Poems are born as tiny flickers
from diverse seeds of our imagination
that germinate, sprout and quicken,
ready to be planted in other people’s minds,
where they can bloom and flower
or they can droop and wither
in the frost of poets’ winter:
misinterpretation.
Kim M. Russell, 2017
Image found on Pinterest
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Quadrille #36 – Flicker
This Monday we’re back after a two week break to celebrate the sixth anniversary of dVerse.
Our host today is Grace, who has chosen the word ‘flicker’. She has given us three quotes to illustrate its use as a noun or verb:
‘Words should wander and meander. They should fly like owls and flicker like bats and slip like cats. They should murmur and scream and dance and sing.’ David Almond
‘Like a flash of lightning between the clouds, we live in the flicker.’ Joseph Conrad.
‘Love so needs to love that it will endure almost anything, even abuse, just to flicker for a moment. But the sky’s mouth is kind, its song will never hurt you, for I sing those words.’ Rumi
Oh, how much truth in your words!
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A very good poem. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for reading, Henrietta!
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You are welcome!
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Can’t be helped… misinterpretation, that is. As poets, we can’t be administering end-of-course exams to potential readers before we allow them to stamp through our verses with muddy hiking boots. Still, it does frost one no end, doesn’t it? Great write; great truth.
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Thanks Charley!
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I love poems about poetry and apt the use of flicker in this. It is so exciting when that flash of creative inspiration takes us some place new and the words come from who-knows-where.
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I love the opening line of your poem….yes, our poems are flickers. Poetry about poetry – one of my favorite devices. I always detest it when someone misreads my poem (not interprets). But such is the life of a poet and a reader.
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Oh, now. That was very clever!
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I agree that misinterpretation is the “poets’ winter”.
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I love how poems ‘are born as tiny flickers’ and most of mine are still tiny flickers by the time I post them, giving the reader as much freedom as they want with their interpretation ;o) xxx
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All kinds of flickers are wonderful – that’s why dVerse is a great community. And I love reading yours, Xenia! xxx
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☺💖 xxx
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it always starts as a tiny seed – so true
and there are poems i read years ago and they still bloom and blossom in my mind
when it comes to interpretation – for me – after i’ve written the poem, i let it go – whatever the interpretation might be – ha
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🙂
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Oh a nice one, a lot of sense there
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Thank you!
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I really like this one it feels like you do indeed cultivate your words and poems in the same ways we lovingly try to nurture our seedlings.
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Ha, yes let the reader interpret what the see… always add an extra layer.
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Even the simplest statement can be misinterpreted, how much easier it is to get the wrong end of the stick with poetry!
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But it’s also a good thing – people getting entangled in our words are a captive audience!
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True 🙂
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What a delightful little ditty. Your flicker blossomed!
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Thank you, Bev!
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I sometimes like a little misinterpretation. It can open up things I didn’t realise were there. But I know what you mean, and I love the image of poems growing in people’s minds. That’s what we all want, really, isn’t it – for our words to take root somewhere?
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Oh yes! Even when they are misinterpreted, as long as someone is interacting with our words, then our work is done!
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Such wisdom and truth in your words!❤️
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Thanks Sanaa!
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Wise words and lovely images of germinating ideas blooming and flowering.
Sometimes it is ?easy to misinterpret – I guess we read in (and are led by) our own experience. Sometimes (I find) comments are misinterpreted too.
Anna :o]
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Some times that’s a good thing, too – it gets us thinking and talking, often to the point of rewriting and improving a poem.
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Love the tiny flickers and the seeds of imagination. Sometimes misinterpreation happens as we all have different perspective. Thank you for being part of the team Kim. Appreciate all that you do.
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Thank you Grace. I still can’t believe you asked me to be part of the team and feel so honoured.
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Very nice and discussion provoking poem! I think if my meaning is unclear, that’s on me. But if the reader is engaging with the writing personally, that in itself is a good thing in my estimation.
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As I said to Glenn, I didn’t like this Quadrille much but it has got us all talking!
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Frost of poet’s winter ….. simply stunning line and don’t we all know that particular point! Great little poem there.
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Thank you!
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Tis true, tis true & yet–like Claudia I launch my poems into cyberspace, or coffee houses, or swirling mists, & let others judge their meaning & merit. Poems about poems, like movies about making movies, or novels about writers–is creativity rife with truth & introspection; very enjoyable–makes me feel closer to the art form, closer to the source & muses.
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I agree about launching our babies into cyberspace and letting them fly (do you remember Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Baby Tree’?). The reader will always bring their own meaning to the conversation that is poetry. But for some of us it can sometimes be a chilly response. I didn’t like this Quadrille before I posted it but I’m glad I did – it’s got a bit of a discussion going!
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Great imagery. Lots of truth in this poem. Poems can either soar or fall flat. No in-between. Well done.
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Thank you!
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Oh yes, how true. Love those last two lines, Kim!
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Thank you, Gayle!
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Loved the last two lines!
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Thank you!
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I hope today’s offerings all blossom in many hearts. What a wonderful reference to diverse as well
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Thank you, Walter!
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This is a lovely comparison and a widely-relatable situation!
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Thank you!
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“the frost of poets’ winter” So true.
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Wonderful ad truthful! I guess all of us can relate to it very well 🙂
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Ha! Yes, true. I agree with every line..
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Excellent, Kim…a poet’s aspiration and fear!
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Thank you, Lynn!
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Absolutely brilliant!
Sometimes I’m amazed at what readers take from my words. But I always figure, if they connect with it in some way, then the writing has life away from the page😊
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Thank you, Lillian!
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Brava.. 🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
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Thank you!
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This not is only well-said (as usual) but your remarks are so on for me …they touch on something I think about when writing and being commented on. ‘Misinterpretation’ or an ‘unexpected distant reading’ would be less of a collision if we as readers sounded less convinced that there was only one way to read…of course an open interpretation is easier said than done and I am sure I confidently miss a writer’s main intent…
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I love this! One of my favorites of yours so far. It is frustrating to be misinterpreted some times, although other times the reader’s different interpretation can be quite interesting and reveal a hidden meaning even I didn’t think of when writing.
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I’ve had that experience too, Linda. It gets you thinking and sometimes leads to an interesting revision. 🙂
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Very well said as to the creation of our poems and how the thoughts flicker to life. I’m sure I’ve misinterpreted many, but each of us bring our own thoughts and experiences to the reading, that resonates with us. 🙂
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🙂
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love the frost of poet’s winter. I like the acceptance conveyed in this poem
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Thank you, Victoria!
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Love this! Yes, as poets, we can only plant a seed…it is in another’s mind that or thoughts will grow…our die.
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Thanks Bryan!
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And these seeds can travel continents and eras. Some misinterpretations are malign but some spark new insights. 🙂
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So true. 😊
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This is fantastic. I wonder though if misinterpretation is in general a conscious thing. It seems obvious to me when I write what I mean but then perhaps we read from where we are are too, as opposed to where the writer is.
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I think we all have out own way of reading, which evolved from experience. We will never really know if any piece of art is misinterpreted, as we can’t see into the mind of the reader. That’s why we all ‘wait for comments when we post, to find out what other people are thinking. It’s great!
By the way, do you know how to upload sound files to WordPress without having to upgrade?
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Beauty ( or lack thereof) is in the eye of the beholder….I use Soundcloud to drop audio into my blog. It’s free to sign up and has a WordPress friendly widget.
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Thanks Paul! I’ll investigate Soundcloud when I get back from this morning’s Bounce and Rhyme session. I recorded a poem on my laptop this morning but WordPress wouldn’t have it!
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You can record free on Soundcloud and paste the html code right into WordPress. Have a fun session.
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I’m amazed at how easy it was – done it already! I’ll have to practise my reading voice – it sounds weird. 🙂 Check out ‘Desk Lamp Blues’ – you might have a few ideas on how to improve my delivery.
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I’ll take a peek later. I’m trying to do catch up commenting for dVerse and Toads both of whom had 6th birthdays and gazillions of entries…and I have a festival to get to today….time…where does it go?
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Enjoy the festival and I’ll see you later over at dVerse!
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Thanks.
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That dreaded poet’s winter. I think we’ve all had a few of those. Ha ha! Happy planting! Wonderful poetry, Kim. ❤
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Thank you, Olga. 🌞
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