3.05.2009

7/10 of the 10 Lines Meme

I like this one, spotted on Facebook: (originated by Michael Dumanis and Gary McDowell? Eduardo Corral? Not sure)

"What are ten lines from poems that stick in your head when you are walking around your day? Or, if you stop a minute and think of some lines of poetry, what comes up? It’s fine if you distort the line as you remember it, if you misremember it..."

I've linked to the poems the lines come from, where possible.

1. Generations have trod, have trod, have trod. (G.M. Hopkins)

2. Morale is down in the boneless, lactic fist of my genitals. (Jeffrey McDaniel)
[I've blogged about this one before; it's a frequent repeater. Someday someone will ask me "How are you?" and I'll slip and answer with this.]

3. Catbird, catbird./ O lady hear me. I have no// other/ voice left. (Robert Creeley)

4. Jason--sham--too. (Emily Dickinson)
[I like this one so much, I've thought of naming a son "Jason Sham Too"]

5. Sometimes the last line, sometimes the whole stanza (I love lips/depths):

Is it because he’s angry at me
for my face with its moping lips?
It was so often ready to be
light and clear in its depths;
but nothing came so close to it
as big dogs did.
And dogs don’t have what I need.

(Rainer Maria Rilke)

6. And say why it never worked for me. (Philip Larkin. And almost any line from this poem)

7. "Look!"//Look. This is the morning. (WS Merwin)

There are seven. When I "stop a minute and think of some lines," I could choose many more, but the above are lines that come to me frequently--honestly, probably all of them hit me at some point every week, and many daily.

I'd like to read anyone's responses to this, but I'll tag Teresa, Anne, Amanda, Laurel, and Peter. And, if you're reading and care to comment here, non-bloggers MAC and Polly.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Jason--sham--too" -- I'd forgotten that one! I've just posted mine. I almost went with Larkin, but he's not as constant a presence in my head as some.

early hours of sky said...

hey I did it, can I sleep back in the bed now????lmao

LKD said...

Damn, I had no idea I'd been tagged.

Lemme think on it.

Right off the top of my head, a lament and exhortation come to mind.

And 2 declaratives.

LKD said...

That was fun.

Thanks for tagging me.

There are a few poems in this world that I will always carry around with me like the most precious shells and stones found on the beach and tucked in a pocket.

Even when I hate poetry--and christ, I've been hating it lately--, I still love it so.

LKD said...

I neglected to add that I posted my 10 on my blog.

And my word verification is doodack.