Three Word Wednesday requires participants
to use the three words of the week in a composition.
The words this week were brutal, grope and transfer.
The form is a Herrick's Stanza.
Life
Viewed from it’s most brutal aspect,
Life is a constant fight
For food and a possible chance
To transfer our genes like
A baton
In a race is passed on:
Advanced
To the back reaching hand,
Groping for contact and connect,
To know and understand.
---
© J Cosmo Newbery 2013
---
I don't have any constructive comments, but I did like your poem. You also used the words differently than most of the other 3WW posts that I read.
ReplyDeleteThanks Heidi - I try to look at the words beyond their initial impact and find a different angle if I can.
DeleteInteresting poem and creative use of the words. Life is tough for those with responsibilities. Modern life is stressful with even greater demands on our time leaving little room for making meaningful connections.Poets are lucky because we can say more in a few words than a 'normal' person can in a three page letter.
ReplyDeleteYes, we rely on others filling in tyhe gaps but they don't always do it successfully. cf The Five Blind men and the Elephant
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant
I really like this analogy, J Cosmo. You are always so inventive in how you handle words that are handed to you. It's beautiful (if you'll allow me to get a bit sentimental) ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you. It takes a while for the thing to take form but it is fun doing it.
DeleteNicely written, but I think life is about so much more than this.
ReplyDeleteSo...you want verses two, three and four?
DeleteLife is a struggle ... well said !!!
ReplyDeleteLife is brutal & is always a fight ~ We are not that different from animals slugging it out for food and survival ~
ReplyDeleteI do admire Herrick's stanza & form ~ Cheers ~
We are animals!
DeleteI actually find this form hard to read and get the flow of, but the concepts in there are good
ReplyDeleteI tried to write it as prose with the rhyming pattern secondary.
DeleteWell written...well portrayed; you painted a picture for all to imagine and understand.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteYou're welcome
DeleteFelt there was a nice flow to this. I agree that life is a fight although it's worth fighting for :)
ReplyDeleteNice capture of existence, fight on!
ReplyDeleteNeat comparison of the relay race and the drive to procreate. We grope for a little more as we seek blindly what we term love. Great poem, makes me think.
ReplyDelete"groping for contact and connect" so very much said so succinctly :)
ReplyDeletethat's a really sad thought but sadly true
ReplyDeleteSeeing society and our own part in it for what they are, is unsettling, to say the least, which tends to blind us and keep us in denial...This piece made me thinking!...neat one!
ReplyDeleteSo much to be got from such a short piece. I never really thought about the genes aspect. I really liked this:
ReplyDelete"a possible chance
To transfer our genes like
A baton
In a race is passed on"
Excellent use of the form, J.C. Your central image is an amazing description of the manner so many relationships play out these days.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kerry, I have become quite partial to the form.
DeleteI enjoyed this very much! You have really come up with a unique perspective on life!
ReplyDeleteI especially like the striving towards the back reaching hand, the passing of the baton.
ReplyDeleteI love this. Well done.
ReplyDeleteHere is my offering: http://mcguffysreader.blogspot.com/2013/03/womens-day.html
Nicely done!! I love the idea of the baton-relay gene pool. The whole poem is beautifully written :-)
ReplyDeleteI think you used the words well. I am interested in the Herrick's stanza. I looked it up but could find no reference - except that it doesn't seem to be related to the work of Robert Herrick. Can you elucidate?
ReplyDeletehttp://withrealtoads.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-sunday-mini-challenge_29.html
DeleteAh, so it's Robert after all! Many thanks.
DeleteGroping to know and understand...oh yes, this we do.
ReplyDelete