Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Poems Have A Mind Of Their Own

Almost a month ago, on December 21, I wrote about a new series of poems I'd started writing to illustrate the fact that multi-word verbs are metaphors.  My first effort included phrasals with the preposition "up" used in a business-meeting setting.

The next group of rhymes was supposed to feature the preposition "down", again in a practical setting.  Unfortunately, I had started reading the wonderful book "Grammar for a Full Life" by Lawrence Weinstein.

Here's the result.

The Old Mosaic Floor and Run-Down Path

The rules of grammar pave my way
Throughout the rooms with grace and style
Between the bookshelves, down the aisle,
Familiar patterns guide my day.
Across the hall and out the door  --
The colored tiles pour down the stairs.
A few are cracked; could use repairs.
I'll glue them down. Revise once more.

The paving stones across the lawn
Are rules laid down long, long ago.
In gentle arabesques they flow
With  commas, quotes; they travel on;
With patterned grace the norms unfurl.
What would I do without this lane
That lets me cross the rough terrain
As I write and dance and swirl and twirl?

No comments:

Post a Comment