As she gradually
lost her memory,
she lost herself.
Haunted by the loss,
her anchor rope frayed,
detached from sentence
and paragraph of life’s prose.
Weightless and joyless,
she floated in free verse
of demented poetry.
Kim M. Russell, 2017
Image found on Pinterest
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Meeting the Bar – Irony
Today Frank is our host with some irony, a topic Victoria covered some years ago. Frank has shared a reading of Oliver Goldsmith’s ‘An Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog’ to illustrate irony and says that one of the delightful features of irony is that everyone can enjoy such a poem, even if they don’t get the ironical interpretation: as the tale of a man so good that when a mad dog bit him, the dog died, or as the tale of a man so ‘good’ that when a good dog bit him, the poor dog died. Frank says that the force of Goldsmith’s irony comes not from misunderstanding the poem. There is nothing cryptic or hidden in the poem. Everyone understands it even on first reading. The ambiguity is right on the surface for different people to understand the poem differently.
Ambiguity is powerful, but it is also not enough for some poets. They hold strong positions on some topics, perhaps rightfully so, and they want to make sure the reader hears that position. That often leads to something called sarcasm. With sarcasm there is no longer that ambiguity that makes irony powerful.
The challenge is to write an ironical poem on whatever topic we desire and using any style. For example by twisting a joke into a poem, agonising over the antics of a favourite political character or worrying about how the world will end – there just has to be some understandable ambiguity to pull this off.
The force of ambiguity is strong in this poem. It mirrors back to the readers just what they want to see.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Frank. You’ve reassured me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed ambiguity… maybe there can be a sense of joy the demented poetry
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
This touched a chord with me. A gentleman who was in my writing group for several years, who was a true lover of written and spoken words and rhyme, fell victim to a stroke and lost his ability to communicate. So sad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have seen this happen to so many people, young and old.
LikeLike
Love the joy and freedom of writing in free verse, demented poetry included Kim ~
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks you, Grace!
LikeLike
A sad but beautiful write Kim. There is an awful irony of what is forgotten…
Kind regards
Anna :o]
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Anna.
LikeLike
i like the way you gave irony such a poetic tribute here. sometimes in insanity clarity is found.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Gina.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This made me feel so sad, Kim. But, I liked the way you expressed her decline in terms of poetry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Merril. I am sad and miss the way she used to be. Writing is the best way to express the sadness.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is so hard to deal with. It’s good you have writing as an outlet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Too true, as this Lady, poem. poet is cursed with a game of tennis with the net down. As my own health issues sprout up & accumulate. my hobbies & projects must be amended & the process given accommodation–not for mute sissies; loved the metaphoric zest of your piece on my cortical taste buds.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Glenn. Ageing isn’t for mute sissies, so we must continue to use our voices while we have them.
LikeLike
Tender beauty!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Jilly!
LikeLike
Makes sanity seem the demented aspect, perhaps it is.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike
I am new to irony and your poem together with rereading Frank’s notes (which you kindly reproduced) help me. Your poem is perhaps like a hologram, there are two ‘images’ or perspectives waiting to be discovered.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the idea of the poem being a hologram, Janice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whew. The crux of this is that word “free” before poetry, I think. I can’t think of anything less free than losing my words…or my joy. Well done, Kim.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, De!
LikeLike
I like the contrast you present; clearly and deftly put, sad and ironic ;(
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Kathy.
LikeLike
the last three lines are captivating and ambiguous….to have joy or not….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading and commenting, Sumana.
LikeLike
Untethered is a beautiful image, I wonder what such a person might be thinking….beautiful poem!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Sreeja!
LikeLike
Huge ambiguity for me here…this could be taken in so many ways and offers so many directions.It is as a mirror to the reader. Very, very good stuff.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Paul!
LikeLike
Brava.. 🌹🌹🌹
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Dorna!
LikeLike
Wow… I read this three times, and interpreted it three completely different ways. Once, I felt free, once I felt profound loss, and once I felt fearful.
This is impressive writing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Barry.
LikeLike
Beyond the beautiful sparsity of your poem, there haunts a story I don’t personally know. It matters not when I read these lines; I live it through another dementia I’ve been privy to. Well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading and commenting, Charley.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“She floated in free verse of demented poetry.” Tethered. Such insight into the perils of dementia and Alzheimers’ — gleaned from immersion. The loss of a loved one begins long before death when this insidious disease begins to show itself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It certainly does, Lillian. Having been though it with Mum, my granddad and great grandmother, I’m so aware that it can happen to anyone, dementia doesn’t discriminate.
LikeLike
Can’t press “Like” for this. There should be an “Agree” emoji.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know 😦
LikeLike
No Better word. Elegant write up
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you kindly!
LikeLike
Amazing poem!! The last stanza was just stupendous.
We have started living in a world where something is missing. What is the remedy? Find out more in my poem “A Golden Heart” to reveal the superficiality of our lives at
https://akashsingh2017.wordpress.com/2017/06/06/a-golden-heart/
Hope you will like it 🙂 Don’t forget to leave a comment as it’s very valuable 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading and commenting. I will be off-line until Sunday and will be over to read your poem once I’m back.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s my pleasure. Sure 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great work dear!! Nicely penned Enjoyed it. Keep it on.
I am a bit new here and I am an amateur poet. I would love if you visited my blog ( The Diary of the fallen soul) and followed it if you like my content. Feel free to refuse. Cheers:)
LikeLike