Sarah Flanigan - Poetry Simply Put

Feb 10 2008

sarah flanigan

Villainous

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1. ozymandiazon 11 Feb 2008 at 8:20 am 1

   It seems almost ominous when a murder of ravens inhabit the sky, no? Spine tingling even. Very evocative work.

   hi ozy!
   yes, it really does. where i live we have hundreds of them and i saw a gaggle of them as i took my morning walk - schuffling around like dirty old men in overcoats, pecking at the ground. i think i’ve seen the movie, the birds, too often, because whenever i see a group of them it creeps me out a little.
   sarah

2. spasmicallyperfecton 11 Feb 2008 at 4:37 pm 2

   I love the imagery on this one, ‘blacken azure sky’, nicely done Sarah…..
   Glad you’re still working hard on poems…… seems I’ve lost the touch.
   Desperately in need of inspiring reads, not intimidating ones, just inspiring ones…..

   oh spaz,
   i hope i didn’t intimidate you. i’ve been a bit short on inspiration myself, lately. this too shall pass…at least that’s what they tell me. sarah

3. krkbakeron 13 Feb 2008 at 7:34 am 3

   Yes. (spoken in an eery whisper )
   You know I love the dark stuff.
   This is going on the top ten list.

   kim

   hi kim,
   wow, top ten list? me? i’m so flattered. lately, i’ve been liking the dark stuff myself.
   sarah

4. alisonon 13 Feb 2008 at 8:47 am 4

   Top five on mine. Sarah you’ve outdone yourself in imagery again –even your description of the men in overcoats in your comment reply — you see the world like the pictures and paintings you post and you convey it through your writing just —-you are amazing. You really are. Loved this one. A.

   oh alison, coming from you that means a lot - you are such an incredible poet that i am nothing in comparison. truly. i’m still trying to come up for something for the contest. it’s a challenge but i really want to try it.
   love,
   sarah

5. debambamon 14 Feb 2008 at 4:20 pm 5

   Very nice Sarah…..could be about so many things other than the birds too couldn’t it?
   Cheers, Kelly

   hi kel!
   yes, this is a metaphor for other villainous things. sarah

6. David Schleicheron 17 Feb 2008 at 4:56 pm 6

   This is great. The poem perfectly matches the picture. Does anyone know…why is a group of ravens called a murder? What is the origins of the word “murder” in that context?

   hi david,
   i’m glad you enjoyed the poem. to answer your question, i found the following on the snopes message boards:

   
   

   “A ‘murder’ of crows is based on the persistent but fallacious folk tale that crows form tribunals to judge and punish the bad behavior of a member of the flock. If the verdict goes against the defendant, that bird is killed (murdered) by the flock. The basis in fact is probably that occasionally crows will kill a dying crow who doesn’t belong in their territory or much more commonly feed on carcasses of dead crows. Also, both crows and ravens are associated with battlefields, medieval hospitals, execution sites and cemeteries (because they scavenged on human remains). In England, a tombstone is sometimes called a ravenstone.”

   sarah

7. dragonlifeon 19 Feb 2008 at 4:36 am 7

   Poor ravens!
   I’m sure you meant crows!
   After all when you want to compliment a lday on her lustrous black hair, you will say black as a raven, not as a crow.
   Or is it because raven sounds like “craven”?
   Interestingly enough J.R.R Tolkien pointed out the difference, but that did not prevent him to rank eagles higher than wolves.
   How about a poem on an errant hermit with a raven perched on his shoulder walking along a wolf?
   Always a pleasure to read you Sarah!
   Cheers,
   Robert-Gilles

   bon jour, robert!
   no…i meant ravens - your proposal for a poem sounds interesting - why not write it yourself? it sounds as though you would do something delicious with the concept.
   sarah

8. tomachfiveon 20 Feb 2008 at 6:39 am 8

   Well captured sentiment, Sarah.

   thank you, tom. how have you been?
   sarah

9. murderofravenson 21 Feb 2008 at 11:42 am 9

   I suppose a poem about a murder of ravens was bound to get my attention sooner or later.
   Seriously, this was really well done: great imagery, and you set the mood perfectly. This immediately hit my short list of favorites.

   FWIW, there are some pretty odd names for flocks of birds in the English language, with “lamentation of swans”, “exultation of larks”, and “watch of nightingales” being my favorites.

   -smith

   hi smith,
   you know, i’m surprised that people have liked it so much - it was just a small flash of inspiration on a morning walk. Perhaps I should walk more often?

   interesting about the phrases you mentioned for various flocks of birds, it does make you wonder who came up with those and why.

   sarah

10. Brainteaseron 04 Mar 2008 at 9:09 pm 10

    Hi Sarah!

    Saw your comment at Tomachfive’s blog. Followed you to your blog. Hope you don’t mind.

    You’ve got wonderful reads here. Poems rich in imagery, coupled with great pictures!

    Wow!

    (PS. Do you mind if I include your blog in my blogroll?)

    hi brainteaser,
    i’d be flattered if you added me to your blogroll, thank you so much. and thank you for your kind words - they come at a time when i needed to hear them.
    sarah

11. alisonon 10 Mar 2008 at 2:55 pm 11

    Good Sarah!!!! I’m so excited and we have plenty of time Lots of faith in your writing and am glad we are playing tag again
    hi ali,
    it will be a challenge because i’ve never written a sonnet, at least not knowingly. i wonder if i’ll be able to do it. sarah

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