The Tangled Branch Discussion Forums

Diamonds on her finger, eclipsed by eyes, even brighter now. White brilliance in dark Arab skin. He'll convert for her, Protestant to Muslim with my blessing.   Hopefully my grandchildren will be different too, generics suggested Caucasian, but   permanently tanned little people  poking gentle fun a...

( Maybe that's what life is... a wink of the eye and winking stars - Jack Kerouac) At meals, conversation lags. In the backyard, ropes hang still from stripped crotches of trees; it is a bad time to encounter mirrors. It is the hour of sand, and my past comes to inhabit me, climbing the stairs step...

It's just a shame he doesn't treasure them as much as we (or most of us) do 

While those other 2 are off nathering about their own (incorrect) interpretation of this poem    Two points Linda.  #1 How very dare you. #2 Stop donating more depth than the poet intended. And poet, don't even think about accepting her donation  :D   And while I'm at it, Tim, in a large (or not) c...

Not my favourite Tim poem.
Unlike Linda ( ) I'm a lazy reader, hoping to 'get it' ASAP.
Lots of fine descriptives, but from my read it's a poem about a process...nothing more.
I was going to say 'I'm sure you'll say what's wrong with that?' But I won't 

S1 is pretty good. S2 is juvenile in its approach to the clergy. Think that's inaccurate Tim. I'm sure AT's not taking a dig at the priest.  I've been there, where the priest didn't know the deceased (you could read/hear the indifference)... and he's expected to give the eulogy! Then there's the fa...

Using 'Momma' in a longer poem is ok-ish; it can be slipped in without drawing too much attention to itself.
In such a short poem (for me) it's too telling, and way too sentimental. 
OK, 'Momma' conjures up the idea of a loving relationship...but it's generic and, dare I say it, lazy.
  

Yes.

I'm not even going to bother with superlatives here. 
OK, just one...WOW!

Much better.