I did not get out the map (rivers) for Poetry Thursday as suggested. I wrote a Petrarchan Sonnet (abba cddc effe gg) taking the prompt into a different way. It is but a rough draft.
Powered---Sonnet
Meandering wildly, water from river is directed
to collect at one place. To bestow it with a sense
of purpose, functional for our advance. Hence
opting for highest summit, making it to be fated.
Applying its inherent energy, tapping the source
for human consumption, life’s force- thus water
fulfils all our desires. Thence fore, streaming river
is restrained with our industry; changing its course-
falling forcefully from the high altitude, it flows
downhill with a velocity of such colossal force
out of which is, generated so much of horse-
power of electricity, helping technology grow
within the world, we live in. Meticulously to hilt,
enhancing lives of people; cities are, thus built.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At some places, water turbines are still used to produce electricity. I didn't want to describe the physics of it, as I don't intend for the sonnet to be technical. I prefer to write structured poetry taking in the modern aspect of our lives.
Click for more flows in the river...
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Powered----Sonnet----Poetry Thursday
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44 comments:
Gautami -
I lve not far from the mighty Columbia River. There is an extremely large dam that we visit, It produces an incredible amout of electricity so much so that Oregon sells some of it to California.
Your piece put me in mind od this dam called Bonneville. Thank you.
We generate a lot of hydroelectricity in New Zealand too. I found this a very interesting topic for a poem.
gautami,
a powerful sonnet about a pervasive element...Where would we be without the benevolent waterways?
Nice piece!
rel
"to bestow it with a sense of presence"
What an insightful way to express what we try to do to the natural force of water, which, when we really look at it, has its own presence though we try to redirect and redefine it.
too many poets focus on the ordinary and make it mundane. you have taken the everday and made it exciting. exciting and such an intelligent read too.
Ooooh, let me do the technical poem part. Kay?
here goes
the coil of the rotor goes
round and round
round and round
round and round
the coil of the rotor goes
round and round
within the stator
an alternating current is
thus derived
thus derived
thus derived
an alternating current is
thus derived
by a magnetic field
Water harnessed to our needs. Wonderful tribute to a source we take for granted.
Rose
xo
Greetings Gautami, it has been a long time. I've read when I could over her shoulder, so to speak.
This poem is what I like very much. The human struggles to exist and thrive.
Powerful ... I love these words
Applying its inherent energy, tapping the source
for human consumption, life’s force- thus water
fulfils all our desires. For some it is their only desire.
hugs for you :o)
Your poem has a driving energy that mirrors the relentless power of water. I love the speed in which all your words seem to tumble together, like cascades of water.
Well done!
Powerful sonnet
Your thoughts need to be heard
Although a rough draft, as you said, still nicely penned.
a modern poem, im learning alot of good techniques from you. Its nice to narrate using poetry.
Loved this one, Gautami. Well done.
Billy Collins
Nice work! I assume English is not your first language--I am in awe of your ability to structure your words and can't imagine how difficult it must be to write in another language!
That was beautiful. I could really feel the power you described.
Thanks for stopping by this morning!!
Water has so much energy, we need to use that. Natural resources need to be tapped. That way can we can save on fuels and protect our environment.
I teach science too and tell my students the hazards of burning fuel indiscriminately. We need to conserve and also think of the consequences of global warming.
Hence my take here.
I like to take up the everyday issues in my poetry. Not religion or the likes either.
ozymandiaz, now, now, is that what you wanted me to write?
Thanks to you all, for your comments.
Lovely reminder of how water sustains us in all its beauty.
What's attractive in this poem (and I look at sonnets as problems, poems that get into an argument) is how it creates quite simply our relationship to rivers, to find a way of using that wildness, channelling it, and how we create civilizations out of that wildness (and yes, there are attendant problems with any such cultivation of the wild, but your poem purposely does not go there, and that's another matter altogether).
I loved "velocity of such colossal force"; I kept saying it out loud because I loved how it sounded in my mouth. You did a great job working with the sonnet form, too.
Guatami, I really like your take on the prompt - water's energy needed to fuel electricity and technology and maintain and build our lifestyles. Well done!
well done - a sonnet on hydo-electricity has to be a first
pepek: I have always written in English. I think in English. Here in India, we follow the British English. So no problem for me there. Infact I find a lot of people, who are from the so-called English speaking nations, faring very poorly in the language. I just ignore that.
I do have a flair for languages. I can speak eight languages rather fluently, excluding German.
a really original and interesting take.
i have mixed feelings about the theme, though. i'm aware of the human needs and yet i hate to see the natural environment being devastated by human interventions...
Hi, gautami
I hate it when I'm a little late in commenting and so many have already said what I too may have thought. In either case, for a 'rough draft' it wasn't all that rough. I felt 'the power'
an interesting take on this. I love sonnets but am always hesitant to try poems with such a structured form, as they are more difficult. Congrats on taking it on!
Hi Gautami!
I really got into the different ways the water moves in your poem -- meandering, streaming, falling, flows, etc. It was consistent all the way through and I liked the feeling of it a lot. This is a really good P. sonnet!
I really liked this poem -- the structure works really well to describe the proces from water to energy to cities. An interesting perspective!
I love water turbines-that is the way we should power everything. End all the polution. You succeeded well with the topic and the sonnet. Sorry this is short but I have tons of work to do before I sleep, price of vacations I supose.
A well written and interesting sonnet!
I felt the awesome power of the river through your words. It also serves as a reminder that no matter how technologically advanced we get, we still depend on the rawness of nature to sustain us.
Gautami,
I thought you were done with structure for a while :-) --though it works well here with your topic. I appreciate how (again) you've given a fresh look at something familiar. Thank you~
I love how you use the sonnet form to harness something as wild as water.
"Applying its inherent energy, tapping the source" -- that's exactly what the sonnet is doing for your words.
Nice job!
Not by any means
You write beautifuly
that is how I write
for some reason when I read your poem and pictured the turbines harnessing water that nursery rhyme came to my head.
Without it we cease to flow. Excellent food for thought!!
I always admire those who can write in form, as it is something I cannot accomplish. Well done!
We are dependent on nature for most of our needs. We may think otherwise.
In a way we abuse nature to get the maximum out of it without a thought of giving it back.
polona, it is technology which has made it possible for us to be touch via the net.
Without advancement, where would we be? well, we do not know where to stop. We go overboard.
Thanks friends.
Interesting and quite challenging structure. I admire what you've achieved within its limits
very well written indeed...the flow[no pun intended] of the poem was quite good..I like the way the prompt was used here
Oh, Gautami, I love that you highlighted through verse something that is so important and such a part of our daily lives but which we take for granted. I love just next door to the awesome Niagra Falls so this poem was very meaningful to me, thanks!
Gautami, that's an interesting take, writing about water power in a sonnet. :)
Good poem. It seems technically perfect. You are good at these.
Gautami,
Hello. Sorry I'm late. Thank you and thank you. It's great to see someone playing with old forms. (Typo? R missing in petrarchan? I'm a typo fiend.) Hablas espanol?
it doesnt look like a draft :) technically solid. the ending thought evoking.
I admire you taking on a very difficult form!
And--don't excuse your work. :)
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