i thought it would never come
dusting the land 
in a white blanket

it is beautiful
but i overlook it
thinking i would fain be glad
that it would cover
my guilt and shame
wishing that i could forget
other melancholy memories
of thought, pondered while
wandering through those blinding fields

i wish i wasn't here so often
with a heavy weight in my chest
with pen in hand, its nub broken blunt
when words wouldn't come
save i slid that dull blade to the wrist
to let it flow by blood to the page

i would that my scarlet sins
were as white as snow

so white as snow

19 responses total.

Very expressive, my husband.  

That middle stanza ("I wish I wasn't here so often") is reeeeal nice.  The
ending is a little cliched, but still, yes, very expressive.  

(What does "I would fain be glad" mean?)

'fain' is a rather archaic word, I suppose.  I used it a bit 
redundantly since it means 'I would very much like to, except.."

damnit, I'll have to look it up to be sure.

I'm wondering if it isn't spelled "feign", which means "to pretend"
??

I've seen that spelling before, it's just that I was never sure what it meant.

From http://www.dictionary.com  (reformatted somewhat):  

fain (fayn)   [orig.  f, a-with-horiz-line-over-it, n] 
  adv. 
         1.Happily; gladly: 
              "I would fain improve every opportunity 
               to wonder and worship, as a sunflower 
               welcomes the light" 
                    (Henry David Thoreau). 
         2.Archaic. Preferably; rather. 

  adj. Archaic 

         1.Ready; willing. 
         2.Pleased; happy. 
         3.Obliged or required. 

  [Middle English from Old English faegen, joyful, glad.] 


Which is about what I expected. 

Sounds about right to me.

All the same, best to stick to words still in common usage in the century
you're writing in. Avoids confusion and accusations of elitist affectation.

Mm.  People keep saying stuff like that, and every time I hear it, 
something in me rebels just a bit.  Archaic language can be extremely 
effective, and so long as you know how to use it.  
  I've never been comfortable with the idea of simplifying one's writing 
so that it can be more easily understood.  With the exception of 
technical writing, where the idea is to get the point across, writing is 
as much about the beauty of language, ambiguity, subtlety, etc. as it is 
about content.  If *nobody* understands your writing, you may want to 
think about why, but if a few people don't understand the words you use 
because they're not in common usage...  
  And as for accusations of elitist affectation...   "You can't be a 
REAL poet until you give up your elitist affectations."  Does anyone 
else see the irony here?  :)

Okay, so maybe avoiding the phrase "elitist affectation" would be another good
way to avoid accusations of elitist affectation.  :)

Archaic words are useful effects, but they're even more annoying than the
lowercase i thing when you use them just for the sake of using them, IMO.

Archaisms should be used as a tool of effective wordsmithery; when an archaism
is chosen because it matches the meter, or the rhyme, or some similar reason,
it's laziness, not emotional impact, that motivates the choice.

And where did I make any statments about what "REAL poets" do? I made a
suggestion about avoiding archaisms. I'd thank the collected not to put words
into my mouth.

Sorry, I wasn't attempting to put words in your mouth; I was putting 
words in the mouths of those who would accuse others of elitist 
affectation.  Which I didn't intend to include you.  Sorry if I was 
unclear.  

'sok. I was in a mood anyway.

I chose "fain" because it felt right.  That good enough for you?

no, actually, but I'll stop pickin' on ya ;}

Guys.  guys.  Lets not argue, Okay?

Look at who you're asking not to argue, and say that again with a straight
face. :) 

Yeah.  yeah.  I just don't like to listen to... or read an argument.  We 
can use one of the other conferences for that can't we?

Ahem
#15> I'll stop pickin'
  
That's called "dropping it." Don't encourage me to say what's on my mind at
this moment. Rather, leave it dropped.

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