Thank you for sharing this. What. Beautiful sestina. I have written two. One about addiction and one about terrifying dissociative episodes I would have as a child. This form, to my mind, feels inevitable. Like a spiral or obsession. But you’ve done something different. That fourth stanza absolutely sings. I can see my mother’s cookbook, and the picture of her brother. Better than any novel.
I’ll be creeping around your poems for spell, if you’ll have me.
Beautiful, Joe. Planting saplings among the novels took me back to an art project Beth did at Eckerd, part of which involved burying books and unearthing them weeks later. Your poem brought up that nostalgia and so much more. As I think a sestina is well tuned to do with all the doubling back.
I remember this art project! Not surprising, I suppose, given the intimacy of our artistic community and the subject’s appeal. Thank you for bringing it back to mind—and for your words, gracious as ever.
Thank you for sharing this. What. Beautiful sestina. I have written two. One about addiction and one about terrifying dissociative episodes I would have as a child. This form, to my mind, feels inevitable. Like a spiral or obsession. But you’ve done something different. That fourth stanza absolutely sings. I can see my mother’s cookbook, and the picture of her brother. Better than any novel.
I’ll be creeping around your poems for spell, if you’ll have me.
Thank you for sharing this note of appreciation, T.S.! My poems and I will be most pleased to have you.
Beautiful, Joe. Planting saplings among the novels took me back to an art project Beth did at Eckerd, part of which involved burying books and unearthing them weeks later. Your poem brought up that nostalgia and so much more. As I think a sestina is well tuned to do with all the doubling back.
I remember this art project! Not surprising, I suppose, given the intimacy of our artistic community and the subject’s appeal. Thank you for bringing it back to mind—and for your words, gracious as ever.
I can’t even. Beautiful and well crafted.
Thank you kindly, Kim!
My grandmother passed at 96 last week and this one hits home in many other ways. Beautiful piece.
My condolences on her passing. May her memory be a blessing.
lovely!
Thank you, kind Elle! For the well-wishes and the generous reading. I hope you find something useful in these words.