What I said
Rebounds,
Resounds
In ways
I did not say

My words
Return in fractals
I do not comprehend
Less than ever said
But more than I
Intend

Words live
Forever
In the ether.
Spirit voices
Once raised
Transcend,
Weave rounds,
Viral wreaths and
Endless fugues of
Arial arrays

The life of the word
Is unbroken
The speaker hears
Only a token
Of what anyone
Has ever
Spoken.

© Roy Conant

14 Responses to “Echoes (Revised 042308)”

1. Roy Conant Says:
   April 23rd, 2008 at 5:13 pm

   I won’t make a practice of reposting, but this and one or two other compositions were posted without sufficient attention to aural comprehension… While the kernel of meaning (is there such extant?) remains, the presentation is radically different. Enjoy! roy

2. Ida Werrett Says:
   April 23rd, 2008 at 6:58 pm

   This is very good , Roy. Worth the reposting. Enjoyed.
   Ida

3. oxygon Says:
   April 24th, 2008 at 9:56 am

   Who was it that said, “Not the Word, but in the beginning was relations” ? The poem, as Edward Hirsch so eloquently points out, is a process of revelation and discovery between the poet and the reader, that as the poem is read, the poet is transformed through the edification of the mind of the reader! I never thought of it this way, but the “relation” is there in what the poem does to and in the mind of the reader. This poem catches on fire in the closing stanza, as it reaffirms the hunger to hear more of what is spoken against our incapacity to consume the whole loaf!

   The Word is here so eloquently spoken!

   Art

4. oxygon Says:
   May 1st, 2008 at 11:43 am

   Ah, the latter is greater than the former! That attests to the value of digging deeper into the stores of experiences and the well spring of imagination. Excellent work, Roy!

   Art

5. oxygon Says:
   December 18th, 2008 at 9:20 pm

   I go back to this one Roy, from time to time, and each reading reveals a beautiful architecture of thought. The words speak more than the poet intends as they rebound and resound in that ether undefined, but suffices for a transcendence we can’t quite grasp—in fractals the poet admits he can’t comprehend. I think you said somewhere that language has an existence in itself, a life of its own, and we use it as a tool to “make” the art of communication bond us to each other and the world. All of that aside, I can’t help but notice how well crafted this poem is, and how it is simply beautiful in the sound of itself when read aloud, No, I’m not on anything but a rerspite from a trying day, and a lament of the loss of snow!

   art

6. oxygon Says:
   December 18th, 2008 at 9:21 pm

   “rerspite” might cause one to think I am indeed on something!

   art

7. oxygon Says:
   December 18th, 2008 at 11:44 pm

   By the way Roy, I tried to send you a message via Facebook, but was routed through a maze of hoops! Is that the way it normally works?

   art

8. clematis Says:
   December 19th, 2008 at 1:28 am

   indeed art – i think you’re always on something!

   yes this is so perfect a poem – its quite frustrating – with the last stanza as real clincher.

9. Roy Conant Says:
   December 19th, 2008 at 1:53 am

   Hi Art — I’m glad I checked my comments otherwise I might have missed this message. You shouldn’t gave gotten a maze of hoops — but, I think I found you and sent you a friend invite. When you click on my name or image and choose “Send Message” it should pop up an email template with From, Subject, and Message boxes. Since we have not added each other as facebook friends facebook will then tell you if you send the message that your profile will be visible to the recipient.

   If you accept me as a facebook friend we’ll also be able to chat in a private chat when we are both online

   I also suggested Yann, Debbee and Marina as possible facebook friends.

   I’ll be looking for you there, man!

10. Roy Conant Says:
    December 19th, 2008 at 1:54 am

    Hey Clematis — Yes. That last stanza explains why I can see and hear what you did not intend… rofl ROFL!!!

11. Roy Conant Says:
    December 19th, 2008 at 1:55 am

    Thanks, Art for your comments on the poem. This is one of my favorites, too — though (and don’t tell Clematis this) I am thinking about changing a word…

12. oxygon Says:
    December 19th, 2008 at 10:03 am

    Another thing I like about the poem Roy, is that with each reading different nuances of meaning seem to surface, sometimes seemingly contradictory, but still valid. When I figure it all out I’ll explain what I’m trying to say!

    art

13. oxygon Says:
    December 21st, 2008 at 2:24 pm

    I thought I’d cite the first stanza of Roy “Echoes” in the hope it would indeed make some sense of my above comment:

    What I said
    Rebounds,
    Resounds
    in ways
    I did not say.

    Ah, how poems are connected to the universal! From the particular to the general, from the general to the specific until all is in a marvelous whirl. Hats off the Nitish and Roy!

    Sincerely,

    art

14. oxygon Says:
    December 21st, 2008 at 2:26 pm

    oops, I meant to post this under Nitish’s poem Don’t mush.

    art

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