Snowfall - Shakespeare's Monkeys

Snowfall

feather
and fall in whisps
and whisper down in floating filigree
hushing the muted night
with swan-white ghost-white wonder
all mazy and parachuting fluff
muffling with icy flecks the spiralling dark

melt on the tongue of barking fox
and soften the owl’s star-striking talon
blanket the frozen moon with a dusting of sighs

falter
and fall in feathers again
whispering drifts of flotsam
down the vast and silent shores of night

lie out in the far fields and lonely roads
and powder dark rivers in glacial repose
cover the sullen suburbs and quiet churchyards
indulge the drab towns with metamorphosis

let us wake to childhood again
make first footprints in Eden’s lustre

Derma Kaput -

the sound of this poem - cadence, aliteration, et al - is so wonderful that I almost forgot to pay attention to the poem's imagery.

Laura doom -

In addition to Derma's sonic appreciation, I was particularly taken with S3, in which you manipulate
orientation, allowing the reader to experience the 'shores' of night from a vertical perspective, as
though 'falling' through the stanza with the snow, one of those occasions on which a choice of
adverb can exert a strong influence on the reception of imagery :>

[excuse the formatting -- an attempt to circumvent the imposition of that right div menu on the comment
box whilst typing]

U668857 -

Thanks Derma, Laura - I guess it is a sort of tone poem, a snowy nocturne ...an attempt at word-music...Rgds., Alan

Laura doom -

I also sensed a certain sadness in thie piece, perhaps in my reception of the imagery, regarding the
metamorphic properties of snow. It's almost as if the musical qualities of the poem are an antidote to
the superficial (visual), transitory effects described -- an illusory respite rather than a cathartic rebirth.

Maybe that's just me looking for a melancholy drift of meaning :>

U668857 -

Hi Laura - that's a perceptive take on the piece. As you say, the metaphoric overtones of snow suggest illusion,
transitory beauty, temporary unity and connection (to mention just a few). I half had in mind the masterful ending
to Joyce's "The Dead" (from "Dubliners") - you'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful and melancholic evocation
of snowfall with all its inherent symbolism and metaphor...BRgds., Alan

Laura doom -

Thanks for that ref Alan -- I've located an online 'copy' of "The Dead", and will start reading once I've
organised some warm clothing and a shovel...