Frank E Gibbard Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 A pile of empty violin cases A pile of abandoned magazines A pile of cast off floral bouquets A pile of massacred male corpses A St. Valentine’s Day in old Chicago Quote
Aleksandra Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Hello Frank. How interesting and weird poem. I like how you managed this poem, going slowly, then the poem become strong, powerful and deep. The mix of imageries what you wrote are very distinct. The last line makes confusions, and gives a space for thinking. I loved this one. Aleksandra Quote The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth - Jean Cocteau History of Macedonia
goldenlangur Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Hello Frank, Your poem sent me googling to the 1929 rival gangs' shootout in Illinois, Chicago. What a blood-stained legacy of Al Capone and Bug Moran! You bring out the senselessness of this very well: Frank E Gibbard wrote: A pile of empty violin cases A pile of abandoned magazines A pile of cast off floral bouquets A cruel twist to St Valentine's Day and all those emblems of romantic love drenched in blood! Horrendous and shocking. goldenlangur Quote goldenlangur Even a single enemy is too many and a thousand friends too few - Bhutanese saying.
Lake Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Frank, I sensed the cruelty against a supposed to be a romantic day even without knowing the historical background info, but I will do a search as Golden did. You are very good at topics like this, keeping abreast with current issues. All the best, Lake Quote
Frank E Gibbard Posted May 19, 2009 Author Posted May 19, 2009 Cheers all thanks for your replies Aleks Golden and Lake. Yes the contrast of the romance and the terror was in mind here. The magazines by the way sound like journals but were the bullet cases and the violin cases not for mood music but to carry and disguise the guns favoured by the bad guys. Think of some scenes in "Some Like It Hot" - Frank. Quote
goldenlangur Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Hello Frank, This is what made the whole episode so cruel!: Frank E Gibbard wrote: The magazines by the way sound like journals but were the bullet cases and the violin cases not for mood music but to carry and disguise the guns favoured by the bad guys. And you capture this well. goldenlangur Quote goldenlangur Even a single enemy is too many and a thousand friends too few - Bhutanese saying.
JoelJosol Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 What a contrast in the list and the supposed spirit of the holiday! Quote "Words are not things, and yet they are not non-things either." - Ann Lauterbach
tonyv Posted May 19, 2009 Posted May 19, 2009 Yes, the contrasts work well, Frank. The poem makes an impact, especially when so much in the movies and on television these days glorifies organized crime and gang stuff. Tony Quote Here is a link to an index of my works on this site: tonyv's Member Archive topic
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