I shouldn’t read in the bath
As sometimes, in complete rapture of verse
My hands dip ever so slowly into the still water
And water is sucked, sharply
Through the paper
Blurring the words into suppleness
Turning the page a flaccid grey.
It is verse itself.
The soft translucence of the page,
the swelling of the paper
so that the book expands
with meaning (and water)
breaking its spine with the weight
of the words smeared across the page
And it cracks.
Still, I’d rather read the poetry.
Please tell me what you think
Sorry, you cannot respond to an archived poemReviews
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TheSilver Soaker strikes again
There has been an unprecedented outbreak of naughtiness on this site and you come perilously close to joining it here Spectre. No doubt you will claim subliminality on your part or perversion and projection on mine, but I doubt that you are completely innocent. Let's just say I'm glad (or perhaps sorry) the soap didn't feature in this unusual line of poetic thought. That said, I'm ALL FOR unusual lines of poetic thought and this a nice one. Once again you mix the contemplative world with the physical in an original and entertaining way, adding weight to words in a way that leaves so many possible interpretations open it could almost be genius. I prefer to think it's simple naughtiness however. I like naughtiness in my nemeses!. Good Write.
Technical points. Line 7 definitely needs a full stop.
and there is one 's' too many on line 11
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Ah this has happened to me on many occassions. You know it's risky but there's just something about indulging in verse (and prose) while relaxing in hot waters and lavender-scented bubbles! I really like this poem, not just because of my identification with it's subject but because it is well-written with phrases like 'in complete rapture of verse'. I sure many would agree reading can be a religious experience. I like the sharp contrast between lines 3 & 4. The 'ever so softly' to 'sucked, sharply'. The latter encouraging a sense of panic and action. I find the last line very amusing. You can really 'hear' the voice of the narrator.
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theres a heap of rhyming to it i loved it keep it up
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I like this a lot - but i couldn't help thinking that it might be an interesting exercise to change the speaker --- tell the same story from the point of view of the water?!
I know it sounds a bit trippy but it kind of works!
Let me know what you think --- -
Nice read, SS.
Loaded with the moist meanings of poetry. I like little incidents like this, "swelling..."with meaning", alchemized into a poem. And I also like the simplicity of the first image of just taking a bath and getting so immersed in a book of verse that the bather and the book become one thing, both expanding. All of it is very nicely and naturally imaged, SS, but my favorite line is "And it cracks." That's a fun snap!
Then, the final line brings the poet and a reader back to reality, and a fine reality it is.
Very good read for me!
Lad
Tiny typo: breaking it's spine - should be "its". -
I loved this, as I am a lover a a good book while enjoying a good soak in the tub. Great write
Windhover
May 11, 2007
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