Thinking about "Cloud of Witnesses" by G.C. Waldrep

In continuing to read Waldrep's poems in his collection titled Disclamor, I took particular interest in the work "Cloud of Witnesses."  I enjoy Waldrep's sophisticated and vague imagery that creates a multi-sensory experience for the reader.  I could see the sun setting, hear the insects noising, and feel the coolness of the summer evenings, when he writes, "I crave the aftersilence. Angry buzz as night falls: that artificial sun, ...."

While most of the poem responds to obscurities and symbolism, he sticks to a very modern approach to writing.  There is also an interesting spacing and line-break arrangement.  These examples are shown below...

"...and I think the phone will ring. It always has. It is not ashamed of      this, ..."

"seeking their gilded herm, their bone-skep pene-
trate and stop at one single point, as light in certain media."

 Waldrep, in "Cloud of Witness," continues to present ideas in a very new and original way.  He writes in an unpredictable way that inspires the reader to research the meaning of his style and work.

...now what?

No matter what,
I'm right.
No matter what,
I'm wrong.

It's like waiting to finally jump,
to the tune of the most beautiful song.

There's always a path to walk on,
always a place to go,
someone to see,
a friend,
work.

so many cigarettes.

It's not easy letting somebody down,
because every time it happens,
I feel myself slipping.

Choose.

And deal.

"Battery O'Rorke" - G.C. Waldrep

The poems that stand out most in G.C. Waldrep's second collection, Disclamor, are the battery poems, a series of nine poems dispersed throughout the collection describing nine different military fortifications on the northern California coast.  I examined the fourth poem in which Waldrep describes the power of words and the trouble that war brings.  Battery O'Rorke is named after Colonel Patrick Henry O'Rorke who graduated from West Point Military Academy and was killed in the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War.

The first thing Waldrep does is reminds us of how things quickly disappear and also how things change over time.  "What is written here fades quickly. / Faces drawn in chalk / names."  Waldrep is noting the graffiti covering the abandoned fort, which used to stand for the security of our nation.  His somber tone then reflects his position concerning war.  "West, east, the longitudes of war. / This is no place for monuments."

Waldrep shows us how words are so important.  "The beach ignores the power of words / as words ignore the power of things."  He means that violence and fear can be avoided by rationalization and collaboration, but both stand no chance against weapons and war.  He notices that there is a very humanistic element missing from the motivation to build such a place as a battery.  Communication.

The structure and literary techniques that Waldrep use are unique to his style.  The lines are very sporadically spaced, possibly to slow down the pace of the poem or to mirror the broken armament.  Also the poem is intentionally divided into four parts, all of which have a different number of lines.  Waldrep uses repetition frequently and does not try to avoid obscurities despite naming himself "a very minor poet" in the third section.  "I walked to the sea as I walk to the sea, / I am a creature of the sea."  And another example, " I want as I have always wanted."

G.C. Waldrep in "Battery O'Rorke," comments on the misfortune of war and the strength of words.  His folk-like style and his Whitman-like sentence structure are combined to have a lasting emotional connection with the reader.

G.C. Waldrep is an esteemed poet and writer who has received recognition including the Flannery O'Connor award, the NEA grant, and the 2003 Colorado Prize for Poetry.  He currently teaches at Bucknell University.

Waking Up and Parting Ways

I saw you out the window.
Made me wish I wasn't stuck in here.
As if I didn't know this is supposed to happen.

It wasn't my decision,
but I wish it could have been mine.
If only I didn't hold myself back.

I disguise caring with not caring,
but you bring me back.

I look through a pinhole,
eyes half shut.
You're in the crow's nest.

and you see me.

The Poetry of World War I

In examining World War I poetry, a poem that caught my eye was Guillaume Apollinaire's poem "The Little Car" because of the picture section in the middle.  At first the picture was vague to me, but after a little research I learned that the technique is called a calligramme.  This calligramme is in the shape of an automibile.  

Furthermore, the poem interested me because the perspective of the speaker, a soldier and Apollinaire, is almost optimistic.  In reading other World War I poetry, the grotesque images of battle, death, and starvation, overwhelm the reader with a distaste for war.  "The Little Car" however describes a soldier being liberated or reborn from his involvement in such an important movement.  Apollinaire was from Poland but actually moved to France to enlist. He died two days before the cease fire was recognized on November 11, 1918.

Poets Against the War

In class we examined post 9/11 and antiwar poetry to look more closely at political poetry.  The website considered for this examination <http://www.poetsagainstthewar.org> was founded in 2003 and anthologizes numerous poems from numerous poets opposing the invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq, and the war in Pakistan.  

A poem that interested me was written by a man from Iraq, Paul Batou.  "Minor Dream" is a poem that uses a list technique to describe a sort of childish state as in a nursery rhyme.  The descriptions of things that every child should have in life is counterpointed by the last line.  The impact is very significant.  The "liberating" war effort, as some call it, makes hardship for innocent people, describes Batou.  

Interestingly, Batou is also a painter.  He is a pharmaceutical graduate from the University of Baghdad, but he says his interest remains in the world of art. 

Welcome to my English Lit Blog

I'm keeping this blog for Intro to Literature: Poetry.  I'm studying Charles Simic for my individual poetry project and learning about Modern and Contemporary poetry with the class.  This blog intends to share class discussions and topics as well as personal reflections and assignments.