Waves scream gulls, they flutter sand
and scribble chaos in their wake,
snatch stones and rocks in foamy hands,
rampage on cliffs until they break.
Matchstick fishing boats struggle to resist,
their anchors taut against the tide,
but rollers coil and undertow persists,
anchors are dragged and ropes untied.
On the cliffs and on the beach,
crowds have gathered, marbled with fear,
their loved ones are far out of reach;
they cannot see them nor can they hear.
Cliff-bound, outlined on purple shroud,
the lighthouse burns fissures in the clouds
with rays of hope and steadfastness,
charms trawlers home through raging darkness.
Kim M. Russell, 2017
Joseph Mallord William Turner ‘Bell Rock Lighthouse’ 1819 – image found on tate.org.uk
My poem for dVerse poets Pub Poetics: Flexing your verbs
This week I am hosting Poetics and we are focusing on verbs, also known as ‘doing’ or ‘action’ words, – the muscles of poetry. They give a poem motion, power and tone. According to The Poetry School, we should avoid flabby ones, which include clichéd verbs, unnecessary adverbs and the continuous (-ing) form, which makes verbs passive.
We are thinking about using verbs in unexpected contexts, in a similar way to Ted Hughes, in particular in his poem ‘The Hawk in the Rain’.
The challenge is to write a poem, of any length or form, not about an animal or bird, but about a landscape, using verbs in unexpected contexts, doing their job, flexing their muscles, moving poems across chosen landscapes.
Kim! This is great! The poem and the sea mos def moves on the page. An excellent example. Thank you for this prompt. Verbing can be a bit of a challenge. Marbled with fear…wonderful description.
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Thank you, Toni! I’m a bit slow typing this evening, but I’ll try to keep up!
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Love this image and they way you’ve described the sea coast here. Most especially the lighthouse burning fissures in the clouds. Several years ago we took a tour of Brewster Island which houses Boston Light — it is the only remaining working lighthouse. The now deceased Senator Ted Kennedy worked within congress, across partisan lines, to establish it as a historical site and insure it will remain a working lighthouse in perpetuity. I was most fascinated with the old photos of former keepers and their families — one keeper’s wife rowed her children across the sea to Hull so they could go to school each day!
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There are some beautiful lighthouses in the States – I’ve seen photographs and they’re stunning. We don’t seem to have so many over here, except of course for our local one, Happisburgh Lighthouse, which is famous for its red and white stripes, the famous one on the Isle of Wight, and one in Scotland that houses a famous restaurant..
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I’ll have to do a poem about Boston Light and post our photos 🙂
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Yes please!
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Nice sound throughout. I liked the phrase “scribble chaos” and how the lighthouse burns through the clouds. It presented as sense of tension that such as scene must have provided to those on shore and in the boat. It’s one of the reasons I prefer the land.
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Thanks, Frank! I love the sea and boats but even I wouldn’t be able to stomach being on a fishing boat in a storm!
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Loved this. Crowds marbled with fear is a fantastic line.
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Thank you, Carol!
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Fabulous poem, and a lively sea.Wild and passionate. Beautiful. XXX
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Thank Alison! xxx
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I feel like i’m standing on the cliff watching the boats fight the tide for survival. Your verbs were quite forceful
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Thank you, Walter!
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Thanks Kim
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Forceful verbs indeed–your first three lines were rife with perfect illustrations of what you’ve called for in this ingenious prompt; loved it & your poem. I photograph lighthouses wherever I roam; done about a dozen so far. As a metaphor, they are peerless; as architecture they are gorgeous.
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I also love windmills. Lighthouses and windmills have a certain allure – maybe primeval.
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You really stepped up to the verb challenge there. Well done!
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Thank you!
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Yes, one thing is sure, you are not verbally challenged.
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🙂
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Oh I love the happy ending, i was beginning to be ‘marbled with fear’ too. An excellent example. Thanks for the prompt.
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Thank you, Sumana! I’ve just got up and I’m ready to read and comment again!
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You have set a great example for the prompt…it is gorgeous like the picture!
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Thank you, Sreeja!
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What a fantastic opening – those first four lines are so good. The lighthouse comes as something of a relief after all that chaos. The form makes it feel quite classical, even though the verb use is so modern. A (lighthouse!) keeper.
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Thanks Sarah!
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Such Phenomenally portrait of life on and off the seas. 🥀🥀🥀
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Thank you very much, Dorna!
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Verily you have used verbs to their utmost momentum Kim- “marbled with fear,” is unique and so descriptive of ashen faces
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Thank you, Laura!
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Some really excellent lines in this. I especially like: “scribble chaos” …”marbled with fear”…and “burns with fissures in the clouds”. Those are just a few favorites. I like the hopefulness of the lighthouse, too.
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🙂
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What a gripping poem! Especialy liked marbled with fear, Chosen image adds to th frenzy.
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Thank you, Nan!
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Thoroughly enjoyed this Kim…what you did with the verbs creates a vivid effect.
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Thank you, Janice!
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