The absinthe man has learned to hold
His glass just so; the fountain pen to hang
About his fingers like the sugar-drip of gold
And green. He listens as the wormwood-woman sings
A song of long ago; the sunrise of a day
When fair and far-born fairies came, west
Across the world, until an evening they bore away
Their songs from human ears, the last great test
Of man—to listen to them still, and learn their fire
Like old Prometheus—to hear the lie
Of history and turn away, to fight and never tire
Of unraveling the gift a wormwood-woman gives, by
And by the spirits of elixirs fall upon
And fade a cube of stars: the absinthe man writes on.
Oh, I miss those Absinthe days. Even though I was not there.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoy how this poem captures the drug induced inspiration and temporary sense of contentment that comes with the man's absinthe binge. The imagery is just melancholic enough to hint at his false security and an impending crash.
ReplyDeleteAn accomplished sonnet that manages the rhyme and the form elegantly. And an accompanying image! The inspiration? Some minor line edits: "the fountain pen hangs / about his fingers" (a slant rhyme is close enough and better to skew the rhyme than the grammar). "An eve" hits a wrong note for me--no need to co-opt the old poetic language especially mid-line; why not "evening"? I like "absinthe man" but am not sure about "wormwood woman" (perhaps sounds too much like depraved superheroes?) Wormwood is an ingredient in absinthe, yet the woman gives him a gift, of absinthe its special intoxication? Perhaps something less alliterative and literal than wormwood might create an intersting ambiguity about the woman. Good job with this form.
ReplyDeletethe rhyming here works incredibly, subtle but still apparent enough for the reader to appreciate it throughout. i really like the phrase "the sugar drip of gold/and green" (ln 3-4). it captures the elegant and delicate essence of the entire poem. very lovely to read.
ReplyDeleteThe sonnet was very well done. I wouldn't have even attempted it. The style is archaic, however very interesting.
ReplyDelete