A Blanket of Blue





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Antonio Principato
guardare un po piu a la







I had thought to write
    of colors
intimately pulled
    into word
       and breath
(a tribute to their beauty).

I had wanted their taste
        to resonate on tongue
and to flavor sound
      (with their depth).

I sat with pencil
     poised,
sharpened lead
     tipping
          toward
    white.

Instead, the sounds
          of words
     left my ears
  behind
       on their journey
toward stillness,
            a blanket of blue.


copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2013

I decided to lay these words out more like what they actually look like in my notebook.  I often change the layout to a more conventional format in my editing process. But when I actually write, it always looks more like this--and I am wondering if there might be something in that layout that speaks to or about the work for me--

posted for Poets United

Comments

  1. smiles...i rather like it notebook style....the taste of colors...i could def get into the flavors of sound...a little synesthesia there...i might have spelled that wrong...the blanket of blue made me think of the ocean...and i so want to go

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  2. I have never concerned myself with layout...as such...just craft and read aloud. And when you read something aloud...it resonates or it stumbles and then it's back to the drawing board. This had beautiful flow and beautiful imagery and I loved it. Blue is one of those colors that refuses to be ignored! :)

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    1. Thank you so much--maybe I should try reading my stuff aloud--

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  3. Audrey this is stunning I love it wow

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  4. I love the way you came to the stillness of blue. It really IS a 'still' color, isn't it? I think it is a color one can fade into like the sky or ocean, a peaceful color. Your poem shares that peacefulness.

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    1. Thank you Mary--Blue is a favorite of mine--and I often assocaite feelings and colors

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  5. I was thinking of colors today, so I can relate to the process and your journey ~ Sometimes we favor a style or format, I favor couplet but different styles for different folks ~ Just experiment and let the words pull you to the blue and beyond ~

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    1. I am trying to let myself go more and more--I am somewhat a tightly wrapped person--so this is a journey for me--thank you!!

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  6. lovely exploration! (I like the parentheticals...)

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  7. This is very beautiful, both in thought and composition. The format gives an airy feel to the whole.

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  8. Audrey, I love the way you formatted it. It causes one to linger over the words and let the words hit them more slowly rather than scanning as we so often do to move along in cyberspace at warp speed. :-) I do anyway - so much to do, so little time but still loving your poem.

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    1. So much to so and so little time--don't I know that well--thank you so much Judy!!

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  9. Yes, there IS something in the way a poem comes through us. Right from the time I was a teenager, my format would find its own way, lots of indentations, and so forth - a very visual component to accompany - or make a framework for - the words. I love the way this poem LOOKS on the page. Also what it says. And the photo is OMG just gorgeous!

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    1. Hi Sherry! Thank you so much--I have wondered about the format thing for a while---

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  10. Blue is the color of love - so serene and peaceful.One can never go wrong with blue for the words will just flow out when accompanied with blue. Nicely Audrey!

    Hank

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  11. I really enjoyed this poem. I could relate.

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  12. It's odd how the creative mind works sometimes. Nicely done!

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  13. I like the layout of your poem. It makes it more real to see how how you wrote the words in your notebook. Beautiful poem.

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  14. The fact you pose the question Audrey tells me you know the answer:)
    Once upon a time when I wrote poetry, the word placement was as important as the words. In fact, the word placement was tantamount to giving the piece it's meaning. To me. First. I found the intent of my words were in it's purest form when in the original format as they flowed from head to hand. I would "read" my words again time to time and realize that someone else may "read" them a little differently. Such is the beauty of poetry. Totally open to as many interpretations as the individuals reading it. Form is as important as content.
    This is a beautiful piece. I loved it! The 3rd and 4th stanzas were wonderful to look at:
    "tipping
    toward"
    "left my ears
    behind"
    You gave the words life by simple placement on the page.
    Geez, I am one long winded, babbly person. Better go. Need more coffee. Thanks for the words.

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  15. You have the creative vision of a true artist, Audrey. Such a simple scene described so beautifully. Well done!

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  16. Another moment which, in flying, left a poem anyway. Process is surprising life, always.

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  17. Mind and subconscious are never in synch...this poem said it all :)

    Happy Monday Audrey!

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  18. playful and well written.

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  19. I really like the way this moves!

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  20. Your blanket of blue astounded me. It brought such nice imagery of a clear blue sky. My mom used to say on summer days that the sky was as blue as in Egypt. Why she chose Egypt I don't know. Thanks for the pleasant memories. Your writing style there is simple but pleasant to the eyes. Actually I like it it like that.

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