An example of "Blackout-Built-Upon" Poetry:
I blacked out a section of John Masefield's "Good Friday" (1916)
and then build upon those words to create my poem.
This is based on pages 29-38.
“Enter Madman”
The Madman observes.
The days wore wine, gold feasted.
Then an uneasy current Burst,
a perfect crystal world gone mad.
The valley brook, sweet with heat,
wheels took, gave, forsook
that green soul’s take. Ache.
Bayed the sentry with spear,
“Stand, send, denied,”
to urgently. wait. bloodshed.
The Bloodshed trade of
sentry's
God’s
soldier’s,
Sirs and scree and riot indeed.
The crew yell blood,
Stop breath,
Go. Going. Regret.
A scroll cuts the soul,
Exit written,
Exit watches below the march gate,
Wheel close, as the oboe goes,
and the bronze closed.
The Madman remains.
His cut blood brow runs old now,
old like filth bread.
Drag the gate.
Give way to the solders.
Wait aside, . . .while they sang:
“We crucified the one word of Lord Madman.”
The Madman wheels his own demand:
“Stand back from this thing you did.
Your tame sword heard, began,
mistaken, misled, get, got,
killed the thing aside.
“Your company kept up a front
while you wheeled down doors,
barracks, gate within,
lifted, reeled, sang: ‘bring the prisoner.’
“Hurry, you nailed,
ends always soon,
spear him fore the moon march mud flings,
hurry then write at an empty board and bench.
“Goodbye means Exit,
preaching goodbye
to the green soldier and his
biscuits of rye.
“Darker falling dark. Listen.
Hark. Shock.
‘God celebrates the Madman’s funerals.’”
Then shouts sing killed, hanged, scourged.
Wisdom-wise, the wisdom eyes sang
blinded aloud:
“Only a bloody God would care for blood.”
The Madman pauses, sings:
“God, in the pure stars,
suffered scars,
scars so mad to know
their cries off nailed their yells.
“The captain’s winters freeze,
The Madman’s summers burn,
The last bugle recalls.”
March 16-19, 2021
Another exercise to lead to the creation of new poem.
A Blackout-Built-Upon Poem form called "Sonnet in 28 Words".
Using John Masefield's sonnets (1915), I blacked out all but 2 words per line.
Rules include:
no choosing of both words of rhyming pairs,
final version can adjust words with added suffixes but not change word,
must stay in order.
"Page 73"
Flesh, dusty
Gone windy,
old floor,
blind window-pane,
useless moon
full. Full
along alleys
played by
instant felt,
seized whosoe'er
saints anoint.
Loves part,
not understood
their flesh.
April 4, 2021
