Quenched

· by · in free verse, poetry. ·

So much depends
upon

a kettle
close to boiling

whistling
warning

just before
the flame is
quenched.

So much depends
upon

the word
that’s drenched

in swallowed
silence:
quenched.

Woman with Kettle by the Fireplace by Vincent van Gogh

Woman with Kettle by the Fireplace by Vincent van Gogh

Shay inspires us to write a poem using the first two lines from William Carlos Williams’ famous poem The read wheel barrow at toads

My choice was to keep some of the imagirism of WCW while still build it more as a metaphor by adding another part.

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25 responses to “Quenched”

  5. It is good for people to swallow a few more words than they do. Here the quench is an interesting word choice as it usually means satisfying a thirst, but here it seems to use self-control as a means of satisfaction. Thanks. k.

  7. As a tea enthusiast I smiled at the first part. Simple variations in degrees can ruin an otherwise exquisite cup of green tea. Good relationships can be ruined by swallowing words that need to be said, or in releasing scalding words at the wrong moment too.

  10. Fantastic take, Sir. More tension that the original, which is, of course, refreshing. 😉 Silly Wheelbarrow…flummoxing students of poetry for many years.

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