Thursday, June 24, 2010

Opinions, Please!

Miss Normand tries to divine an answer.

My next subject is the inimitable Mabel Normand, and a woman like her deserves a doozy of a poem.  Problem is, I can't decide on a form - and I really want to use one.  Which one do you think would be best for dear Mabel?  Here are your choices (click for examples):

kyrielle
pantoum
sestina
sonnet
triolet
villanelle
virelai

Thank you for your help - I can't wait to see what you choose!

EDIT:  Looks like pantoum is the winner!  Thanks to all who voted and stay tuned for the poem by the end of this week. 

12 comments:

Mythical Monkey said...

I confess, in my case, this would be like the vet asking my dog what treatment she prefers. My only answer is "bark bark bark bark bark."

I have the same sort of reaction when my friends, who are mostly either professional musicians or used to be professional musicians, start talking about the technical aspects of making music. It's fascinating, but beyond me.

But I did look up definitions of each of these types of poems. Very interesting stuff. To be able to create an emotional response from such a rigorous form of communication is really, to me, still the highest art form. I sure can't do it. There is a reason, afterall, I chose the image of a monkey hammering away at a typewriter for my blog ...

But I'll be here to read you when you're done. You're one of my faves.

Flapper Flickers + Silent Stanzas said...

Well thank you hon!

I don't expect intricate dissections of each style...basically, out of the poems I've linked, I just wanna know which one you liked best. I'll pick that form, most likely. *laughs* So no technicality here.

Unknown said...

I'm with the Monkey. I know squat about poetry but I'm picking triolet. I like that scheme.

Flapper Flickers + Silent Stanzas said...

Okay, cool! One vote for triolet then. Thanks! ^_^

Matthew Coniam said...

Pantoum - it's the most fun, and Mabel was great fun.

Flapper Flickers + Silent Stanzas said...

And one for pantoum! Thanks Matthew!

Mythical Monkey said...

Okay, if ignorance is no bar to participation, then I would say I like the villanelle and then the sestina. They have those unexpected stanzas divisible by three -- poetry always seems to come in twos and fours. I have to say, the sestina looks crazy hard, so I'll cut you some slack and say the villanelle.

But do me a favor -- the next time you try a sestina, send up a flare. It looks like trying to juggle nine oranges while doing a triple axle on ice skates.

Flapper Flickers + Silent Stanzas said...

*laughs* Sestinas are the form most likely to induce profuse sweating and a desire to hide in the laundry hamper. =D So thank you for that. Okay, one for villanelle!

A said...

I'm going to have to vote for pantoum as well

Flapper Flickers + Silent Stanzas said...

That's TWO for pantoum! That might be the winner unless I get more votes before Monday!

Thanks Amanda! ^_^

Marilyn Slater said...

Might I suggest that you start with a few poems written by the “Lady” herself… These were published during her lifetime. Although she didn’t have much of an advanced education, Mabel Normand had a real ability to express herself. She also wrote a dandy of a song lyric which is somewhere on my computer, but another time..
___________________
Short, Short Story
I’m bad, bad, bad!
But I’ll really keep my engagement,
If there was one sprig of poison-ivy
In a field of four-leaf-clovers,
I’d pick it up.
If it was raining carbolic acid,
I’d be the dumb-bell sponge
__________________________
There’s a Circle of Gold in the Sky,
And the sun’s far out in the West
It’s that wonderful hour before dusk,

That hour we both loved best
I’m waiting here beneath the window
For your loved steps on the walk;
I’m closing my eyes and I’m thinking,

Thinking I hear your talk.
My heart again is aflame
You’re holding me close to your breast;
While you whisper again that you love me

And your lips to mine are pressed.
The circle of gold is now gray
And the sun no longer I see;
‘Tis only a memory that haunts me,
But it brought you so close to me.
__________________
Patience
The world is made of waiting –
A lesson we all must learn.
Don’t be condemning or hating –
Be patient and wait your turn.

Be patient when there’s sorrow –
The sun will shine again.
Always there is to-morrow –
Learn to live through pain

____________________

Wild parties and hootch are not for me
I like to live a life thats carefree
To study books and improve my mind
You'd never dream I was that kind.

Flapper Flickers + Silent Stanzas said...

Marilyn, I really like those! She did a bang-up job...and the last one is particularly touching. ^_^ Thanks for posting these!