Dovina13 Nov 2004

I knew when I posted this poem that the imagery was far-fetched, and therefore easy to misinterpret and easy to attack. I have already admitted this, and therefore your attack is somewhat justified. Rather than casting off your diatribe off as easy slander, which would be my first reaction, I have done your exercise. The representation of each line in the poem is in parentheses.

Snow on the ground
(Snow is a covering, a shroud – his jokes or my missives)

shallow and dirty
(contaminated, showing traces of the thing covered – pain)

Up in the trees
it’s crusty and clean
(uncontaminated snow on limbs – effective jokes or missives)

Black limbs sagging
(limbs and anything dark = pain)

frosty and white
(pain covered and unseen)

Tan earth hidden
(earth = pain)

‘neath snow and dust
(only partially hidden)

Such are the jokes
(jokes = snow)

that cover his wounds
and the missives
(missives = snow)

surrounding mine

Which are more lofty
(his jokes or my missives?)

covering whiter?

Which bear the dust
(his jokes or my missives?)

Of weaker defense?
(weaker = contaminated with dust)