - so kind and thank you! The photo is from my iPhone so the pixels won't really make a nice photo print... BUT it is a great idea to base a drawing or painting off of ... the reason I got into photography in the first place. Now I just need to find the time :)
Four things, so I don't get lost just yakking here!
1) Love that sweet photo!
2) looking forward to checking out the new blog...have to find the link
3) I don't like Milton, he is tedious for me as well and I've tried!
4) THIS POEM IS AWESOME! I love it!
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