Words are sometimes pillowed,
of eiderdown, uttered softly lulla-
bying for an almost drowning.
At other times they billow, soar
on feathered wings, brave you
into boldness asking for a yes
or no, like the tethered silence
in the rain-soaked plumage left
after strike from raptor’s claws.
Types of feathers
Today Victoria hosts at dVerse, and want us to think about feathers in our poems. I thought of a few of the different feathers and how they can mean different when used for words. So bring out your quill and join us with your feather poem… Bar opens at 9 PM CST.
September 20, 2016
Well you know me, seeing words inside words — which I’ll spare you the explanation of this time. But still, I LOVE this poem.
I actually hid a few that I expected you to find this time… he he.
Well thank you. I appreciate the extra effort. Decoding is so much fun for me. 🙂 You know I only see one topic in any poem, no matter what the poor poet is actually writing about. I feel so bad for the people I read. My eyes are all wrong.
Blame the poet sometimes
Nah. Everything’s my fault. Everywhere, no matter what the circumstances. I have no problem heaping all the coals upon myself, regardless. It’s always seemed the right thing to do.
tethered silence in the rain-soaked plumage …great image Bjorn. A story in itself.
https://phantomroad.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/19-sep-2016/
Yes or at the least the end of a story
What a wonderful response to the prompt!
It begins so softly and ends quite brutally.
Well done!
I think many stories start out gently and end dark… yes and words has so much to do with it.
love the phrase, “softly lulla-/bying for an almost drowning”. There is that initial sense of peace, followed by the image of drowning (or at least almost drowning).
Sometimes I think going to sleep is partly drowning…
I love what you did with this prompt, Bjorn. Words as feathers–sometimes they delight, at others they can be sharp, abrasive.
That’s what I liked with the prompt like this.. an opportunity to find a metaphor.
Terrific wordsmithing, brother, with a wonderful juxtaposition of words & feathers, an inspired analogy for sure. Your transitions are artful as well. You done good.
Thank you.. sometimes finding metaphors by starting from a simple word is rewarding.
I really enjoyed this poem. Your wordsmithing is spot on, in total agreement with Glenn. I truly like how you used the feathers to deifine different types of words from soft to raptor sharp.
I think you can write about anything with feathers…
When one flies there could be raptors up above.
I think we always need to be aware of that risk…
your words are wonderful 🙂
Thank you
Words of plumage…soft to brutal. Lovely, Bjorn.
Oh words can be soothing and very very cutting.
What a creative interpretation of this prompt, Bjorn. So many types of feathers, so many types of words…
Exactly—both those that soothe and those that hurt.
Absolutely.
Now that is a clever poem, considering humans once wrote with quills:
‘Words are sometimes pillowed,
of eiderdown, uttered softly lulla-
bying for an almost drowning’
.I love the illustration too 🙂
Yikes! I enjoyed reading this but I think I’m too old or too damn ignorant for this stuff 🙂 ❤
“tethered silence” in rain…oh, YES.
Excellent. I especially like that second stanza.
Wonderful take on the prompt. The phrase that stuck out for me was that words “brave you into boldness.” You have such an interesting way of putting words together, so different from how I do it, which is perhaps why I enjoy your poems so much.
Ooh…”tethered silence”‘ I know that feeling.
I like your use of feathers as words…yes, many meanings, some gentle, soft, comforting others harsh, rough and aggravating. I like how your brain works!
BEING CLEAR
When hope is in a pillow
to make the pillow billow,
the night will be no study
by which the visions eddy.
🙂
love the deep analogy, Bjorn! ❤
I do love to spot a hawk in flight!! And love a feather to find.
Words take flight. I like the image of our poems flying around the world.
like the tethered silence
in the rain-soaked plumage left
after strike from raptor’s claws.
That is such a powerful image!
I thought of a bouquet of words, presented like one of flowers, or feathers. Well done, Björn!
Real, raw and dynamic! Love the brutalist ending. I’m a lover of poetry noir.
Wow! The plummage of words — their different textures seen within the feather….beautifully writ.
I like the imagery you have for words, especially the tenderness with which if was frames I. The first stanza.
What a lovely word treasure chest!
Such vivid imagery and emotion. Lovely poem.
This piece is hauntingly beautiful. Bravo!
I loved it. ❤