The Mystery Guests
Word-Bird
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G&B, ‘Portrait Head’ (from Shutterstock.com)
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Through the day, they do little but rest on a towel
hanging over the back of a chair.
They are slightly fleshed beings, neither fishy nor fowl
and with wings amidst traces of hair.
Evening comes; it is often our watch-party time,
with a friend who resides in the Lakes.
He is pleasant and correct with an interest in rhyme
and a talent for crafting fine cakes.
We begin, and our guests come to join us as well,
scuttling over our screen with great glee.
When it’s over, they simply return to their towel;
there were two of them, now there are three.
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Fliss: Well met again, dear Word-Bird!
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W.-B.: And well met to thee, FT; we are back by popular demand!
F: Yes indeed; I should mention that you received positive feedback on your poem in the previous issue of WM from one ‘meter-reader‘, including the hope you would return for this issue.
W.-B.: Meter-reader is so kind! I am a minuscule presence in Poetry World, so it is good of anyone to take the time to read.
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F: W.-B., if you’re minuscule I must be microscopic! Well, that seems a good cue to turn to this month’s contribution, about our latest visitors here.
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W.-B.: Very much so! They too are small, yet of interest in the tradition of poetry on the theme of a certain type of visitor, or guest as the poem has it.
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F: How interesting, W.-B. I was not aware of this tradition! It seems to involve a Light approach and a little word-play here and there. Our John Isbell was quite complimentary about it, enjoying its ’wry riddling tone’, not least in the flesh, fish, fowl alliteration, and in ’pleasant and correct’ too! He did wonder about the syllable count through line 7 there, but we were quick to realise that had everything to do with his chiefly American ears.
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W.-B.: That is often the way! I am glad John enjoyed the poem. Yes, I see, ’correct’ might well be two syllables to his ears, being those of an American chief, while it is one to mine; and ’interest’, his three to my two?
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F: Precisely! And I suppose a US reader might hear ’be-ings’ too. When I read a poem, I always aim to hear the reader’s voice in my head, so any such discrepancies are resolved.
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W.-B.: That is fun! And the meter may guide our hearing as well, I think. Here we have alternating tetrameter and trimeter (4 and 3), and (I hope!) regular anapaests throughout: o-o-O, to use my notation.​
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F: I do like your notation, W.-B. ‘Big egg, little egg‘, it seems to me. I share your reading, but we‘re open to feedback of course!
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W.-B.: Always! And also to cake!
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F: Yes, if anyone wishes to send us a cake, that too would be well received. As we close, let‘s take a moment to thank the friend in the poem for his assistance with Well Met this month. Thanks also to all our contributors and to our readers as usual! We hope to be back at the beginning of August. Until then, take care of yourselves and any guests you might receive!
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Word-Bird has been Colombine Companion to FT since 2011, after FT sustained a life-changing injury in hospital. This affected her right knee and somewhat impacted her brain too. Over the years, W.-B. has become increasingly well known in poetry circles and is happy to be on pleasant terms with a number of excellent poets.
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