Fleur Blüm

Fleur Blüm, a Melbourne-based writer, performer, and musician, crafts fiction with a romantic twist, infused with feminist themes. 

Allusions

Today, my writing group held their all day writing seminar. The second session, on poetry, was a panel moderated by me. It went really very well, the participants were enthusiastic and willing to learn and discuss, the panel members were knowledgeable and the whole thing ran very well.

As part of the panel, I asked everyone to write a poem. I had spend some time talking about pantoums,and read them this one, Pleasure in Elysium, from my friend Louise Carter at Alone with Beauty, which they all really loved, and I was inspired to write one of my own.

 

Allusions

The past is a foreign country

Who is in need of a wife

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

Don’t go gentle into that good night

 

Who is in need of a wife

When he awoke from unsettling dreams

Don’t go gentle into that good night

Or call a rose by any other name

 

When he awoke from unsettling dreams

Staring at hills like white elephants

Or call a rose by any other name

Fog everywhere. Fog up the river

 

Staring at hills like white elephants

Two star cross’d lovers take their life

Fog everywhere. Fog up river

Sailing the waters back to Grey Havens

 

Two star cross’d lovers take their life

The past is a foreign country

Sailing the waters back to Grey Havens

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

3 responses to “Allusions”

  1. Hey, cheers bro! ‘Pleasure’ was a poem that came to me while I was falling asleep one night – it was floating away from me like a sunset but I managed to get the first two lines down in my phone before I passed out. ‘I will not encourage others to fly’ is a line that Bart Simpson has written on the blackboard (I was planning to write an entire pantoum out of Bart Simpson blackboard lines but it never quite came together). Pantoums rock. I see you’ve also referenced (the great) Dylan Thomas – you should try your hand at a Villanelle, they are frustrating but fun. 🙂

    -Lou

    1. You’re welcome, you’re one of my favourite poets. I think I tried a villanelle while I was doing a poetry challenge thing in April, but uh, I don’t think I ever finished it. Maybe I’ll give that another go.

      1. Well worth the effort, those Villanelles. Pesky but interesting. 🙂

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