One can easily lose sight of a poem’s original vision in the midst of its development; exploring a maze of possibilities, new paths appear that lead one astray. Yesterday, I came to my senses regarding the direction of the “Cranes and Sheep” poetic sketch; I realised I was diluting its basic concept, writing variations that were promising but divergent. I breathe a sigh of relief as I return to the original idea.
In Terms of Venery
In the “Cranes and Sheep” poetic sketch I am presently developing, I refer to the creatures in the title as I often encounter them: in small congregations on the hillsides. In terms of venery (that is, hunting) both are collectively described as a “herd” (along with “sedge/sege” or “siege” for cranes and “flock” for sheep).
I have long been fascinated by terms of venery for they possess a poetry of their own: there is a flamboyance of flamingos, a charm of goldfinches, an ostentation of peacocks, a bouquet of pheasants, an unkindness of ravens, a lamentation of swans and—without a doubt my favourite—an exaltation of larks!
I am certain “an exaltation of larks” was the origin of my “An Exaltation” title as the sketch was composed in 2017 when my interest in the subject was at its peak. So smitten was I with its figurative power that it must have lingered with me, later to emerge as a title. I am pleased it did—“exaltation” is a glorious word!
“An Exaltation” Revisited
A few days ago, I extolled the simple beauty of my rural surroundings—the fundamental function of my work—in a few lines under the title “An Exaltation” and referred to it again later as an example of how my poems typically begin. I have since succumbed to temptation and turned the piece into a rough poetic sketch.
Incidentally, the title was taken from a redundant sketch in the current litany of poems for the collection; I am pleased to see it revived in this way but conflicted about including it. I resolved not to add new sketches to the list, and this reimagined version is technically so—I may have to move it to the “future collection” set.
Forgotten Fields 