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Other people’s borrowed books
are lodgers on my crowded shelves.
Their broken spines, when spotted, speak
of characters beyond themselves;
of people I no longer see.
Time and distance intervene
but each is proof of some intent
to render joy or furnish truth.
I think about the books I’ve lent
and wonder what they say of me.
Hi Travis,
Short, succinct, beautifully formed economy of words to pose a simple question. A super distillation of ideas,
Regards,
A.E.
Travis Brow
Tue 30th Sep 2014 12:25
Thank you very much M.C.I'm flattered. I must admit that in vital respects I consider myself a traditionalist. For instance, I don't think I'd ever have a mobile phone, or similar, in any poem i wrote. I suppose I, and any poet really, aims for universality and timelessness. Thanks again.
I have read this poem a number of times since
my previous post and it has one definable
quality: the ability to cross the ages.
It could just as easily been written by Leigh
("Jenny Kissed me") Hunt or W.E. Henley as by a contemporary poet.
One of the best on WOL at any time.
Travis Brow
Thu 25th Sep 2014 15:33
You're right on the money Natalie - that's exactly what i was thinking, but then i started thinking it seemed a little dismissive. Still, as you and Dom think the title's good enough, i'll leave it as it is. Thank you both for your responses.
I think shelved is okay. It has meanings within meanings...as Natalie points out. Don't make me rack my brain!
Travis Brow
Thu 25th Sep 2014 12:21
Thanks Daniel, adequate rather than perfect i would say - speaking for myself and of my own output, there's almost always room for improvement.
Have you gigged lately?
This is more than fine Andy. It is absolutely perfect. Shelved is spot on for me... but I would never suggest changing perfection.
Travis Brow
Thu 25th Sep 2014 06:44
Thank you Dom, thank you Natalie, thank you M.C. I've been inadvertently clocking borrowed books on my shelves for years but it's odd the way one glance leads to a poem, when a hundred others never did.
I was thinking of changing the title to Chapters, as in 'periods of a life'. I'd appreciate your views.
Thanks again, your comments are most heartening.
A fine example of "less is more".
Expertly constructed, it leaves the mind dwelling
on the unusual way it uses human contact in a
literary analogy.
Good work Andy, Laura's reaction same as mine of course: part of the process. It's all there.
Travis Brow
Wed 24th Sep 2014 10:37
Thank you Laura, thank you Steve,most kind. I'll endeavour to get them back to you asap Laura...
Oh - so it's YOU that's got all those books I can't find then! ;)
I love this little poem. A huge amount said in so few words.
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Travis Brow
Wed 8th Oct 2014 06:52
Thank you Anthony, i appreciate your comment.