OVERDOSED, The Creation Of

The poetry is about being overwhelmed by a series of events sounds and images that are relevant to age. Relevant to my age and my travelling through time. The not so gentle mind trips were event triggered.

I’m going to give you possibly more than you care to know on this little trip. You may also have a difficult time wrapping your head around what I did. You may even feel stimulated and challenged when you’re done reading. If you are I encourage you to your own creation.

We’ll begin this journey with what Overdosed is and what Overdosed is not. Overdosed is not 1 poem but 12 poems all within the 1 poem. How’s your head space so far? Imagine mine. You won’t have to imagine because I’m going tell you all about it. The thoughtlessness, the chaos, the order and the event horizon that made it possible to create Overdosed.

Don’t panic, there will be illustrations as we go.

I’m not going to regurgitate all the events here but I’ll give you a few along the way. The first was the 40^th anniversary of Springsteen appearing on the covers of Time and News Week the same week. Number two on that same day and about 5 minutes after the first slash at my memory was an online album of photographs from Woodstock. No, I wasn’t at Woodstock. The memories were off and running rampant through what I call a mind.

One of the things I’ve shared of myself is that I’m a child of the back end of the sixties. It is a consciousness statement not a drug statement.

Stanza 1

It was the need to give voice and image in words to the feelings of time that I was experiencing. I don’t know why I picked the format I did. I don’t recall ever doing such before. I just started writing and it was thoughtless. After the 7^th line of what is now the 1^st stanza I stopped to give real attention to what I’d written.

As I read I began picking up on other ways to read what I’d written. The first thing I noticed was that the upper case letters spelt out the word, “GASP”. I am someone who loves to write in Acrostic and on rare occasion have had a word form as I’ve written the lines. I read the lines beginning with upper case and thought to myself I have a nice little poem just in those 4 lines. I read the 3 lines beginning in lower case and they also managed to stand alone. I wrote the 8^th line being cognizant of how the structure formed so made that 8^th line go with the other 3 lines beginning in lower case When I had finished that 8^th line I sent what I’d written to Good Friend.

I said to Good Friend pretty much what I’ve said here, Good Friend said, “So, you have 3 poems inside of one. And without even trying. And good poems at that”.

I reiterate, the first Stanza was zero thought until the last line. Just letting the words flow out on to the page.

The Event Horizon

I could have left the poetry there at the 8 lines and had a very nice little piece to show. Thinking on it, and me being me, that wasn’t enough. No, I couldn’t leave it alone. I had to go and expand the concept partly because the story I was telling wasn’t complete and I saw a challenge for myself. I can make this bigger and grander and more interwoven and maintain the singular.

I decided that the poetry required 3 stanzas to tell the story. With that decision I went from a state of thoughtlessness to a state of chaos that would tear the piece apart without the instillation of order as I went.

The ghosts of ages past were talkin’ to me good. The memories right there in the conscious all at once and singularly. It was chaos and not only was it the overwhelming I noted, it was wonderful!

Second Stanza

I wrote part of the 2^nd stanza and sent it to Good Friend asking for opinion. I asked if what I was reading and feeling for the wholes as the stanza was taking shape was in fact taking place. I was seeing a break down in the overall integrity of the piece so I asked “Good Friend” how the stanza part felt.

All the odd/upper case lines work well together throughout both stanzas, as do the even/lower case lines.

But as a whole, I see what you mean. It’s the 2^nd uppers- TAL – that stand out to me. Not quite as fluid. The 1st uppers seem effortless, a more wistful sentiment; 2nd uppers’ flow is more forceful, and the mood more intense. Not bad writing in the least; it just seems like its part of a different poem.

I am very lucky to have “Good Friend” and very much appreciate the help. Good Friend is highly intuitive and knows what they’re doing! Good Friend also has an excellent grasp of my style and delivery. If you don’t have a Good Friend you can bounce off, this one is mine get your own!

The “TAL” noted is part of the word I chose for the 2^nd Stanza, “TALK”. Me and Good Friend had a bit of chatter on that word. I relayed there were ghosts in the first stanza that are the GASP, I see ghosts. Our chatter was about encountering a ghost and how you would TALK to a ghost.

I went back in to the stanza, did some editing to bring the flow and integrity of the sentiment in line with that of the first stanza and added the last upper and lower lines.

Third Stanza

The last word, REST. At some point the time trip travelogue had to stop. I enjoyed the ride and it was past time to get off. The 3^rd stanza contains real sights sounds and emotions as there are in the 2^nd stanza.

I got hung up large on the last stanza. The thing about making order out of chaos is if you let yourself deviate, all you’re left with is a mess. There was never any thought of just blasting it out so I could call it done.

First upper and lower were reasonably straight forward and then came the hang. I tried a few things writing it down in order and the flow and integrity started breaking down again. So much for the order and back to the chaos. Lots of time was spent looking and thinking without much in the way of movement towards completion.

I went looking to the beauty of acrostic for a solution. What I tell people about acrostic is this, “A definitive start, a definitive end, just colour between the lines”.

I went down to the last letter of the word REST and wrote the last upper and lower lines. Then I worked back up to the first upper and lower of the stanza.

Way back there at the top I said, “my travelling through time“. We all travel through time, just really slowly and in the grand scheme of things, not for very long at all.

You`ve seen the singular stanzas. Enjoy the break outs from the whole that stand alone and as you go, each stanza is also a singular stand alone.

I hope all of you have someone like “Good Friend“ that you can bounce off in any direction. Someone that tells you the truth and isn`t afraid to do so because “Good Friend“ knows you`ll do the same for them.

I`m going to say thank you again and give Good Friend the last words on this. I`m thinking “Good Friend“ is correct!

“1 that is 3 poems…3 that is 1 poem…3 that are a separate 3 poems that are also singularly 3 poems…”

Is this not how one explains the Holy Trinity?​

G.R. Hambley ©
November 15, 2015

 

The links will open the poem as it stands alone.

Overdosed; Upper Case Line Starts and they are acrostic.

Ghosts appearing in times of change
Awakened, they stroll callously the recesses
Shades of thee, unfortunate, yet too fortunate
Past practices in pain and pleasure revived

Taking liberty with the parcels of parchments strung
Askance; were such only daggers with power to quell
Long ago’s veil lifted, the times speak as if only yesterday
Keening winds carrying the pitch from low to high

Reel upon reeling reel loading furiously in to conscious
Entrapment takes relentless hold beyond rapture’s kiss
Slick go round on the nostalgia trip winding down
Totally undone, touches of sublime peace in abandonment

G.R. Hambley ©
November 09, 2015

Overdosed; Lower Case Line Starts

recollections in mindful reflections
casting shadow where none had been
directions of one’s own weather vane
where conscience points the arrow marks

ties loosened, memories spinning cyclonic
that that was, materializations with point
the blood sweat and tears in the story of a life
impossible to not be swept up in remembrance

vast pools of sounds and sights, overwhelming
stuck in yesterday, concerns of today passed away
feeling nothing but tangled up and blue
left to be until such time the spring once again winds

G.R. Hambley ©
November 09, 2015

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