tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post4541158559882024811..comments2024-02-05T00:16:13.698-05:00Comments on Banjo52: "Ativan" by Laura Kasischke Banjo52http://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-71078237105307493482012-11-04T14:09:10.083-05:002012-11-04T14:09:10.083-05:00Ken, glad you're OK.
Birdman, even if K. is ...Ken, glad you're OK. <br /><br />Birdman, even if K. is hearing too much of Poe (and nobody has quite said that), I like her poem, and yes, it's about the cricket and the boots as much as anything. Banjo52https://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-53618585141681127942012-11-04T10:35:34.984-05:002012-11-04T10:35:34.984-05:00Oh gosh yes. It rang Poe to me too. LOVE the endin...Oh gosh yes. It rang Poe to me too. LOVE the ending w/ the 'boots' image. Such a strangle hold death has, yet the insignificant cricket sings his mournful tune. That's all I've got. hahahahaBirdmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16634185585147630883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-17385644391892963992012-11-03T14:53:01.522-04:002012-11-03T14:53:01.522-04:00Banjo! Thanks for your well wishes back at my site...Banjo! Thanks for your well wishes back at my site. KenKen Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09100185198750536244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-83310699544013030152012-11-02T21:46:35.008-04:002012-11-02T21:46:35.008-04:00Thanks, Stickup. I wasn't aware of Becker or t...Thanks, Stickup. I wasn't aware of Becker or the book, and now I might just look into it. His thesis is fascinating. Banjo52https://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-31370030026975761162012-11-02T13:09:08.139-04:002012-11-02T13:09:08.139-04:00This work brought to my mind "The Denial of D...This work brought to my mind "The Denial of Death" by Ernest Becker who concludes that all our thoughts and actions are motivated by the degree to which we deny, fear, try to outsmart, bargain with, etc. the inevitable. Ativan, religion, money and power, acceptance, creativity; the responses are as varied as individuals. I love the poem, the images, and the time of year...Stickup Artisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00028394186285973772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-60816810240568371352012-10-31T15:54:57.753-04:002012-10-31T15:54:57.753-04:00Jean, thanks. I wish I'd gotten him in sharpe...Jean, thanks. I wish I'd gotten him in sharper focus, but it's a little camera, hand-held, lots of cropping. But it's kind of a flattering pose for him, and I give myself 2 extra points when a critter's in the wild instead of a feeder. Banjo52https://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-67942466963104836322012-10-31T10:44:01.465-04:002012-10-31T10:44:01.465-04:00AH, down with bong phrases! Unfortunately, they k...AH, down with bong phrases! Unfortunately, they keep re-birthing themselves. Of course I agree about rhythm and other musical or subconscious meanings in language. Also, I know that technical dissections of meter, like mine in the post, can never entirely capture all that, but sometimes it's a start. <br /><br />Hannah, yes. The main reason I wasn't sure I had a handle on the poem was the relevance of Ativan and dreaminess--especially as the title. I'm still not sure just what state of mind I'm supposed to be sharing with the speaker or her subject, but something about dreaminess and anxiety seem to be safe bets. In the end, I liked the images and sounds enough to ignore other uncertainties, at least temporarily. <br /><br />RuneE, yes, I think anxiety about life--because it ends in death--is the core idea, or close to it. I guess Ativan and dreaminess are meant to soften, but not eliminate, that hard fact. <br /><br />Thanks once more for your kindness about the photos. Fall is a great time for visual delight, though it too is always suggesting the hanged man's boots. <br /><br />Hurricane Sandy in Michigan--we got only the wind and grey and some rain. As I get older, I feel more and more sympathy for people who have to rebuild after a natural disaster. <br /><br /><br /><br />Banjo52https://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-41974502403054058372012-10-31T10:40:38.367-04:002012-10-31T10:40:38.367-04:00Love the photos, especially the woodpecker.
My fa...Love the photos, especially the woodpecker.<br /><br />My favorite part of the poem turns out to be Poe.Jean Spitzerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13520415864511680025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-53016484694491806842012-10-31T04:33:54.370-04:002012-10-31T04:33:54.370-04:00I did have to Google Ativan, since it is not sold ...I did have to Google Ativan, since it is not sold over here (though comparable products no doubt are). The title then tells me to expect anxiety, but if that was right - wouldn't all life lead to anxiety?<br /><br />Your excellent and peaceful photos should help against that.<br /><br />PS I hope you escaped the clutches of Sandy in Michigan. There was a good reason for anxiety.Rune Eidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01008247272056395901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-80483565406697867652012-10-30T20:18:19.145-04:002012-10-30T20:18:19.145-04:00Very, very interesting.
I'm struck by the wor...Very, very interesting.<br /><br />I'm struck by the word "dream" in the first stanza....the poem gets so carried away with the cricket (or it makes us get so carried away with the cricket) that I forget it's only a dream of a cricket.<br /><br />So...is Ativan is not the cricket, just the dream of the cricket? Is that right? Hannah Stephensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15792203070774504501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-28209099559574783342012-10-29T22:58:43.494-04:002012-10-29T22:58:43.494-04:00Yeah. It was unmistakable. Literature is equal par...Yeah. It was unmistakable. Literature is equal parts rhythm and words, don't you think? That's what makes reading writing so difficult -- one bong phrase and you start thinking about the dishes in the sink or whether you paid the gas bill.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-68536159138819232982012-10-29T21:27:56.936-04:002012-10-29T21:27:56.936-04:00Holy cow! Good find, AH! Did that just pop into ...Holy cow! Good find, AH! Did that just pop into your mind?!Banjo52https://www.blogger.com/profile/04342397136888422440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883979841111173610.post-33769648251570144902012-10-29T18:30:36.444-04:002012-10-29T18:30:36.444-04:00It channels Poe. Listen to this:
Twas many and m...It channels Poe. Listen to this:<br /><br /><br />Twas many and many a year ago<br />In the kingdom by the sea<br />I dreamed of a cricket<br />in the dark of night<br />at the foot of the gallows tree.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com