Riverflesh threw me for all kinds of loops. Twists, turns, and imagery in every line. Where I thought I knew what was going on, another descriptive scene would cause me to think again. Many lines stuck with me as it evoked emotion or left a unique scene drawn inside my head.
“And her yellow eye will baffle the corridor”
“The ice storm black as extinguished hope”
Yellow and black colors were revisited throughout the poem. As were themes of birth, hopelessness, creation, and destruction. It was rich with feelings and alliteration as well. I enjoyed the personification of the river or whatever Marriott is describing as “the thing” which he ends by declaring, “The creature is my echo and my future.”
Moreover, my favorite line is written by stanza III. where Marriott writes, “...to the enemy whose grin unfolds like dark butterfly wings.” Here I can feel the slow movement of the grin forming across this unknown face. Teeth shining as the lips begin to part. The butterfly wing imagery is what gives it this almost ominous feeling. This feeling that as a whole, the poem seems to move in and out of.
Angelique,
ReplyDeleteThis is good, wish i had a little more. The use of color and the sense of despair are definitely present in your experience. The extension of the images you present with stanza 3 are interesting
E