These paper boats of mine are meant to dance on the ripples of hours, and not reach any destination... Rabindranath Tagore

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past...F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby

We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom. We lived in the gaps between the stories.
+
On the way to the river are the old dormitories, used for something else now, with their fairy-tale turrets, painted white and gold and blue. When we think of the past it's the beautiful things we pick out. We want to believe it was all like that.
--from Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale

Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul.
- Joyce Carol Oates

Friday, June 22, 2012

Poetic Impressions of The Wind Singer



Aramanth
Land of the Manth people
A giant scarecrow structure 
A special gift
From unknown special people
The wonder of the wind singer

But there emerged scarlet gowned examiners
Who sought to grind the human spirit into
Coloured labels
Maroon for those of valuable obedience
Orange for those with midstream potential and
Grey for those who verged on 
Disposable

Tests 
Ongoing tests
Ensured
The right people were
In the right places

And the key to the windsinger's song was
Invisible
Missing

But there are always those 
Who wish and will
A different world

Bowman and Kestrel
The twins
And the 
Muddle-headed 
Mumpo

They were children
Just children
Cast
Down and
Up into
A labyrinth of journeys

Outer landscapes
Together
Inner landscapes
Alone

Braving the muds of the Underlake
The crumbling parapet above the gorge
Riding wolves and
Soaring in eagles' claws

Seeking the identity of
Their lost souls

The Emperor held 
The map
Aging Queen Num wore
The silver clasp 
The key to
The windsinger's song

And in the shifting shades
Always smile
The old children
Lurking 
Longing
To touch
Their crippling touch
Hoping for some fire to burn them back
To what they should be
~~~~~~

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The Wind Singer (2000)
William Nicholson is a British screenwriter, playwright and novelist.


GOODREADS REVIEW

The Wind Singer (Wind on Fire, #1)The Wind Singer by William Nicholson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aramanth
Sounds like some legendary jewel
But the gem
The walled city
Has lost the sparkle of the wind singer
The strangers' tall tower of
Wooden beams and metal pipes
Has lost the voice of
The soul
Extract from my poetic review - an alternative review on my Gemma's Greyscale Territory blog

An extraordinary fantasy that hints of breaths from old legends and becomes a chameleon of reality and dream! And if you feel the spirit deep down, you will feel the smudges of our society lurking.

View all my reviews

Good Reads discussion: For some strange reason, "The Wind Singer" seems to reflect elements of "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood. Both represent a world of crushing, stifling perfection and the journey of those who seek a way out. But this time, the travellers are children.

 Linking to:
Poets United The Think Tank Thursday ~ Labyrinth
dVerse Poets Pub ~ Open Link Night

12 comments:

Eileen T O'Neill ..... said...

Gemma,

I decided to find out some information about this book The Wind Singer...What a very interesting story. It could be likened to the many systems of social class around the world, from which there is really no escape. Trapped in effect...
I shall choose my clothes with much more colour care from now on!!!
Eileen
Thank you for your very kind comments left at my poem:)

Mary said...

Gemma, this is a very thoughtful write. You have a very distinct style...and the ending took my breath away. Thank you so much for visiting my poem as well. I love Australia, am happy to get to know you. Hope we will visit one another's blogs in the future.

Sarav said...

Gemma , this was done so well a spiral of story into a poignant conclusion
Thank you for your wonderful compliment on my poem--very much appreciated :-)

Hannah said...

Interesting sounding story!!

Sean Vessey said...

Amazing story!
Thank you for sharing it!

Brian Miller said...

sounds like a very interesting book...the segmenting of people, that has been something we have been battling since the dawn of time isnt it...def poignant still in our day...

Unknown said...

I have not read the pages of this book, yet I feel your piece has delivered a lovely encapsulation of its essence. ~ Rose

hedgewitch said...

Wonderful and unique take on a book review--to tell the story in a poem. Really like the last stanza, and putting the book on my list--right up my alley.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for introducing us to a book, author I didn't know. What a good idea--a poetic review! I'll have to add it to my "to-read" list on Goodreads.

Mark Butkus said...

An amazing journey to a distant land and a distant ethos.

Ella said...

I love the journey and now am intrigued further by the book~
Thank you

Anonymous said...

i like the concept that a fire can burn you back... something to think about

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