Inspiration and Ideas

Reflections upon a poem

Remembrance is the title of an introspective Sestina I was inspired to compose. The impetus to create a Sestina was Philip Muir, who is the brains behind Poetry Meetup and Workshop in Auckland.

As I had never attempted a Sestina, he soon provided the catalyst to try the form. I used a template he suggested. I chose the six keywords which combined, provide the basis of an unconventional poetic idea: truth, thought, nostalgia, reflection, beauty and death. Soon, I uncovered a world in itself woven with concepts which effortlessly unfolded. It was as if I had found the poem under a hedgerow, and all I had to do was reveal its content, teasing it from the bramble in which it was hidden.

In the words of a fellow poet

Having completed the work to a sufficient level of satisfaction, I sent Philip a copy. Below is his reply. A fabulous wordsmith, Philip shed fresh light upon my thoughts which stimulate further enquiry and stand on their own:

‘I’ve read through Remembrance a few times and find it very moving as a whole. It certainly invokes the feeling of timelessness that in many ways defines remembrance. It really is a perfect topic to fit into a sestina, with the constant restatement of the 6 key words emphasizing their importance, and the different contexts in each stanza demonstrating the many ways that those core concepts can influence us when we take a moment to actually pause and remember.

The Key Word

I’ve found that the first key word used in a sestina imposes itself as the key word throughout the poem. The same is true (excuse the pun) in this one. My first thought when seeing that you had used the word ‘truth’ was that it was quite jarring with the concept of remembrance, because I have always seen remembrance as a subjective experience in which truth is not a primary concern.

Life, death and sacrifice

This is especially relevant if that person’s death was for us, so their life is so much a part of us. This could apply to remembrance of war or any other situation, such as a person sacrificing their life or their health in service of another, and in the even bigger picture, Jesus dying. This has fundamentally changed my view towards what remembrance is.

In conclusion; truth, thought, nostalgia, reflection, beauty, death. I think reading this poem would impact any reader.’

The final journey to publication

Once complete, Remembrance was originally offered to Hedgehog Poetry Press as part of the Cult of the Spiny Hog Challenge, Looking Out, Peering In. Unfortunately, the project never materialised – who knows? It may one day appear.

Later, the poem formed part of my Collection All Revolutions Begin This Way, available here. Its mood perfectly fits the nature of the many journeys in the work.

The poem Remembrance