You have constructed a machine that lacks combustion,
and know not of the working parts that electrify
to ignite the spark and motion,
to turn the hidden gears there housed
whose purpose is to move you
through a modern inspiration.
True, you will never feel
the bodily shudder and the strain
when heat conquers function,
when dirtied valves and grinding teeth halt,
finding to their failure
that their steaming breath has begun
its escape, wasting itself through every crevasse.
Your machine is careful
to let no breath
escape unbidden.
A bluster bereft of spirit
with no breath of your own,
you let the wind pass through
the narrow valley of a wooden mouth
as you lie in wait
to purloin its voice and sing
its screaming chords back
to its devastation,
misunderstanding its vital mechanics.
Your instrument takes on a sullen timbre
protesting its sovereignty
but you, undeterred, harp on—
a discordant plucking of strings,
flotsam sans jetsam,
you claim to compose
amongst a wreckage of tortoise shells—
until the sky, refusing to hum your fables,
reveals itself unmoved by winds
and bolder in its stops than surges
so the simple muted whisper-chords
and stillness of the air
will tell us of more than silence.
Author notes
Author Name: Cool Jew
“Aeolist: a pompous bore who pretends to have inspiration”
‘Aeolist’ immediately made me think of an Aeolian Harp (or wind harp) that was a huge inspiration to the Romantic poets, and I imagined an artist trying to claim and contain the music made by wind on this harp as a representation of the meaning of ‘aeolist.’
Wikipedia has a long and detailed page on Aeolian harps, if you wanted to look up more info.
I reference two Coleridge poems, especially in the last half of the poem: “Dejection: An Ode,” as well as “The Aeolian Harp.”
Also, just for reference, flotsam is “the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water.” Jetsam is “goods cast overboard deliberately, as to lighten a vessel or improve its stability in an emergency, which sink where jettisoned or are washed ashore.”
A contest entry
- November Rounds #3 by CitrineSunrise.
700 points, ended January 12, 11 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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your post college knowledge is so very sexy, much like this poem! HOT DAMN, I really liked this poem!!!
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You always bring such a wide range of knowledge to your work. Every poem I read is filled with wonderful references and thoughtful insights. "Flotsam sans jetsam" is a great line because so many people think the two words must always go together or are, in fact, interchangeable. Thank you for your entry. Peace, Liz
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