I fell asleep
in the pale heat
and candle salve of twilight,
nodding to an open book.
In a pellucid quest
for hallowed rest,
my yellow dreams
ploughed lucid farrows
towards the sunrise
of my tomorrow.
Kim M. Russell, 20th October 2020
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Poetics: The Charms of Samuel Greenberg
Laura is back to host Poetics this week, with poetry by Samuel Greenberg, which she arrived at via Rimbaud and Hart Crane. She has given us a background of this “impoverished, proto-surrealist poet, who never published a word in his life“, and to whom Crane gave the epithet ‘the embryo Rimbaud’. We also have extracts from some of his poem to inspire us.
Our challenge is to read the whole poem ‘The Pale Improptu;, which we must cite in our posts, and take five of the 21 ‘charms’ Laura has listed from it to string together in a poem with style and word length of our choosing.
I chose candle salve, pale heat, yellow dreams, lucid farrows and pellucid quest.
writing in north norfolk 
I love how you worked the phrases into falling asleep… A part of me wants to fall just like that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Bjorn. That is what I will be doing in about half an hour. 😉
LikeLike
those opening lines are so inviting – to read further and to enjoy the sleep you wove here with the prompt
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Laura, I can’t fall asleep without reading.
LikeLike
nor me or listening to someone else reading – lots of audible books on YouTube I choose from
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is absolutely enchanting, Kim! I love how the poem as a whole promotes peacefulness and calm 😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, dear Sanaa! 🙂
LikeLike
I like the peaceful tone of this, though I’m at a loss to know what a lucid farrow is. For me a farrow is a littler of pigs…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Jane. Yes, a farrow is a litter of pigs – I read it as furrow!
LikeLike
Lucid farrow makes me think of clairvoyant piglets. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s a hard image to fit into a poem 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤓
LikeLiked by 1 person
Been there done that and it’s a lovely way to go to sleep…
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love it, very well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Francis!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful and well written!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Lucy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Warmth, colour and the drowsy light – created here so well. A lovely contrast to the restless jangling of the surrealists – and Greenberg’s charms.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Peter.
LikeLike
Enter the Sandman in the guise of poet, reading Greenberg in Richard Burton’s voice, with soft Celtic serenades barely audible. Nice job. Glad you cleared up farrow/furrow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Glenn.
LikeLike
kaykuala
ploughed lucid farrows
towards the sunrise
of my tomorrow.
Love the good feelings coming one’s way in the morrow. There has to be a positive impact to counter the current troubling times. Wonderful write Kim!
Hank
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Hank!
LikeLike
Beautiful poem – I can feel myself drifting into a slumber.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
Kim, you’ve woven Greenberg’s words seamlessly into a poem that’s all your own. Not an easy task, but you pulled it off with a flourish!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, Ingrid! It’s a shame about the muddling of farrow and furrow, though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
wow seamless use of of those charms told in such an enchanting poem!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Kate!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ve made the yellow dreams peaceful ones. I like the soothing tone of this. (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Kerfe.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like what you did with the words you chose from Greenberg. Love the poem of passing!
candle salve of twilight… this is a great image!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Dwight!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Late to the reading 😦
Kim: I absolutely adore the first stanza. I often nod off with a book….but I love the idea of pale heat and candle salve of twilight. Just so serene!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Lill!
LikeLike