You packed alot into such a small piece. I was reading thinking, "this is pretty good," then that last line absolutely floored me. Hits really hard and ties the whole thing together. Great stuff.
Yes. Letting the silence do the talking is the hardest work. It's so imagistic that we only have one anchoring concluding line to tie it together.
This poem has a lot to do with the feelings and the sense of responsibility associated with new fatherhood and it's aged well with me over a few months (which is when I know the poem is ready).
I recently sent the poem, The Patience of Ordinary Things, by Pat Schneider to someone whom I thought would be comforted by it. Your poem here very much reminds me of that one, in all the best ways. https://poets.org/poem/patience-ordinary-things
Wow. That is high praise indeed. Since your comment, I've actually cut the first line. Minimal as I can go. A comfort poem is a nice way of thinking about it.
I wouldn’t say it’s specific to fiction on Substack. I’ll try anything on here.
It’s mostly just what I’m after in my own writing and feelings I seek when I read. Could be comfort, or being scared, remembering a sad or funny story, something that churns up nostalgia. Any kind of story that would be enjoyable reading or hearing it while sitting around the campfire. A campfire also is something that requires some effort to start and keep going. It’s not bound by inertia. There’s a give and take respect, and a solitary peace in being in beside one, even if I’m with friends or family. No devices or distractions. Timeless. People and stories.
I kinda chuckle writing this as my wife highly dislikes camping and if I told her about this as a way to think about my own writing she’d tell me that’s an awful idea. 😆
I think what you're talking about comes back to that sense of dignity I was referring to before. You want to represent yourself (be it a poem, novel, essay or serial) and get through it not only maintaining face (for some Asian context; Asian attitudes towards craft may effect my writing as much as American), but rising in "face value" among others exchange to deepen a bond and form meaningful shared memories. That's the long game. Trust in our strorytellers is earned.
"The days know where I live"
Powerful stuff.
Thank you, Max. It's always great to have you reading and it means a lot that you saw something in the very few words here.
You packed alot into such a small piece. I was reading thinking, "this is pretty good," then that last line absolutely floored me. Hits really hard and ties the whole thing together. Great stuff.
Yes. Letting the silence do the talking is the hardest work. It's so imagistic that we only have one anchoring concluding line to tie it together.
This poem has a lot to do with the feelings and the sense of responsibility associated with new fatherhood and it's aged well with me over a few months (which is when I know the poem is ready).
I recently sent the poem, The Patience of Ordinary Things, by Pat Schneider to someone whom I thought would be comforted by it. Your poem here very much reminds me of that one, in all the best ways. https://poets.org/poem/patience-ordinary-things
Wow. That is high praise indeed. Since your comment, I've actually cut the first line. Minimal as I can go. A comfort poem is a nice way of thinking about it.
Campfire approved. Where we put worldly things frees up our mind for what matters.
Why is the "campfire rule" important for you, Matt?
It's a perfect analogy, but I'd love to hear more. Why this analogy for sharing Fiction on Substack?
I wouldn’t say it’s specific to fiction on Substack. I’ll try anything on here.
It’s mostly just what I’m after in my own writing and feelings I seek when I read. Could be comfort, or being scared, remembering a sad or funny story, something that churns up nostalgia. Any kind of story that would be enjoyable reading or hearing it while sitting around the campfire. A campfire also is something that requires some effort to start and keep going. It’s not bound by inertia. There’s a give and take respect, and a solitary peace in being in beside one, even if I’m with friends or family. No devices or distractions. Timeless. People and stories.
I kinda chuckle writing this as my wife highly dislikes camping and if I told her about this as a way to think about my own writing she’d tell me that’s an awful idea. 😆
I think what you're talking about comes back to that sense of dignity I was referring to before. You want to represent yourself (be it a poem, novel, essay or serial) and get through it not only maintaining face (for some Asian context; Asian attitudes towards craft may effect my writing as much as American), but rising in "face value" among others exchange to deepen a bond and form meaningful shared memories. That's the long game. Trust in our strorytellers is earned.
Haha! And yes indeed: it does matter where we place our belongings.
That last line hits straight to the heart