This is something brand new for me; it’s called imagism. I usually don’t enter into these things I know nothing about, but… I really know nothing about poetry, yet I do it—I think. Posting this to dVerse, and wondering what will become of it. We shall see!
Black words
Black words
Cruel
White page
Filled
Crimson river
Blood
White dress
Stained
Last breath
Sigh
Wide open
Eyes
Copyright © 2012 C. Mashburn
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Marbles In My Pocket ~ The Official Blog of Charles L. Mashburn ~ Poems, Short Stories, and random thoughts from the author of "Be Still... and know that I am God" 
viv blake said
That is stunning.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Viv! I appreciate the awesome comment!
zongrik said
very sad
charlesmashburn said
Thanks for the visit and comment, Zongrik!
Raivenne said
Three distinct but amazingly vivid images there Charles. The enormity of that last stanza, made all the more powerful when broken down so succinctly.
charlesmashburn said
Thanks, Raivenne! I appreciate your wonderful comment!
Ginny Brannan said
“Black words
Cruel
White page
Filled”
I like to think words are what we make of them and how we take them. Hopefully never too cruel when aimed at you!! Interesting imagery, I enjoyed reading this, Charles.
charlesmashburn said
Thanks for the great comment, Ginny!
Daydreamertoo said
Very nice, contrast in both mood and colour and yet it all blended in well to make the ‘whole.’ I’m like you I am not disciplined in how to write ‘proper’ poetry or prose. I think if I was to study the rules it would inhibit my thought process, really.
Lovely piece from you.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Daydreamertoo! I appreciate the wonderful comment!
Laurie Kolp said
Vivid with a touch of vague enough to keep me guessing.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Laurie! I appreciate the visit and nice comment!
Gay Reiser Cannon said
Very apt use of the manifesto. Natural words in pattern, vivid, sensational, and effective. Carlos Williams and Pound would definitely approve! Well done.
charlesmashburn said
Well, Gay, I don’t know who those guys are, but I’m glad you like it, and think they would approve.
Thank you very much for the wonderful comment!
Mark Windham said
Excellent, few words – big images. Well done
charlesmashburn said
Thanks, Mark! I appreciate the great comment!
brian said
nice…the first two stanzas def evoke a wide array of emotion and the last wraps this well in a bow…very nice charles…
charlesmashburn said
Thank you for the awesome comment, Brian. I appreciate it very much!
pandamoniumcat said
Very strong images in these snapshots!
charlesmashburn said
Snapshots; very good way to describe this.
Thanks for the visit and nice comment, Dianne!
claudia said
wow… you managed to paint a big picture by using almost no color.. purism at its best
charlesmashburn said
Thanks for the great comment, Claudia! I very much appreciate it!
yoga-adan said
nicely done! that sigh at the end made me shiver, thanks!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Adan! I appreciate your visit and comment, and I’m glad you like the poem!
ManicDdaily said
Very succinct and yet certainly creates picture and trail. You are very good at story-telling in poems, and stories that speak to people. K.
PS thanks so much for getting the book. I really appreciate it. K.
charlesmashburn said
You are welcome, and thank you for the wonderful comment! I’m glad you enjoy the things I write!
Ravenblack said
Minimal words but convey a lot of strong feelings.The middle clues of something particularly alarming. The end seems to be one of shock frozen at end. Intriguing.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you, Raven. I appreciate the visit and comment!
wordcoaster said
Not sure if the images are supposed to all be connected, but it seemed to me the story was: girl gets angry break-up letter, pulls an Ophelia.
charlesmashburn said
Bravo! You nailed it! I am impressed!
Thanks for the visit and “right-on” comment!
Raven said
My mouth dropped wide open when I read this. It truly is amazing what can be done with so few words! Loved it!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you! Not my typical write, but I had fun with it! So glad you enjoyed it!
Sherrie Theriault said
Charles, I so enjoy your work! Thank you for sharing with me and taking the time to read my work.
charlesmashburn said
You are very welcome, Sherrie! I am truly fascinated with the things you write. You have tremendous insight and a wonderful way with words!
Thank you for the visits and comments!
brokenpenwriter said
Oh my – this took my breath away. The saying that “More is Less” certainly rings true in this piece of yours. It packs a punch with vivid images carefully and cleverly set in motion. What a great piece of writing!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Cindy! What a wonderful comment!
Victoria C. Slotto said
Charles, one would think you were one of the founders of the imagist movement. This is just brilliant, and a bit chilling as well.
charlesmashburn said
Wow, Victoria! Please accept my made-my-day button for this wonderful Friday!
Shawna said
I don’t want to hear any more of this garbage about you not being a poet. That is absurd. This is one of the best I’ve read today. I love chilling, biting poetry.
charlesmashburn said
You leave me no choice but to say, “ah’ight den.”
Thanks, Shawna! I appreciate your wonderful comments!
David King said
Imagism is a Catholic assortment of treatments. I’m sure Ezra Pound would have accepted that this fits the bill, but whether it does or not, what matters, it’s a powerful and compelling piece of poetry. I found it wonderfully exciting. For something apparently so simple and spare – and actually very layered – it threw out echoes and ripples that I have not got the end of yet. Superb.
charlesmashburn said
Wow! Thanks, David! I appreciate the wonderful comments! I am amazed at the attention this poem has received. I literally just saw the prompt and thought I’d give it a shot. After reading so many good critiques on it, I gave it a good thinking about, and realized that my poetic style leans strongly toward imagism. I create poetry with a vision in my mind of what the scene looks like then try to draw it with words, so the reader can see it, too.
Thanks again! Your comments encourage me tremendously!
dottylizzy said
So powerful, vivid, paints a picture, leaves an impression. Brilliant!
charlesmashburn said
Thanks, Lizzy! I hope you enjoy my blog!
lolamouse said
Hard hitting and sad. Like a punch in the stomach (but in a good way!)
charlesmashburn said
I don’t think I’ve ever had one of those punches in the stomach in the good way!
Thanks for the visit and comment, Lola!
rachanashakyawar said
Very mesmerizing!! Few words indeed say a lot…great words!
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Rachana!
I appreciate the visit and great comment!
Alex Dissing said
Very few words used but each one packs a powerful punch.
charlesmashburn said
Thank you very much, Alex! I appreciate the grreat comment!