The First Stanza

The first stanza focuses on the disconnection between the man and the woman regarding mental intimacy. The man is currently holding an unread book and he anticipates what adventures this book has to offer for him, as it acts as an escape away from reality. He anticipates every event in the book, and the speaker observes that this form of escape is what he prefers rather than lying beside his wife. This is also why he chooses to keep the light on- to focus on his book rather than his wife.

The woman, on the other hand, is consumed with her thoughts with her past and her childhood. The speaker observes that the woman- her mother- is comparing her distant memories of the past to her current reality, as she lies beside her husband. Although they are physically beside each other, there’s clearly a lack of emotional and mental connection. The speaker has an apathetic perspective regarding marriage and long-lasting relationships, which is what can be seen in the way the speaker describes her parents.

The Second Stanza

The first line of this stanza uses the word flotsam, which is the word the speaker uses to describe her parents’ marriage- a storm. The fact the she thinks of their relationship in this perspective is also proof of her view on romance and marriage. As the speaker continues to observe her parents, she compares their relationship to the aftermath of a storm, and no longer passionate. The speaker also confesses that her parents rarely ever touch anymore and when they do, it seems forced and stiff.

Her perspective on her parents’ relationship seems far from real to her. The last two lines of this stanza also proves that she views her parents’ marriage as chaste, as if this was something her parents have been preparing for their entire lives. Though the initial stage of relationships and marriage and full of passion and desire, the speaker believes that the relationship will eventually lose its fire and return to a life of abstinence.

The Third Stanza

In the final stanza of One Flesh, the center of attention changes from love to time. With the speaker’s conviction that her parents display a lack of connection and intimacy, she wonders if they know they’re getting old. Time is, and has always been, a fragile concept. The speaker wonders if her parents know that they’re losing time, yet they choose to spend the final moments of their lives with a lack of passion and life.

She believes that what she observes before her own eyes isn’t real love and she refuses to believe that this is all there is to love. The speaker also compares time to a feather, showing its fragility and delicacy. The speaker is aware that time is constantly moving, but she wonders if her parents know that as well.

In Conclusion

One Flesh is not merely a poem depicting a loss of passion and desire in marriages that last long enough for it to happen; it also shows the speaker’s perspective on how she views love and marriage should be. The narrator seems to have the conviction that chastity and abstinence are the only end results of any marriage or relationship. Thus, this beautifully written poem by Elizabeth Jennings shows you the tragedy of a marriage that not only ended in a lack of intimacy, but brought a dark mindset onto its offspring.

The Sound of Poetry’s Homepage

Wilfred Owen, the Author of Strange Meeting

Wilfred Owen was an English poet and soldier born in 1893 in Oswestry, Shropshire. He was enlisted in the army in 1915 and died in action in 1918 in Sambre-Oise Canal, France, at which point he was known for his significant contribution to war poetry. In his works, Wilfred Owen sees the futility, tragedy and destruction that war inevitably brings.

Stylistic Devices in Strange Meeting by Wilfred Owen

Biblical Allusion

The poet makes an allusion to the bible (King James Version). There are phrases and wording which echo King James Version. In line 8, the lifting of hands is a biblical allusion where religion would raise their hands in order to bless individuals and congregants. The act of going to hell is an allusion to the apostle’s creed. It is possible that Owen, in his formative years, would recite the creed.

The Use of Metaphors

The poet describes beauty as mocking the running of an hour. In this line, line 20, beauty is personified to describe a situation where time is running out. The poet suggests that the number of years the solder spent in trenches has made him weary.

In line 34, the blood clogged in the wheel is partially figurative. The chariot wheel concept is borrowed from ancient wars. However, in the First World War (the setting of Owen’s poems) it refers to any infrastructure and machinery that drives the war. As a matter of fact, the modern war is far more destructive than the ancient war as it has adopted the use of technology. Line 35 states the desire that solders, after staining themselves with blood, wish to get healed.

The Poem’s Tone

The tone of the poem is dreamlike as well as eerie. The use of the word hell arouses the imagination of the reader, and is an epic poetical narrative, bringing the memories of Dante’s inferno. The poet creates a sense of the supernatural when he used words such as dead smile. In connection to this, the reader cannot help but notice a sense of despair and hopelessness among the soldiers.

Thematic Analysis of Strange Meeting

Like other poems by Owen, the theme of war is dominant in the poem. The poem is about the soldiers, their trade, and their suffering therein. It is about the impact that war has on the solders and other affected parties. Poor persona- he escapes death at battle, but descends to hell.

Fear is a dominant theme in war poetry. War creates fear in both the fighters and the affected people. Just like the way the solder kills the enemy, he could as well be killed. This environment creates a cycle of violence saturated with fear. It is possible that even if the solder gives up fighting, fear is already stuck in his soul making it very difficult for him to live a normal life. In fact, the poet says that even when the soldiers are courageous, they still live in misery.

Guilt is a dominant theme in the poem Strange Meeting. Studies in the field of psychology have cited the emotional impact of war, justification of war notwithstanding. A number of soldiers who served in Vietnam became victims of post-traumatic stress disorder. The poem suggests that solders waste their productive time in war. In addition to that, the poet suggests that soldiers should not blame “orders from above” because they can make choices to do the right thing.

Conclusion

There is no question that Wilfred Owen had a deep disdain for war. The poem is a wakeup call to the modern man who continues to propagate war instead of peace; the poem shakes the emotions of the reader to the core, and makes him re-think his perceptions of war. Overall, the poem Strange Meeting is a perfect example of a superb World War I poetry.

Use a dictionary

One way to make sure that you have the right reading is by making sure that you understand the words. Before you are set to perform, take a note and bring the poem out to perform. Understand what the poem means, which brings emotions to the words that you choose. This is also another way to keep your pronunciation correct for the public reading session.

Slow down

Poetry is something that has is own pace which can inflict emotions on the people. It might sound funny at first, but practising the slow roll of tongue and words can help build trust in the poetry itself. It is very common to speak fast but finding a slow and soothing voice is much difficult. Slowing down with your pack is one of the best ways to bring out the best when it comes to an understanding of the natural parts of the poems.

Turn up the volume

When you are reading a poetry slowing might actually lead to your feeling nervous, which in turn lead you to speak in low tones. You need to make sure that you are getting over any kind of discomfort, start making mental notes which is one of the best ways to get you to word out. Make sure that you are getting yourself right and bring your direction towards the audience for the maximum impact. You want to make sure that your voice is soft as well as loud enough to each the audience.

Practice reading poetry aloud

Relax

Most of the time, when reading poetry aloud, a person is bound to get lazy, but it is important to keep breathing and allow yourself to get the right confidence. Confidence is the key to your presence on the stage which will make sure that the attention is one you.

In the mountains it’s cold.
Always been cold, not just this year.
Jagged scarps forever snowed in
Woods in the dark ravines spitting mist.
Grass is still sprouting at the end of June,
Leaves begin to fall in early August.
And here am I, high on mountains,
Peering and peering, but I can’t even see the sky

Han Shan translated by Gary Snyder.

3

It’s bleak here
it’s always been bleak.
Dark buildings half-blown down,
shadows enough to spook a saint.
But grass still sprouts each June
school kids return each autumn.
Now I’m here, which is nowhere
looking for a vision that just won’t come.

Parallel poem from Charlie’s Cold Mountain 2000

15

There’s a naked bug at Cold Mountain
With a white body and a black head.
His hand holds two book-scrolls,
One the Way and one its Power.
His shack’s got no pots or oven,
He goes for a walk with his shirt and pants askew.
But he always carries the sword of wisdom:
He means to cut down senseless craving.

Han Shan translated by Gary Snyder

15

There’s a ragged poet on this city street
in an old turtleneck and faded jeans.
His one hand holds a copy of On the Road
and the other Naked Lunch.
He’s thin and hasn’t got much.
He’s a sorry sight,
but he’s close to his roots
and that keeps his head on straight.

Parallel poem from Charlie’s Cold Mountain 2000

With host Marc Smith (pictured above) and featured poet Taylor Mali of NYC (pictured below).

Sweet goodnight poems for her

Our original idea for this feature was to record Marc Smith, inventor of the poetry slam, doing his own dynamic, heartfelt poetry on a typical Sunday night at the legendary Green Mill (Chicago, IL, USA) where he has been the most masterful of Master of Ceremonies for over a decade. We wanted to capture Marc’s poetry but also to highlight his marvelous way of working with the crowd and poets throughout the night. Once the mics were turned on, however, we decided to record the entire evening and give you a complete Sunday Evening at the Green Mill. So we let the tape roll and as a result, you can listen to almost two and a half hours of poetry, including the open mic, featured poet Taylor Mali, and a 7-poet slam judged by 3 highly idiosyncratic judges whose qualifications, as Marc attests, are non-existent. The piano accompaniment was masterfully played by David Flippo.

Incidentally, Taylor Mali was a wonderful feature who truly blew the audience away and who you may recognize from his major role in the movie SlamNation.

It was also our good fortune that C. J. Laity of Chicagopoetry.com was there on the night of May 6 and wrote a review which is posted on his website. What a nice reminder of what journalism is for!

Click here to stream the entire show.
Click here to stream just the open mic segment.
Click here to stream just the feature, Taylor Mali.
Click here to stream just the slam contest.

Regie Gibson

Regie Gibson, a winner of the 1998 National Slam Competition, was edged out for a second place finish in 1999’s competition. We love him anyway. He has taught, lectured and performed in seven countries, most recently Cuba. He’s also the Poet in Residence at the FEO Ellis Center and part of the music group Church of the Funky Word.

The following audio selections are taken from a reading given by Mr. Gibson at Healy’s West Side in Forest Park, Illinois in September 2000.

Click here to stream all the audio selections

In January of 2001, Regie packed up and left Chicago to move to Boston, MA. (Lucky Beantown!) He was given a send-off at Chicago’s Guild Complex. Many of his friends and fellow poets were there to wish him bon voyage and share a poem or two. Regie was kind enough to give the standing-room-only crowd a final performance.

The following pieces were excerpted from this performance. The works were performed by Maria McCray, Avant Retro, and, of course, Regie and friends. Our emcee for the evening was “Mario”.

Due to the Regie’s use of musical accompaniment, each piece is presented in both a standard low-fidelity format and an enhanced high fidelity format. The Lo-Fi pieces are more suited to streaming by folks with modems whereas the Hi-Fi pieces may be streamed by those with broadband connections (cable modem, DSL, etc.)

As such, ChicagoPoetry.com and PoetryPoetry.com joined forces to organize and record a reading documenting the voices of poetic dissent in the Chicago area. The local reading was held at 7:00 PM on February 12th at:

The Launching Pad 4541 N. Ravenswood

Chicago, IL 60640

The performances were simultaneously recorded for posterity (by PoetryPoetry) and transmitted live (by ChicagoPoetry) to an international audience via webcast. To hear Charlie’s commentary on this event click on the [ Stream ] or [ Download ] links.

Please note that the views and opinions voiced in these performances are those of the individual artists, and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff at PoetryPoetry.com. Nevertheless, we at PoetryPoetry are not squeamish. We do not feel that our government has made a morally justifiable case for war against Iraq as it has not exhausted all other alternatives for dealing with their offences. War is–and always should be–the absolute last option. So while our individual opinions may not always coincide, we vigorously defend and promote an artist’s right to be heard.

Click here to stream the entire indexed performance, or click on the Stream or Download links below to listen to individual artists. WARNING: As with any topic that arouses passion and ire, some of the language used may not be suitable for younger or more sensitive souls.

Photo Gallery
From left to right, top to bottom: C.J. Laity, John Starrs, Larry O Dean, Frank DiCostanzo, Steve Glabman, a Liberty Eraser, E. Donald Two-Rivers, Kelly Gilbreth, Charlie Newman, Stella Radulescu, Cathleen Schandelmeier & Katrina, Dan Cleary, Brent Mesick, Mirela Ramona Ciupag, Gene Tanta, Maggie Rubin, Dean Shavit, Jacqui Wolk, Bryan Penberthy, Andrea Change, Jose Bono,

We still offer the complete, unexpurgated, warts-and-all recording–all 2 hours 51 minutes 31 seconds of it–for those who want to hear the raw material. Click here to stream or here to download (warning: file size is 30 megabytes) this reading which includes all the above listed artists.

Also, you may click on the [ Stream ] or [ Download ] links to listen to what Charlie had to say about Poets Against the War.

Quraysh Ali Lansana (photo credit: Cynthia Howe)

PoetryPoetry Workshop

Triolet (pronounced tree o lay), a short French form.

The greatest difficulty in writing an interesting triolet is the requirement that so many lines be repeated (as indicated by the Capital letters in the form description).

Listen to Charlie’s commentary. [ Download | Stream ]

The form the poem takes is as follows: ABaAabAB.

Art is Good

A    Art is good,
B    it helps keep us sane.
a    It can alter your mood.
A    Art is good.
a    Though easily misunderstood
b    if it’s too vague or strange,
A    art is good,
B    it helps keep us sane.

–cr

And a second example that bends the rules just slightly.

Profound

A    I’d like to be profound.
B    It says so right here
a    in this old spiral bound
A    notebook: “I’d like to be profound”
a    to say things that count
b    otherwise, who cares.
A    I’d like to be profound.
B    It says so right here.

–cr

Back to the vault.

Photo credit: Kathleen Rutledge

 

The interview took place in Chicago, Illinois on November 17, 2004, the morning after Mr. Kooser gave the 50^th Annual Poetry Day Reading sponsored by the Poetry Foundation, publishers of Poetry magazine. As part of the interview Mr. Kooser also announced a new poetry initiative, jointly sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and the Library of Congress, designed to get poetry into newspapers across the United States. Newspapers participating in the project will receive, without cost, a regular column, “American Life in Poetry,” written by Mr. Kooser. The total length of the interview is approximately 50 minutes.

By the way, here at poetrypoetry.com we were appreciative of Ted Kooser’s poetry long before his Laureate appointment. After you enjoy the interview/reading you can learn more about him and hear a few more of his poems by going to the “Charlie Says” of September 2000 in the poetrypoetry Vault.

Stream the entire interview in monoaural (best for dialup connections) or…
Stream the interview in stereo (if you have broadband.)

Technical Note: The monoaural selections are encoded in 24Kbps mp3 format and should offer skip-free playback on a standard dial-up connection. The stereo selections are encoded in the new ogg vorbis format (at 64Kbps VBR) and may require an upgrade to your mp3 player. The latest version of Winamp is a good, and free, choice for updating your audio capabilities.

Return to the vault.