I have read all three of these numerous times. Wickedness does not bless me with any understanding, other than feelings of regret and resignation, but I am not sure what for or to. The last stanza re the panther and the reference to the start of WW2 or perhaps the pre war stage, just before the blitzkreig begins - I don't really know what this alludes to given what comes before it, although it does seem to segue to the Charon piece which is much more evidently war like with the focus on conflict zones.
These three are all deeply personal aren't they - coming from places of turmoil, conflict, disappointment; confusion, power plays and struggles.
It is really hard to see a clear meaning to these - it is mostly feelings of emotions that come out - I suppose in that sense - unless I am hopelessly wrong about these manifesting your feelings as the writer of the words - the poetry is very effective at what it has done.
I do find it intriguing the difference between your poetry and your fiction - you write great stories, with great narrative scale and dialogue and intense technical detail and exposition, and then at the same time (or maybe at a different time.....) your poetry is as obscure and even, secret? encrypted? Well, certainly mysterious as such a thing can possibly be.
Yes, Wickedness if I remember correctly was just words coming out, as they do.
In the other two I was definitely consciously inserting a load of war/conflict type imagery in there - which does reference some of the other poems in the collection, which also have that kind of imagery. Kundalini, especially being the title of the collection, also sits in the centre, radiating out. So on the one paw it is sort of about internal conflict, but on the other paw it is about external/worldly conflict. I have always been interested in history and it's one of my best subjects. So from a certain point of view I guess I was channelling my own pent up frustrations etc. into observations of stupid people doing stupid war and conflict, because obviously war and conflict is such a great and sensible thing, eh!
The final two lines/last verse of Kundalini were a sudden almost afterthought that popped into my head as I got to that bit of the writing, if I remember correctly. So I thought of the verse which is a sort of dark narrative twist, and really liked it, so I kept it. It's deliberately provocative and I think it turns what could be a personal poem with conflict imagery into the outside real world, sort of thing. I hope that doesn't sound pretentious!
That's also very true about how different my poetry is to some of my stories. There's psychological reasons for that to do with dissociation. My poetry is very raw and dissociative and it's not entirely me who writes it. Again it's a kind of channelling or splitting. Perhaps just because of the format my stories require longer and more sustained focus, so they're calmer in that sense, because of the need for narrative continuity. But certainly my poetry, I have come to realise, is mainly one of my other parts letting stuff out.
Of these, Cloak and Bone is my favourite. Less abstract, more personal, and more recognition, as the SOE trained the bravest of women not so far from my home.
I think you're right about Cloak & Bone - it is more accessible and somewhat less obscure! I think the SOE reference makes a lot of sense. I think I did have that sort of image in my head when I was writing it.
Dark, but beautiful.
I have read all three of these numerous times. Wickedness does not bless me with any understanding, other than feelings of regret and resignation, but I am not sure what for or to. The last stanza re the panther and the reference to the start of WW2 or perhaps the pre war stage, just before the blitzkreig begins - I don't really know what this alludes to given what comes before it, although it does seem to segue to the Charon piece which is much more evidently war like with the focus on conflict zones.
These three are all deeply personal aren't they - coming from places of turmoil, conflict, disappointment; confusion, power plays and struggles.
It is really hard to see a clear meaning to these - it is mostly feelings of emotions that come out - I suppose in that sense - unless I am hopelessly wrong about these manifesting your feelings as the writer of the words - the poetry is very effective at what it has done.
I do find it intriguing the difference between your poetry and your fiction - you write great stories, with great narrative scale and dialogue and intense technical detail and exposition, and then at the same time (or maybe at a different time.....) your poetry is as obscure and even, secret? encrypted? Well, certainly mysterious as such a thing can possibly be.
Thank you!
Yes, Wickedness if I remember correctly was just words coming out, as they do.
In the other two I was definitely consciously inserting a load of war/conflict type imagery in there - which does reference some of the other poems in the collection, which also have that kind of imagery. Kundalini, especially being the title of the collection, also sits in the centre, radiating out. So on the one paw it is sort of about internal conflict, but on the other paw it is about external/worldly conflict. I have always been interested in history and it's one of my best subjects. So from a certain point of view I guess I was channelling my own pent up frustrations etc. into observations of stupid people doing stupid war and conflict, because obviously war and conflict is such a great and sensible thing, eh!
The final two lines/last verse of Kundalini were a sudden almost afterthought that popped into my head as I got to that bit of the writing, if I remember correctly. So I thought of the verse which is a sort of dark narrative twist, and really liked it, so I kept it. It's deliberately provocative and I think it turns what could be a personal poem with conflict imagery into the outside real world, sort of thing. I hope that doesn't sound pretentious!
That's also very true about how different my poetry is to some of my stories. There's psychological reasons for that to do with dissociation. My poetry is very raw and dissociative and it's not entirely me who writes it. Again it's a kind of channelling or splitting. Perhaps just because of the format my stories require longer and more sustained focus, so they're calmer in that sense, because of the need for narrative continuity. But certainly my poetry, I have come to realise, is mainly one of my other parts letting stuff out.
Of these, Cloak and Bone is my favourite. Less abstract, more personal, and more recognition, as the SOE trained the bravest of women not so far from my home.
I think you're right about Cloak & Bone - it is more accessible and somewhat less obscure! I think the SOE reference makes a lot of sense. I think I did have that sort of image in my head when I was writing it.