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70th Virtual Poetry Circle

Welcome to the 70th Virtual Circle!

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

I hope you enjoyed the Halloween themed poetry last month.  I think this month we’ll take a look at poems from either Veterans or about war. Today’s contemporary poet is Brian Turner:

Phantom Noise

There is this ringing hum this
bullet-borne language ringing
shell-fall and static this late-night
ringing of threadwork and carpet ringing
hiss and steam this wing-beat
of rotors and tanks broken
bodies ringing in steel humming these
voices of dust these years ringing
rifles in Babylon rifles in Sumer
ringing these children their gravestones
and candy their limbs gone missing  their
static-borne television  their ringing
this eardrum this rifled symphonic this
ringing of midnight in gunpowder and oil this
brake pad gone useless this muzzle-flash singing  this
threading of bullets in muscle and bone this ringing
hum this ringing hum this
ringing

Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.

I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles. It’s never too late to join the discussion.

Comments

  1. Intense poem about the sounds of war, and then it sounds like he’s going a bit crazy toward the end. It seems the poem picks up pace, and it reminds me of the scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when Gene Wilder is going off on the litany of weird saying while they’re all in the boat.

    • Speaking of Willy Wonka, didn’t they do the boat scene in the new one with Johnny Depp too? Was it the same? I can’t remember.

      I really like how this poem picks up the pace…Seems to mirror the narrators downward spiral to me.