poetry critical

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Art in Ghostly Images
Isabelle5

The walkway underneath the trees
 1
is tattooed with their tannic blood,
 2
impressed by leaves that feet press flat,
 3
releasing scent of dampened wood.
 4
 
 
The sidewalk wears elegant art
 5
to make up for its cold and grey,
 6
reflecting skies in Autumn’s tide;
 7
the early darkness, waning light.
 8
 
 
I wish to leave my own tattoo
 9
when my turn comes to give my blood;
 10
plant me beneath the full-leafed trees,
 11
pressed in the scent of camphored wood.
 12

16 Nov 06

Rated 6.5 (6.5) by 2 users.
Active (2): 8
Inactive (0): 5

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Comments:

What a beautiful picture this paints!  

I would suggest the following to better enhance the picture though:

L1-Change underneath to beneath.  If it's underneath the trees, then it's underground with the roots.
L2-I might use the word "inked" instead of tattoo for fear of it being redundant later in L9 when it reappears at the end.
L3-Change leaves that feet press flat to leaves that are pressed flat by feet.  It will keep the "f" sound more kindred to the line itself.
L6-seems to be needing a subject to modify what is cold and gray;  maybe "canvas?"  
L8-I might flip around waning light with early darkness.  Just switch places with these two so that it reads, "the waning light of early darkness."
L10-Change to "when it's my turn to give blood.
L11-I'm perplexed about it being autumn and yet the trees are fully leaved?"  Why not bare?  Naked?  Stripped?  Raped?&nb sp; In summer, they would be full-leafed trees.
You might consider an adverb here as in "fully."
L12-Press is redundant with IMpressed and pressed.
Camphored wood is beautiful!  

We all start somewhere with a poem/idea and this is potentially awesome nature poetry.  With a little tightening and some slight rearranging, there's no way this one can even miss the Top Rated #1 spot.  It's gorgeous.  I love it!  Good job!
 — starr

Oops...another thought...

How about L10  "when it's my time to give blood?"  Beautiful poem, nonetheless from one of MY favorite poetesses.  
 — starr

"the sidewalk wears elegant art"
"I wish to leave my own tattoo"
These lines are simply divine.
Beautiful. New favorite.
--lacklusterrr
 — unknown

Sure. Wonderful image, but where's the substance?
It's just a string of lovely-sounding words -- does that constitute poetry?

Also so, something more tangible, too many modifiers.

-ellebasi
 — unknown

Thanks, Starr.  I can't change underneath, it will interrupt the metre of this.  If you didn't notice, all the lines have the same number of words.  It's an 8 count.

Rats if you didn't notice it.  I wanted a steady beat all the way through.  This is my description of how the leaves at my apartment complex leave their image on the sidewalk.  
 — Isabelle5

yeshmmnice
just a coupla things...
L10-i'd suggest th'remooooval of the second "blood"
as it stands there seems t'be a connotation that
someone else alroody gave yer blood

also, the use of "wood" twice here seems ok t'me.
but not th'same fer "scent"...
anyhoooo
well done
 — chuckles

I'm concerned that someone said this has no substance.  Have you never seen leaves pressed into the sidewalk and tatooed there with their own sap?
 — Isabelle5

The dampened wood is the scent of the leaves.  The camphored wood is the coffin.  I am not 'giving blood,' as to the Red Cross!
 — Isabelle5

oops...
i meant remove the second "my"
"my bad"...
 — chuckles

I also can't change things because, as I mentioned earlier, every line has 8 syllables and I don't want to mess that up.  
 — Isabelle5

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