Well, the pleasure is all mine! Actually in college, we have an overdose of Shakespeare in the syllabus and I was tired of writing the same old crappy criticisms all the time. I attempted this piece of writing on your poem for two reasons
1) I wanted to assure myself that I can afterall respond to a contemporary poet with equal sensitivity or perhaps more sensitively... 2)Your poem had substance; there was something worth commenting upon... for that matter I feel all poets on ZEST are very good. Wish I could compile an anthology of ZESTpoets and write more such pieces of writings on them all. It should be an exercise worth the effort. a small request: PLS DO READ ME ON MY BLOG http://vidyanjali.blogspot.com. I'm quite amatuerish only (not so pucca as you are!)yet would like to receive some feeedback... Ciao, Vidya. --- In ZESTPoets@yahoogroups.com, Vivek Narayanan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Dear Vidyanjali, > > Thank you for this, it is very sharp and also raises important cautions and > critiques. It's a lot for me to think about, and as you know well the poet > tries to feel one's way into what she/he is doing, suspending critique in > between writings and rewritings, sometimes learning the value of things in > retrospect, so may not even be the one who is best equipped to answer these > questions... But let me reread your piece a couple more times-- I'll have > to, and I find it to be a very nice piece of writing, i feel humbled by your > gesture-- and see if i can respond to the questions you've asked below > without getting too self-involved. (After all, part of the point is to let > the poem fend for and be taken care of by itself(?)) > > Thanks for the gift, > Vivek > > > On 1/17/06, vidya anjali <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I have often felt that interpreting a poem too keenly can lead to > > dissection of the poem's meaning and structure; the poem may therefore, end > > up suggesting what it had actually never intended to. However, I promise the > > poet not to do any such injustice to this substantially well- written poem, " > > *Homeless Man Washing His Foot in the Bathroom of a Bus Station": * > > * * > > It is curious for a start as to why the poet must, of all the people > > living in this earth, desperately follow the footsteps of or "trail in" a > > homeless and dirty man and watch him wash his foot. But the poet does do > > that and the reason provided is: > > > > " to decode or divine the record/ that would open and end/ this ancient > > baptism under a cold fire, / fluorescent light " > > > > The poet seemingly conjures up the image of a ritual of *baptism*; here, > > that of the man washing his foot. This ceremonial cleansing or ablution is > > being performed in the Bathroom of a Bus Station. One might think that the > > poet is visualizing the homeless man as attempting to cleanse his > > wrong-doings by this act, absolving himself of his sins and other religious > > ideas, but by all means, if one does consider the use of the religious > > symbol of baptism here and look at the whole event thus, it would be > > stretching the meaning too far. In an age where religious symbols have lost > > their potency so far as meaning goes, baptism here would only mean > > cleansing; nothing more or nothing less. The poet is not particularly > > interested in the ancient ritual of cleansing that symbolized the cleansing > > of one's conscience too. He would only like to demystify the whole event- so > > as to open, as well as end, this act of baptizing, this act of the man > > cleansing himself- through his poetry. > > > > Yet there really can be nothing perplexing about a man cleaning his foot > > in a bathroom and the poet fabricates the whole event so as to mystify the > > circumstance. I wonder if the man had not objected to the poet peering into > > the bathroom, and curiously observing him washing his feet or maybe the poet > > just caught a glimpse of this man in the act and then carried in his mind > > impressions of the event and wrote about it. The poet manages to make the > > best of the "irregularly regressing details" that he captures: > > > > " his flared/ boots worn thin, // and their flaps, twisted, / stiff at > > oblique angles; his jeans darkened/ below the knees and corroded/ in > > streaks; or his yellow cap/ which still bore, monogrammed/ in green, the > > cheerful hieroglyph of a former/ employer " > > > > The above lines are an exemplary example of word-painting in poetry. The > > poor quality of the boots worn by the man and his darkened jeans > > substantiate the wretchedness of the man's situation. But the poet does not > > get subjective at this moment by showing concern for the condition of this > > man, like what Wordsworth does in "The Solitary Reaper" upon hearing the > > reaper hum a tune to herself. He has already said this with regard to his > > endeavour of decoding this ritual, > > > > " How I try/ and do not matter." > > > > The concluding stanza is the best. The poet as per his intentions decodes > > this ritual by means of a rather vivid imagery. The blistered foot of the > > man is "a fat, brown eel, / against the porcelain " a stunning comparison. > > The rest of it goes thus, > > > > " the purple/ wash of blood returning,/ veins aligning, in branches under/ > > the chipped-bark skin/ of the image of the foot of this man, who/ with tap > > water and coarse hands was trying/ to make his body feel." > > > > He stretches the metaphor in further describing the bloody foot of the > > man. The baptism is an effort to make the body feel; the body which has been > > benumbed due to the exacting rigors of life > > > > This poem can at best be considered to be a snapshot of an event. The poet > > has convinced readers that even a small and negligible event such as > > watching a ragged man wash his bloody feet can inspire poetry. The effective > > rendering of the poem leaves behind a trail of thoughts and ideas in the > > reader's mind. > > > > I wish the poet would care to answer this question- > > > > What were the circumstances that led you to write this poem? Did you > > really witness such a man washing his foot or were you just imagining? > > > > In case you really witnessed this man did you speak to him or try to find > > out more about his life? Kindly elaborate. > > > > Vidyanjali. > > > > Send instant messages to your online friends http://in.messenger.yahoo.com > > > > -- > > You are encouraged to post poetry, respond critically to the poems > > circulated and participate in discussions. To post, email your message to > > ZESTPoets@yahoogroups.com OR post online at > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/post/ > > > > > > > > SPONSORED LINKS > > Writing book<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? t=ms&k=Writing+book&w1=Writing+book&w2=Writing+child+book&w3=Book+writ ing+software&w4=Writing+poetry&w5=Business+writing+book&w6=Writing+and +publishing+a+book&c=6&s=151&.sig=XWWAWZyHOtbBv61yEFebNg> Writing > > child book<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? t=ms&k=Writing+child+book&w1=Writing+book&w2=Writing+child+book&w3=Boo k+writing+software&w4=Writing+poetry&w5=Business+writing+book&w6=Writi ng+and+publishing+a+book&c=6&s=151&.sig=4hohbfcCnc9NIE08iDOurA> Book > > writing software<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? t=ms&k=Book+writing+software&w1=Writing+book&w2=Writing+child+book&w3= Book+writing+software&w4=Writing+poetry&w5=Business+writing+book&w6=Wr iting+and+publishing+a+book&c=6&s=151&.sig=CYZlQi6QxV-7KjBeolXSpg> Writing > > poetry<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? t=ms&k=Writing+poetry&w1=Writing+book&w2=Writing+child+book&w3=Book+wr iting+software&w4=Writing+poetry&w5=Business+writing+book&w6=Writing+a nd+publishing+a+book&c=6&s=151&.sig=Ruxpqo7148hRLmeJDVRCoQ> Business > > writing book<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? t=ms&k=Business+writing+book&w1=Writing+book&w2=Writing+child+book&w3= Book+writing+software&w4=Writing+poetry&w5=Business+writing+book&w6=Wr iting+and+publishing+a+book&c=6&s=151&.sig=SSG9I24cU7WmGWAwjZm33Q> Writing > > and publishing a book<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads? t=ms&k=Writing+and+publishing+a+book&w1=Writing+book&w2=Writing+child+ book&w3=Book+writing+software&w4=Writing+poetry&w5=Business+writing+bo ok&w6=Writing+and+publishing+a+book&c=6&s=151&.sig=mgETMWOg46NlS4iqehb QgA> > > ------------------------------ > > YAHOO! 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