Misrule Eve

[dcmarti1]

I sleep because I am weary,
Not because I am pure:
And when my blanket is fully drawn
About my face, the walls turn to stone
From their gypsum; and the troubadours
Are a floor below and not across the room
As ones and zeros on a silver disc.

I sleep because I am weary,
Not because I am pure:
And the immediate cold is dreamed
A more ancient breath than it is,
Striking a different bed than the one
In which I drift between toss and turn,
Peopled only with my form.

I sleep because I am weary,
Not because I am pure:
And it is the Sleep of Death
And not the Sleep of Peace;
And it is the Sleep of Doubt
And not the Sleep of Piety;
And it is an unwary sleep.

I sleep because I am weary,
Not because I am pure:
And the frosty battlements give way
To modern plumbing and power;
To a laptop and coffee pot;
To a sometimes-remembered God
Of Missal but not of my action.

[badger11]

Very good dcm. The refrain has clarity and is a hook. The rest is not so clear,but does provoke thought, which is a purpose of poetry, I envisaged a troubled soul, unlocked within sleep where time has no bounds and the defences are low; the dreamscape with a sense of mortality and doubt. The title led me to expect more festive mayhem, perhaps the medieval allusion could be expanded and more defined, Just a thought...always wary of that kind of feedback on this site. Have a fulfilling Christmas.

 

all the best

 

badge

[dcmarti1]

The title led me to expect more festive mayhem, perhaps the medieval allusion could be expanded and more defined.....

 

badge

You caught it! What misrule is there HERE? Ah, none. The title (and the medieval allusion) is completely opposite of what the person is feeling. As you later correctly said, "mortality and doubt". ;)

 

I tried to infer that the person is experiencing a yearning for the medieval age, or perhaps a past life memory. (I won't go too far, haha.) I did not want to say "there are real musicians instead of a CD player....." That first stanza may have failed. Mea culpa.

 

Thanks for the best wishes.....same to you.

[David W. Parsley]

Not much to add to what has been said above, except my own admiration, dc.

 

Happy Holidays!

- Dave

[dr_con]

Yes indeed, another exceptional piece from an exceptional poet. The dreaminess is vivid, the hook clear and the evokation/invocation works well.

 

Much enjoyed!

 

Juris

[tonyv]

Interesting discussion on this terrific poem, Marti. This has a hint of Trakl, specifically James Wright's translation of Trakl's prose poem "A Winter Night." Despite the sense of distress Badge detected, in addition to this --

 

And it is the Sleep of the Old World
And not the Sleep of the New World --

 

I also get a sense of a respite or relief from the last verse. To me, it seems that the narrator is in touch with history, mankind's and his own. Very much enjoyed.

 

Tony

[dcmarti1]

Interesting discussion on this terrific poem, Marti. This has a hint of Trakl, specifically James Wright's translation of Trakl's prose poem "A Winter Night." Despite the sense of distress Badge detected, in addition to this --

 

And it is the Sleep of the Old World

And not the Sleep of the New World --

 

I also get a sense of a respite or relief from the last verse. To me, it seems that the narrator is in touch with history, mankind's and his own. Very much enjoyed.

 

Tony

 

Ouch. I have never heard of Trakl or Winter Night. I will have to use some other terms. (Just changed them to doubt and piety.)

[tonyv]

Marti, I meant it as a compliment. I was referring to the overall mood ...

 

Tony

[dcmarti1]

Marti, I meant it as a compliment. I was referring to the overall mood ...

 

Tony

Oh, I did not take it as any other way THAN a compliment. But that is just tooooo close, haha. I am glad you enjoyed.