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BLOCK AND TACKLE (PEN IN HAND)
BLOCK AND TACKLE (PEN IN HAND)
And though the world is coming ‘round,
This old heart says I’ve sinned…
Sit here breaking no new ground,
I’m only breaking wind,
But, in the grand tradition,
I burn the midnight lamp,
And sit here, poised with pen in hand:
An imperious knight,
With a serious Writer’s Cramp…
With miles to go before I reach
The City of my dreams,
Where poets walk the streets and each
Writes poetry by the reams;
Yet, in the corner where I stand
The ticking of the clock
Reminds me, poised, with pen in hand,
Of a serious, mysterious Writer’s Block…
Words that do not flow, but mock
And add to all my fears…
How then shall I tame this block
And tackle all this passing of the years?
Forsaken by the living and
Mistaken for a rock,
I sit here, poised with pen in hand,
And a serious, mysterious Writer’s Block...
Review Request (Intensity):
I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
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Region & Country
Asia, India
Favorite Poets
Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Roger Waters, Jim Croce, Paul Simon (...albeit not necessarily in that order)
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Comments
Psyve
Sat, 2010-12-18 02:56
Amal
Thank you for listening and commenting.
Of course it is your prerogative whether to believe in Writers Block or not, (and I sincerely hope you never have to deal with it) but for me it is real...and more than a little frightening... and I have lived with it for the past eighteen years, which is when my words pretty much dried up... Except for a song I wrote about 2 years ago: "Full Circle: Requeim for Benazir...", which I have shared on these pages a while ago.
"Block and Tackle" is one of the last pieces I wrote before the "silence" came upon me.
The "I'm only breaking wind" line was a flippant reference to my (then new) condition.
I agree it feels a bit out of place... and could be done without, or differently. But that was how I wrote it 18 years ago.
Anyway, I am glad you liked the song overall, despite that line.
Thank you for listening and commenting. I appreciate your candor.
Psyve
author commentCandlewitch
Sat, 2010-12-18 16:50
Dear Psyve,
Please do keep the breaking wind line...I really like it.
Words that do not flow, but mock
And add to all my fears…
How then shall I tame this block
And tackle all this passing of the years?
Forsaken by the living and
Mistaken for a rock,
I sit here, poised with pen in hand,
And a serious, mysterious Writer’s Block...
Great verse!
I've had writer's block and it is serious pain and ache. I call it "brain constipation" for which I find the only cure for is music!
*
When someone reads your work
And responds, please be courteous
And reply in kind, thanks.
Psyve
Sun, 2010-12-19 04:52
Cat
Glad you seem to have enjoyed this semi light-hearted piece.
About that particular verse, I remember thinking of the word "block" and mentally associating it with the phrase "block and tackle" and thinking how I could introduce that phrase into this seemingly unrelated subject matter and still make sense.... a sort of mini cerebral challange to myself... and then coming up with the solution:
"How then shall I tame this block
And tackle all this passing of the years..."
which suddenly made perfect sense in the context of the song... and gave the song its title.
A bit like the cerebral pleasure I got in "The last day of April, April" from the lines:
"And there stood I:
Understood, aye,
But sentenced to
The unspeakable purgatory of infatuation unreturned..."
Thank you for reminding me of those pleasures...
And for stopping by to read.
Psyve
author commentKailashana2
Sat, 2010-12-18 18:04
What can I say that I haven't
What can I say that I haven't already said before? I don't think,, in your case, one can separate the poem/lyrics from the music or the singing.
It's a total experience.
~A
Psyve
Sun, 2010-12-19 03:06
Anna
Thank you, again.
Am pleased you listened to and liked the sung version too.
For me, all of my offerings are songs first.
If they ALSO stand up on their own as 'poetry', that's a bonus for me.
Psyve
author commentscribbler
Sat, 2010-12-18 22:07
block and tackle
Ah! another soul who writes of having nothing to write, and well at that. Only suggestion would be in line-3 Try : sitting, breaking no new ground. Always good to have breaking wind in a poem also lol...........scribbler
Psyve
Sun, 2010-12-19 03:12
Scribbler
I was reminded of this one when I saw yours, some days ago, and decided to share it here.
Appreciate your suggestion on line 3: need to see how it works when sung, but it makes sense.
Thank you for stopping by for a read.
Psyve
author commentKailashana2
Sun, 2010-12-19 06:20
It occurred to me that for
It occurred to me that for the younger generation perhaps *breaking wind* doesn't have the same connotation. This came from an older generation (before mine) that used euphemisms in polite company.
When is a fart not a fart, when it's art....supposedly.
Smile.
~
Psyve
Sun, 2010-12-19 22:37
Anna
There you have it, then: my secret is out: I'm an old fogey!
:-)
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