Sunday, October 6, 2013

Metronomic

Each of your days
is composed in equal measures.
You breathe, eat, sleep, a musical score;
bars of hours, notations of moments.

Everything clicked and clacked
in reductionist order;
a natural metronome
I've never seen in anyone else.

You modulate discord,
anything that qualifies as static,
with the harmony of seconds
continually playing in your head.

Clocks tick in every room
a steady andante of sixty tocks per minute;
a perfect tempo for the slow movement
of Beethoven Seven.


tk/October 2013


R.A.D. Stainforth reads between the ticking of clocks... 



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34 comments:

  1. Yes! A metronome... love clicked and clacked!

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  2. too much order to let another in...

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  3. " a natural metronome
    I've never seen in anyone else. "

    Oh I really like that.

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  4. This stanza; You modulate discord,
    anything that qualifies as static,
    with the harmony of seconds
    continually playing in your head.
    Was excellent Tess! Bravo!

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  5. TIME: my FAVORITE TOPIC!!! But I cannot post until later...LOVE THIS, I'm still joyfully pondering,
    "You modulate discord,
    anything that qualifies as static,
    with the harmony of seconds...

    continually playing in your head.

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  6. clicked and clacked in reductionistic order- sounds like a metronome.

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  7. Delicious sound and cadence. Music and time, a natural pairing. I could hear notes here.

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  8. I so like life being a musical score- this has a "perfect tempo" ....

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  9. we all walk to our own beat....nicely put Tess. Thanks for this image and all the other weeks of Magpies

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  10. Tess: Love the word play " a musical score; bars of hours, notations of moments"

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  11. "Each of your days
    is composed in equal measures.
    You breathe, eat, sleep, a musical score;
    bars of hours, notations of moments."

    Can picture that this is how the great composers live their lives. Lovely piece, Tess.

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  12. Very cool. Love how you wove this together.

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  13. Our time is already set by great mighty Lord and when the time's up, we have to go.

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  14. I liked the phrasing 'a steady andante' - it really fit well with the rest of the imagery.

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  15. Yes the poor U.S govt is looking exhausted , isnt he !

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  16. Modulating discord .... if only. Lovely poem, Tess.

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  17. Very fine:

    You breathe, eat, sleep, a musical score;
    bars of hours, notations of moments.

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  18. The pacing of this is perfect. I find "steady andante" is one of those choice bits that will reside on my tongue for some time.
    (Thanks for a "boost".)

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  19. This one is a beaut! I read it three times for the sheer pleasure of it.

    What I love best is the tone, which feels at once rather carefully neutral and (I may be projecting here...) subtly dismissive.

    It reminds me of the poems I write to my husband when I am mad at him.

    =)

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  20. I agree that 3rd stanza brilliant! Fantastic job as always

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  21. 'a steady andante of sixty tocks per minute' lovely lovely - all of it.
    Anna :o]

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  22. It is so curious how the same prompt leads people to different takes :-)

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  23. You wrote a lovely poem, but for me I'm still smiling at clicked and clacked because I used to listen to a radio talk show with a similar name.

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  24. My springs need replacing real bad.

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  25. This is a lovely poem, Tess, especially the metronome imagery.

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  26. Its been along time since I've visited with you. I missed that. But as time ticked by, I got lost . But I'm found now...with the help of friends. Your writing is still lovely.
    XXOO,
    Marie Antoinette

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  27. Love that metronome image. I have read this twice, and it keeps on ticking!

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  28. I love the click and clack of a clock. Nice piece.

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  29. Everything clicked and clacked
    in reductionist order;

    And your poem, Tess, whenever I drop by, is brilliantly timely.

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  30. I love the musical theme. Beautiful writing. :-)

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  31. Yes, it is your timing - which no doubt is exactly what you intended? To perfectly metaphor this poem with this image... As LaTonya says above - music and timing, the perfect partners to create this particular dance of yours. You clever woman, you! Each of your poems is composed in equal measure of careful brilliance.

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  32. I love the way the sounds enforce the sense, the clicks clacks tiques tox of words. The music says it all (and i do love Beethoven's 7th). Brilliantly done, ma'am. Thank you.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)