March Hag

Blank verse poem.

I am the skin bag of the March hag,

stuck with polished rib-work

jointed and laced together.

She clutches the sinews of me

and drags me around congealed specters.

 

Sometimes, when she is bored,

she tosses in a throbbing stone

and whirls it-in-me over her head,

conjuring frigid winds

that fight back the Spring.

In the smooth darkness

I shiver with cold; with delirium.

 

My blood is an icy coinage

forever circulating the same course,

having no purchase on freedom;

I am drawn and tied.

I hold her book of spells.

I cannot read.

Author's Note

Be honest.

Reviews

[Richard🖌]

Hi, Jeanette,
It's Richard here, come to welcome you to Writers' Café, and to read your first poetic offering.
From your picture, I can see you're a very lovely lady-poet, and I sincerely hope you will enjoy it here, find many new friends, and make this your permanent home. There are many whom will enjoy your fine skills … of this, I am quite confident.

For me, this piece is a bold, impassioned work, in metaphoric wonderment and deep emotional imagery — a bit abstract for my simplemindedness to completely absorb; though, it seems you've painted a rather bleak, tumultuous being … perhaps, a self-portrait(?).
I can almost hear you giggling at my naïve efforts … LOL!
Well, if you read any of my offerings, you'll see what I mean about lacking the refinement necessary to interpret such a skilled and complex piece as this.

On the "honest" techy side: As a teacher of poetry, I recognize your work as a fine composition of the Free Verse form, with excellent line-breaks, amazing word choices and arrangement — in a smooth, even flow. Although, this is stated to be a "Blank Verse poem", it lacks the iambic pentameter that would make it so. If you're interested, message me for the correct instructions to the Blank Verse.

Again, "Welcome, Jeanette," and thank you for sharing your excellent writing with us! ⁓ Richard

[Jeanette Gibson]

Hello, Richard, and thank you for the kind welcome. I read your poems and have come to the conclusion that you're a reincarnation of either one of the English Renaissance poets or lake poets! Your finesse of style and sensitivity of expression make my head spin--in a most delightful way. I've attempted only a couple metered, rhymed poems--I'm too impatient for that form, I guess.

You're so right--I confused blank verse with the prose poem. I used to know better. Time for me to go back to school to relearn all I've forgotten!

As for my poem, it is a self-portrait, but of one aspect of myself...the part that feels restricted and constricted by the limitations of body and mind, yet senses something greater and grander deep inside that is just out of reach.

I must admonish you for saying you are lacking in refinement. Au contraire, you're mastery of your chosen genre leaves me in the dust!

Thank you again for your thoughtful post--see you later.

Jeanette

[Richard🖌]

Aw, Jeanette,
You've made me blush, comparing my humble work with the classical poets of olde, but I'm keeping your encouraging accolades, nonetheless … thank you ever-so warmly and gratefully.

Perhaps, Dear Jeanette, through the miracle of poetry you'll escape the boundary of mental and physical limitation … the poet's imagination can work wonders, eh?

As to "metered, rhymed poems", an equal offering of my work is Free Verse or Free Style poetry, and even includes a couple of Blank Verse pieces.

I truly hope you'll stay and share with me, Janette … I enjoy your thinking! ⁓ Richard