This was one of the poems I was referring to. Perhaps it can be taken
as a Graham ars poetica. The rippling flow of multi-syllabics over
the cold bed. It has something of Whitman in it. The monosyllables
of the last line work well in contrast. I find the self-conscious
"I say 'iridescent'" slightly annoying. It's a "period style"
statement. Here the objects (river, wind, water) correlate with
the thought & the poetics, it's true, you can't call it bombast.
But take a look at the other 2 examples I suggested. It's as
though once she gets away from the simple & perfect reflection
of her style (the river), the imagery gets more stylized & the
speaking voice more pretentious.
Henry
|