Ritual

part of my hot tub series, a little more on the serious side

it began in wonder
a sliver of light
dawn of forever
occult manipulations
in a dream state

part of something bigger
glimpse of the whole
three times knocked
together orb and pole
summoning ancients

magic of purpose
a mass hallucination
sly hypnotism
we band together
in sleepy modernism

credo in unum
as one body
bang the tympanum
right or wrong
it ends in awe

Reviews

[Betty Hermelee]

Once a psychiatrist (friend) tried to hypnotize me, but it failed; your poem paints a beautiful picture of the process so colorfully.....so softly, I almost felt myself being there....Your images are very vivid and clear as if I'm looking at a painting of surrealism....very well done!
Warmly
B.

[Anne Martin]

Yes, I suppose I am a bit of a surrealist. Clocks have melted in the presence of some of my more excitable poems. Thanks!

[Betty Hermelee]

Love that idea!
Yore very welcome!
Warmly, B

[John the Baptist]

I'm a rather concrete sort and a traditional poet on top of that. I don't understand this one, so I can't give you an intelligent review of it.

[Anne Martin]

I've never been a traditional sort. Each stanza is supposed to set off a chain of inferences. In this one I'm referring to the madness of cultism, following a leader, no matter how misguided they may be. They create their own rituals and demand uniformity of thought.

[Ken Simm.]

Hallucination or hypnotic trance. Or even hypnogogic imagery. Take you pick it is all gorgeous. Beautiful almost occult scapes and atmospheres. Meanings and feelings.

[Anne Martin]

Thanks. I was thinking about cults and their rituals at the time, yes, trance-like and hypnotic.

[Tom]

As the crescendo builds the gathering await in excited anticaption just who or what will manifest before them?


' credo in unum
as one body
bang the tympanum
right or wrong
it ends in awe '

Amazing

[Tom]

Forget me not!

[Arundass TP]

Rituals... powerful weapon given to new generation s by our ancestors. They made us what we are today. Great poem

[Ken e Bujold]

Hello Anne, my friend Emma sent me a read request of your poem. Glad she did.
The short staccato bursts of each line, image here, suggestion of action there, works like a hypnotic spell being chanted over the senses. it began/sliver of light/glimpse of whole/magic/hallucination one following the other, driving the reader along. And then the piece de resistance, clever insertion of latin unum in true rhyme with tympanum. All makes for a grand read. My first of yours, but shall certainly return for more

ken

[Anne Martin]

Thanks, Ken. I seem to be disposed to short lines of 5-7 syllable, except when I use tongue-twisting invented words. (Not in this one.) Cheers, A

[emmajoygreen]

Utterly visual, stanza by stanza, filling your canvas of words with growing colour and mood.

' magic of purpose
a mass hallucination
sly hypnotism
we band together
in sleepy modernism '

Your use of words is more than fine, each seeming to be part of a completion of thought: almost a jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing but.. there.. somewhere.

[Anne Martin]

Many of my poems play with word order and elision, creating ambiguity. I intend all of the possible meanings, leaving the reader to decide what works for them. In other poems it is more like sound art, even throwing in some nonsense words.

Thanks, again.

[emmajoygreen]

When writing, there has to be or can be a reason for doing this or that. Many thanks for explaining, it enhances my attempt to tell you what I found in your writing - at least, best I could!