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Sunday 23 January 2011

To the good people of Writers Island... please return my cigarette packet!

From Writers' Island this week: this -


and the one word:
Clarity




This has the clarity
of poetic
ambiguity,

the clarity
of fitness for a purpose,

the beauty
of an effect
called a venturi.

(An hour glass-shaped constriction
to a flow of gas or liquid in a pipe.)

We see one used
as part of:

an inspirator or inhaler
mixing gas and air;
or
an atomiser spraying hair;
or
a clarinet or a trombone
speeding breath for a better tone;
or
a carburetor sucking fuel;
or
a vacuum cleaner sucking dust;
or
where the jet plane gets its thrust;
or
a scuba diving regulator
controlling the amount of air;

or none of these:
a lakescape: hills and mountains
establishing themselves on land.

Or none of the above,
but cleverly disguised as one of them,
and confounding all those sex police and censors,
an hour glass figure - feminine - reclines
increasing for a while the flow of love
or ecstacy
or both.


It is of course the jet plane's engine. I know this for a fact, because during WWII my father worked at Farnborough with Frank Whittle on its development. Naturally, it was very hush-hush at the time, but he drew the engine for me. And to emphasise it's hush-hushness, he drew it on the inside of a cigarette packet. The packet went missing years ago, b ut somehow it has ended up on Writers' Island!

18 comments:

anthonynorth said...

Cleverly done. A search for clarity far and wide.

Jim Murdoch said...

Impressed with this one, Dave. A little surprised you didn't include the drawing on the fag packet within the body of the poem even though only you would get it but all credit to you for keeping it clean. I particularly like the voice in this piece. I can imagine it reading well aloud.

David Cranmer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
David Cranmer said...

I like the history included with the lines, Dave.

Kass said...

Very engaging and clever. I learn something new about you with every post. So many styles - so many avenues in your mind - which one will you wander down next?

Anonymous said...

A clever and poetic stream of consciousness. Bravo.

Elizabeth said...

Have to agree with Viv, wonderful flow of images and thought process, funny and illuminating,

Elizabeth

flaubert said...

Dave, a clever write that flows with ease. I enjoyed the writeup at the end.
Pamela

RJ Clarken said...

I was utterly compelled to see how this flow would end. I was not disappointed. I really was pleased to read the story-behind-the-story at the end, too.

Short Poems said...

This is a lovely poem. Really well put together :)

Jeanne Estridge said...

Not sure which is more beautiful: the picture or your words.

Rachel Fenton said...

I love this poem - the shape, the form, the past ellipsing into the now in the history of it - so many things married so well.

Reflections said...

Wonderful flow... love the history following as well. Nice images.

Dave King said...

anthonynorth
Always searching for that! Thanks.

Jim
Appreciate those helpful remarks Jim. Yes, strange I know. I had thought of including a cigarette packet (Senior Service it was - do they have them still?) but didn't consider the drawing!

David
Helpful to know that. Thanks.

Kass
If I'm revealing that much I shall have to watch it! Thanks though.

vivinfrance
Hi, welcome, and thanks for commenting. Good to have you aboard.

Eliabeth
Good to know. Very helpful. Thanks.

flaubert
A warm welcome to you and good to hear your comments.

lightverse
Hi and welcome. I am grateful for your visit and your comments. Much appreciated.

Short Poems
Hi. Really good to have you visiting. Your comments are greatly appreciated.

Jeanne
I'll happily settle for either! Thanks.

Rachel
Thanks. Very grateful to you for such a helpful comment.

Reflections
Thanks again. Much appreciated.

Tilly Bud said...

I love the layout: it's like one hourglass on top of another; time runs out and then doesn't; things change; and don't. Nicely done.

Cait O'Connor said...

I adore that picture.

Dave King said...

Tilly
Hi, welcome and many thanks for such a generous comment.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

you are quite productive here.

I am the one who feel ashamed.
admire your creativity here.
keep it up.