Mary Oliver, renowned poet has died at the age of 83. She was well known for her straight-talking poetry, believing that poetry ‘mustn’t be fancy”.
This made me think of all the poetry I’ve read over the years…and yes, there have been poems I’ve skipped over – simply because I couldn’t understand a single word. I used to worry about readers feeling the same way about mine. That’s why I now try to include a preamble to my writes.
That said, I’ve taken the idea of poetry not being ‘fancy’ and extrapolated it to naked words trying to escape my tongue, but ‘dressed’ only in truth.
Words crawl up
(undressed)
from the floor of my mouth
to the tip of my tongue
They knock on teeth
impatiently
My lips quiver
-not knowing whether to remain sealed
or to part
to let out these unadorned words
clad only in the truth
©Vivian Zems
Real Toads: “Poetry mustn’t be fancy”
Poets United #436
January 20, 2019 at 12:14 am
Reblogged this on The Reluctant Poet.
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January 20, 2019 at 12:32 am
Thanks Chuck!
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January 26, 2019 at 5:43 am
Always a pleasure to share great writing with followers!
xoxoxo
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January 27, 2019 at 11:24 pm
🙂 I’m honoured
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January 20, 2019 at 1:10 am
Today, I spent some time talking to a dear friend who wanted to write a poem but wasn’t sure if he should because, well… the truths it discusses might be too inflammatory. I told him, “If the words feel right, let them rip!” That’s what I do. That’s the only thing we can do (or, at least, just write them… and hold on to them until the right moment).
I love your introduction. You see, I think that Mary’s ideas about what a poem should be if one wants said poem to be (easily) understood (by everyone) are exactly correct. I’m almost certain that I didn’t care for poetry in my youth because everything available to me at the time was… not a joy to read. Even when I understood what the poet said, I was annoyed by structure that I didn’t enjoy the reading. I think the best poetry walks into a heart naked.
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January 20, 2019 at 1:16 am
I love the last line of this. It was whilst I was writing that I realised the meaning of the saying ‘naked truth’. You recognise it immediately. Good advice you have your friend. He should read your blog – that’ll inspire him.
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January 20, 2019 at 1:16 am
One must always ‘let them out.’ Beautifully done.
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January 20, 2019 at 1:37 am
Thanks Helen 🙂
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January 20, 2019 at 1:17 am
“Words clad only in the truth” are the very best kind. Wonderful!
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January 20, 2019 at 1:37 am
Thanks Sherry!
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January 20, 2019 at 1:43 am
It’s always an act of daring to turn them loose. And like any act of daring, carries risk. Still, I feel certain that Zeus likes daring, and if Zeus likes it, there you have it.
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January 20, 2019 at 1:39 pm
I read this out loud.. and guess who came bounding up the stairs…tail wagging?
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January 20, 2019 at 5:58 pm
Commander Zeus?!? 🙂
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January 20, 2019 at 2:13 am
This is fantastic — one of your best pieces, I think.
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January 20, 2019 at 1:37 pm
Aww…thanks Shawna 🙂
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January 20, 2019 at 2:34 am
Well written
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January 20, 2019 at 1:37 pm
Thank you!
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January 20, 2019 at 1:44 pm
Welcome
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January 20, 2019 at 4:01 am
Naked truth. I think we can recognize bullshit and pretension and immediately dismiss it as such. Your poem let’s loose the words of truth
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January 20, 2019 at 1:37 pm
Thanks Toni…you said it perfectly 🙂
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January 20, 2019 at 8:37 am
A powerful poem with words ‘clad only in the truth’, Viv!
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January 20, 2019 at 1:36 pm
Thanks Kim!
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January 20, 2019 at 11:42 am
“….words / clad only in the truth”…That’s where lies a poet’s world. Great.
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January 20, 2019 at 1:36 pm
Thanks, Sumana!
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January 20, 2019 at 1:13 pm
I really like the honesty in this, the fear mixed with the desire to speak truth. It’s all out there, simple and beautiful.
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January 20, 2019 at 1:14 pm
Thanks.. you really got it!
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January 20, 2019 at 2:07 pm
“Unadorned words clad only in truth” are the best kinds of words. Mary Oliver, I think, should be an example to us all. in the approachability of her poetry, I think, and is a perfect example of one who uses those ‘unadorned words.’
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January 20, 2019 at 3:58 pm
The process of letting them out is great… sometimes the plain and simple is the hardest to release-
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January 20, 2019 at 4:53 pm
“Words clad only in the truth,” are the most powerful of them all! 💜
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January 20, 2019 at 5:02 pm
Part! By all means part!
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January 20, 2019 at 5:03 pm
Don’t let those lips quiver too long. Speak up! Speak out!
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January 20, 2019 at 10:16 pm
Really glad you let them loose, Vivian.
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January 20, 2019 at 10:41 pm
Another Powerful write.
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January 20, 2019 at 11:25 pm
This was brilliant in its directness, powerful in its minimalism. What a great visual it creates with the personification of words. Loved this Vivian!
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January 21, 2019 at 8:49 am
Glad you let them out.
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January 21, 2019 at 9:41 am
I think we are very lucky as poets to say exactly what we like and be proud of it to state how we feel about the world, ourselves and even of others. Somebody has got to let off steam!
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January 21, 2019 at 9:55 pm
Oh, I love this. Poetry is a medium so rich in expression and freedom. I am reading Jessica Helen Lopez’s work and she is raw and honest.
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January 22, 2019 at 8:15 am
quite brilliant ~
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January 26, 2019 at 1:42 am
Mary would be proud
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January 27, 2019 at 11:24 pm
Thank you 🙂
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