Five ways to use a mallet

· by · in dVerse, free verse, poetry. ·

There were caw of crows
a fence around the headstone
and his broken mallet
overgrown with grass.

A mallet argument
bludgeon better than convinces,
maybe silence is a question.

We came prepared
with swords and mallets;
but in broken English
she asked us to be silent
the way a mother may.

The blacksmith uses his mallet
on a horseshoe
but if you ask him why
the stallion has a limp
he neither stares nor cries

A mallet with a broken handle
beside the rusted blade —
yet the morning lends itself
to self deception.

Supreme Argument by Theophile Steinlein

Supreme Argument by Theophile Steinlein

I have no clue why my muse told me to write about mallets for today’s open link at dVerse. Join us at 3PM EST. Mish is behind the bar.

30 responses to “Five ways to use a mallet”

  4. I agree with O; this is very insightful: “the morning lends itself
    to self deception” … I’d imagine the time of day for self-deception varies from person to person, but the point is the same, regardless.

    Hey, you know how I think; so this will be no surprise to you, but I see the anagram “tall me” inside of “mallet.” So go back and reread the poem making this replacement. It’s very interesting. Most people vacillate between feeling big and small, self-important and self-deprecating. So that’s how I read this … as being about self-worth.

  6. I so wanted to finish a cubist poem for OLN after missing your prompt, but on a first attempt, I knew I’d need more time. Will have to save the inspiration for another day. Your poem keeps the passion of cubism alive! A wonderful variety of mood and perspective.

  7. A Swedish Picasso poet–you ain’t afraid of no Cubism. Like Grace, I was hooked by the third stanza; somehow it came to life brilliantly.

  8. Such a wonderful approach to mallets here Bjorn 🙂 I especially like “A mallet argument bludgeon better than convinces, maybe silence is a question.” Beautifully executed.

  9. I’m so enjoying your cubism, Björn! My favourite stanza in this poem has to be:
    ‘We came prepared
    with swords and mallets;
    but in broken English
    she asked us to be silent
    the way a mother may.’

  10. I really like and admire the obtuse counter balances in this piece that so cleverly become revelatory.. Very original work Bjorn with a fresh approach…

  15. A cubist way of broken mallet aligned with a guillotine. There is noise in the case of the mallet but silence with a ‘swoosh’ when the guillotine gets to work.

    Hank

  18. I love the imagery. It feels like darkness, fall and Halloween. The first stanza has lots of great visuals and draws me in setting the scene wanting to know why they are there!

  21. This is very well crafted and I have to stop myself from looking at the psychology of the language used. Your muse may reveal more as to why she brought you this.

  22. I have no idea why you picked a mallet, either, but it works beautifully. I heard Vikings in these poems. I still can’t really get my head around cubism in poetry, but you are leading the charge. Hard to pick one as a favorite….but I would say the 4th one. Rings for me.

  26. Another wonderful cubist approach to poetry. I especially liked the second stanza….I’m reminded that sometimes silence can be the best argument rather than pummeling or buldgeoning with words.

  27. We too often come at life prepared with swords and mallets. It’s good when a mother’s voice can temper us. This mallet poem was wonderful on many levels.

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