Hi Helen,

I often feel that readers don't always let titles register when they're
reading poems - and I guess I had to discipline myself to focus on titles as
well as the poems. I guess the usual process is: read title quickly, read
poem much more slowly, read the poem again, glance back at title before
mooving on (and hopefully register it's significance!). With this being such
a short poem, however, the title doesn't submerge as much when the poem has
surfaced - it's always there, it does the biz! (I hadn't thought before
about how titles work differently for short poems than for long poems!)

I get a sense of the sexual bondage more than I get a sense of the bonding
of the two people in the relationship. I sense that's because bondage
implies a relationship where one is very dominant and the other is very
passive - and the narrator, as I read the poem, is showing (a willing)
vulnerability/passivity. (I also think the word "bondage" is linked more to
slavery, submissiveness, authority and power and is a denial of freedom,
expression, etc; in other words, from how I want the world to be, it's
morally suspect in any culture). I find that meaning of "bondage" is
stronger than any link the word may have with "a bond" or of two people
"bonding."

I think the poem has a lot of implied sexuality, and the word "kinks" is
powerful, and I guess (as I mentioned before) it's the word "rolled" - the
whole phrase "we've rolled through" - which could be replaced to denote more
of the power/passivity implied in the title. Rolling implies (to me) that
both people can roll freely, can roll as much as each other. So I'm still
thinking the word "rolled" isn't yet as focused as all the other nouns and
verbs.

Bob

Who's got to get back to working!


>From: Helen Clare <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: New Sub: Bondage (Bob)
>Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2004 20:35:15 -0000
>
>Hi Bob
>Yeah, there may be a verb that does more work than rolled - can't find it
>just yet!
>I wonder if there ought to be a sexual bondage in the poem as well as just
>an emotional one - or can I get away with letting the title do all that?
>H
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Bob Cooper <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Friday, January 09, 2004 7:13 PM
>Subject: Re: New Sub: Bondage
>
>
> > Hi Helen,
> > This poem invites me to imagine/create a world where such a relationship
> > happens. It succeeds. It's plain matter of fact language is striking,
> > unforgettable, powerful.
> > I sometimes wonder if "rolled" is the right word? I don't know enough
>about
> > bondage to know how apt the word is!
> > Bob
> >
> >
> > >From: Helen Clare <[log in to unmask]>
> > >Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
> > >To: [log in to unmask]
> > >Subject: New Sub: Bondage
> > >Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 08:08:42 -0000
> > >
> > >Bondage.
> > >
> > >After all the kinks we've rolled through
> > >we reach the last - yours to zip
> > >and leave and mine to slit
> > >my chest and hold the flaps apart for you
> > >
> > >Helen Clare
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Express yourself with cool new emoticons
>http://www.msn.co.uk/specials/myemo

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