Beautiful, Rebecca!! I really enjoyed reading that. I have a whale poem too. Sadly, I can't share it right now because it is entered in a poetry comp. My latest poem does have a"whale mention," but that's not quite the same thing....
Poems are like whales though, I always feel. A great weight and bulk moving beneath the surface of consciousness - a mass of unseen life - and then when you least expect, it breaches, leaping into view......
Thankyou! I will share the poem when it is free of other commitments. Although I have won a few, the whole "poetry competition" thing is a bit mad. I'm stepping back into sharing my work after a long absence. Substack seems like a good place, so far, but I'm new to this...
I'm also pretty new here, six weeks in, but I agree Substack seems like a great place, and the perfect place to start sharing work again. Readers are so supportive and kind. I'm in the same boat of deciding whether submitting for magazines and competitions is worth it for me. It's so nice releasing little poems into the world on my own terms (and having direct engagement like yours!).
Well, this is gorgeous. "A tooth in a landscape of tongues." That phrase/image will stay with me. That and salt and sand and bodies collapsing in on themselves.
Also, I love the rib-shaped structure of this poem.
And also, thank you so much for pointing people to my piece. It's been among my favorites to write recently.
Beautiful, Rebecca!! I really enjoyed reading that. I have a whale poem too. Sadly, I can't share it right now because it is entered in a poetry comp. My latest poem does have a"whale mention," but that's not quite the same thing....
Poems are like whales though, I always feel. A great weight and bulk moving beneath the surface of consciousness - a mass of unseen life - and then when you least expect, it breaches, leaping into view......
good luck in the competition - please share it when you can, I'd love to read it! and oh how I love the image of a poem as a whale - yes!!
Thankyou! I will share the poem when it is free of other commitments. Although I have won a few, the whole "poetry competition" thing is a bit mad. I'm stepping back into sharing my work after a long absence. Substack seems like a good place, so far, but I'm new to this...
I'm also pretty new here, six weeks in, but I agree Substack seems like a great place, and the perfect place to start sharing work again. Readers are so supportive and kind. I'm in the same boat of deciding whether submitting for magazines and competitions is worth it for me. It's so nice releasing little poems into the world on my own terms (and having direct engagement like yours!).
Beautiful.
Thank you Katie!
“Drowning in the / hollow” is such a beautifully succinct way to phrase it; I love it
Thanks so much Ezra!
Well, this is gorgeous. "A tooth in a landscape of tongues." That phrase/image will stay with me. That and salt and sand and bodies collapsing in on themselves.
Also, I love the rib-shaped structure of this poem.
And also, thank you so much for pointing people to my piece. It's been among my favorites to write recently.
utterly concur those phrases are amazing!
thank you Susannah! 🥰
ah thank you Holly!! So glad you enjoyed it, and so happy I could link your piece - it seems like the perfect whale-wonder partner for this poem.
That was wonderful
So glad you enjoyed it Jonathan, thank you!
https://substack.com/profile/279325664-john-shane/note/c-100147387