This is my third entry into bookeywookey's poetry challenge. In the challenge, he specified that one poem be from 2000-2007; I'm concerned about the copyright violations on this one. So, I have the poem up, but if anyone thinks it's a problem, please let me know and I'll take it down.
"Reading the Entrails: a Rondel" by Neil Gaiman
They'll call it chance, or luck, or call it Fate-
The cards and stars that tumble as they will.
Tomorrow manifests and brings the bill
For every kiss and kill, the small and great.
You want to know the future, love? Then wait:
I'll answer your impatient questions. Still-
They'll can it chance, or luck, or call it Fate,
The cards and stars that tumble as they will.
I'll come to you tonight, dear, when it's late,
You will not see me; you may feel a chill.
I'll wait until you sleep, then take my fill,
And that will be your future on a plate.
They'll call it chance, or luck, or call it Fate.
I mainly chose this poem to give myself a break; I also love Neil Gaiman, so I wanted to give him some blog time!
A rondel is a poem form: it has two rhymes and goes ABbaabAB abbaA. So that explains the fixed feeling of the poem. In the beginning poetry writing class that I took (see Blake post), we had to play with forms a lot, so I've written rondels, villanelles, sestinas, and sonnets. I feel that this makes me more appreciative of reading form poetry, since I know how difficult it is to match the parameters of the poem and still make it sound natural.
As far as "Reading the Entrails" goes, it doesn't really flow naturally; it definitely sounds like a poetic form. However, I think that the slightly-stilted manner works, since the narrator is a fortune teller. You expect psychics to speak differently than normal people.
Honestly, I think that this is just the kind of poem that is best read aloud and savoured for atmosphere. Any more analysis seems kind of silly. :)
Edited to add: I loved one of the comments, so I'm tacking it on to the post. Heather from Errant Dreams basically summed up my feelings about Gaiman:
He experiments with some of the more complex poetic forms, and makes them elegant and breathtaking
Yep-that's all I have to add. Go Heather.
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4 comments:
Gaiman writes some of the most awesome poetry. He experiments with some of the more complex poetic forms, and makes them elegant and breathtaking, IMO.
Cool post! Thanks for linking to the blog that does the pictures, very cool.
Heather, I agree! You said it much better than me. Maybe I'll edit my post and include your comment!
MyUtopia, glad you enjoyed it. That blog is super cool; the kind of cool I aspire to be, lol.
Awww, cool. :) Glad I could help. I think i's really rare to find someone who can do justice to the complex poetic forms out there.
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