Poem of the Week

Sweeping Away

By Ron Padgett

What I want to do

is to forget everything

I ever knew about poetry

and sweep the pine needles

off the cabin roof

and watch them fly away

into this October afternoon

The pen is mightier than the sword

but today the broom

is mightier than the pen

Analysis by Dr Pragya Suman

This poem is taken out of the book Big Cabin written by Ron Padgett.

Ron Padgett is an American writer who has published twenty poetry books. In july 2019 his book Big Cabin came, published by Coffee House Press.

A poet, after getting tired out of the hectic life of Newyork took a rustic retreat in the woods of Vermont. Interestingly it continued for three autumns and out of this vacation Big Cabin was written. A short cabin was built among the woods in which Ron Padgett sat and peeped out of it to craft concrete images. He wrote about the lush, tree tops, ponds etc in limpid lines buffered with nostalgia.

Cabin caught his brooding mood and out of this prose piece Contemplation came. BigCabin is divided into three segments, Poetry–Prose–Poetry. In the prose section Contemplation is included, which is like a prose poem.

Solitude and aloofness are different one, as solitude can be self choice while aloofness could be imposed.

Padgett was a lonely child and thought he was happy as a child that he wouldn’t have to share his room with siblings as his school friends had to do. But this childish notion soon terminated as he grew. Loneliness began to stung him and in later life his big family wife, son, in laws. grandsons, friends made his life blessed.

In this poem he is reminiscing about old days and wants to close the shutterbox of his nostalgic mood. For it he chooses metaphors of day to day life like pen,sword, broom.

An exquisite poetry written in vernacular language!

Chrysanthemum / Queen of Fall

Chrysanthemums / Guldaudi in Hindi are now in bloom in the garden and nice to see them in pale sunlight in early morning. They are the queen of flowers in fall! Hundreds of varieties in different colors, shapes and styles are really eye-catchers. According to countries mums are conveyors of varied symbolism.

In Asia they are taken as life and rebirth, in Europe they symbolize sympathy and in America they are a token of respect and honor. It is unique in this way that they were at first cultivated in China and derived their name from Greek. Chyrs is a Greek word, it means golden, Anthemion means flower.

Golden flowers are not only golden now, but due to hybridization they are in multiple colors and mums are used on the imperial seal of Japan.

They are from the Daisy family and share space with Dahlia, Zinnia,Cosmos and Marigolds.

Never try to eat them as they are considered poisonous.

Wise crack

Humor must be out of the chief attributes of God. Plants and animals that are distinctly humorous in form and characteristics are God’s jokes.

Mark twain