Friday, July 11, 2014

13 Ways of Looking at a Roller Coaster

Worry is like a roller coaster ride that you think will take you somewhere, but it never does.
~Shannon L. Alder



Roller Coaster at Sea World, Surfers Paradise, Australia.
Photo by Marc Dalmulder.

Sharing another summer swap poem today. It makes my day to get a poem from a friend! And Heidi packaged hers so cleverly...


Tube o' poem. Thank you, Heidi!

13 Ways of Looking at a Roller Coaster
by Heidi Mordhorst
after Wallace Stevens

I
Among twenty showy amusements,
The only moving thing
Was the nose of the roller coaster.

II
I was of three stomachs,
Like a mouth
In which there are three roller coasters.

III
The roller coaster whirled in the summer winds.
It was a small part of the drama.

IV
A boy and a girl
Are one.
A boy and a girl and a roller coaster
Are one.

V
I do not know which to prefer,
The terror of anticipation
Or the terror of compulsion
The roller coaster cresting
Or just after.

VI
Popsicles filled the long line
With barbaric ice.
The shadow of the roller coaster
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An indecipherable scream.

VII.
O shorn boys of Highschool,
Why do you imagine golden coasters?
Do you not see how the silver coaster
Careens around the hands
Of the girls about you?

VIII
I know robust actions
And loose, inescapable rhythms;
But I know, too,
That the roller coaster is involved
In what I know.

IX
When the roller coaster flew out of sight,
It marked the edge
Of one of many ellipses.

X
At the sight of roller coasters
Flying in a neon light,
Even the rowds of ecstasy
Would cry out harply.

XI
He rode over Kings’ Dominion
In a fiberglass trap.
Once, a fear pierced him,
In that he mistook
The shadow of his peloton
For roller coasters.

XII
The tarmac is melting.
The roller coaster must be climbing.

XIII
It was afternoon all morning.
It was shining
And it was going to shine.
The roller coaster sat
In the steely loops.

***************

Isn't it wonderful? You can find the Poetry Friday round-up at Write Time.

19 comments:

Irene Latham said...

The tarmac is melting.
The rollercoaster must be climbing.

LOVE! And this from a gal who doesn't quite love rollercoasters, but did ride a bunch of the this year with teenagers in Orlando. :)

Donna Smith said...

This is great - or should I say THESE are great! I hate rollercoasters though!

Michelle Heidenrich Barnes said...

Whoa! What a rollercoaster of a poem! I too melted at the line that Irene already quoted. And the tube packaging? Brilliant. Well done, Heidi and lucky you, Tabatha!

Author Amok said...

I can hear Heidi's voice so clearly in this poem. Brilliant! "I was of three stomachs" had me laughing out loud.

Linda B said...

Beautifully done. Love those "shorn boys of high school'! Roller coasters seem to get scarier lately, or is it me! I love that Heidi covered all the rises & dips!

Gatheringbooks said...

"To cry out harply" I liked that line. This poem is filled with original imagery and i was caught by the mention of wallace stevens. I've read, i think, only one of his writing and i see a similarity.

Linda said...

I love those "three stomachs" too!
Such great imagery! Thanks for sharing this fantastic poem!

Heidi Mordhorst said...

I'm glad you wanted to post this, Tabatha, and thanks to all for your avid enjoyment of the ups and downs....

Becky Shillington said...

Wonderful poem, Heidi! Thanks for sharing it with us, Tabatha!

Carol Varsalona said...

Thank you Heidi for writing such a fun series on roller coasters. I especially liked, "I was of three stomachs,
Like a mouth
In which there are three roller coasters." Thank you Tabatha for sharing Heidi's poem.

Mary Lee said...

Huzzah, Heidi! You perfectly captured 13 of the moods of the roller coastering!

Tara said...

Fantastic - love all the perspectives and the moods. That last stanza, especially!

Robyn Hood Black said...

Just wonderful! I wonder how you made the jump from blackbirds to roller coasters, Heidi? I'm with others delighting in the "I was of three stomachs" - ha!

(Loved coasters as a kid; now I'll just wave from the ground and hold your drink, thank you.)
Thanks, Tabatha, for sharing!!

Robyn Hood Black said...

PS - Mine was the 13th comment - Ha! ;0)

Anonymous said...

Since I started following Poetry Friday a few weeks ago, I've found so many amazing poems and styles. I love seeing it all. PS for Tabatha -"Cats come and go without ever leaving." - Martha Curtis

Violet N. said...

Heidi has sure caught the spirit of roller-coasterism here! Love the terror, anticipation, adventuring, and the vibes of dizziness and disorientation. What a fabulous poem!

Diane Mayr said...

I live down the street from an amusement park, so the sounds of roller coaster "indecipherable" screams often drift to my house on the wind. Heidi is a genius!

Carol Varsalona said...

#V caught my eye. This was a fun ride, Tabatha.

Carol Varsalona said...

Tabatha, thanks for bringing a fun ride to my attention with Heidi's poem. I especially like #V.