"Narrow Flame" is found on poets.org [link]
First lines:
Sun at the zenith. Greening
earth.
shape: what works and what doesn't
Keeping in line with the last post I went looking online for something else to talk about and found Linda Gregerson's "Narrow Flame" on the poets.org site. I found it interesting verse both in what works with it and what doesn't.
I want to pick up on three points. The first concerns ideation, the third the material aspects of the verse, and the second sits somewhere in between.
(1)
There's a interesting event in stanza 6, but I want to work my way there. Beginning at the beginning:
|
Sun at the zenith. Greening earth. |
Introductory statements setting the scene. Not a lot of energy put into it, but not a lot of energy needs to be put into it. Indeed, I would argue no energy should be put into it: this verse works through directness and sparsity.
The action begins with the next line, with the horse.
|
Slight buckling of the left hind leg. |
There is opposition between the two opening statements of a bright green day and the first moment of action, the first noticeable evidence of the coming death of the horse. But the opposition is momentary, and it works not so much to create a contrast – the opening statements are too brief for them to push forward – but to give a sense of quotidianness to the action. Even continuing, with the introduction of the girl and her speaking to the horse
