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Renshi Talk
Where did it come from, Christy, that's what I want to know.
Where did it come from, Christy, that's what I want to know. The form does feel like a play, actions you see as they happen.
You got it right, Yates Stirling, the Admiral, did act like a cowboy (I could hear the theme song from that spaghetti western). He was so full of it.
Did you read other things about him, beyond HONOR KILLING? There's so much to say about the turmoil he brought to the islands with the false rumors and the lies.
He's the bad guy.
I read a few things beyond Stannard's Honor Killing- what you see is "fact" presented by the book with a heaping helping of poetic license.
I had noticed that there has been a tilt towards the local perspective in our threads- obviously- as we the writers are local. I wanted to bring out another perspective. My poetry tends to be emotionally charged, hopefully reflecting the voice within the skin of the subject. I had a lot of difficulty with this when trying to think of the "other side".
After hemming for about a week and a half I settled on Admiral Stirling (leaving me exactly three days). The form of the "poem" allowed me a little more room to show him, however I could not get his voice. And no- I had no idea that it would come out like a play- I would have preferred for it not to.
Here is a man who was in command of the US Navy who voiced readily his disapproval of the Hawaiian population being allowed to become US citizens- that the "polyglot population in the islands" should be under strict rule, and apparently loved to brag about indiscriminate killings of Filipinos in a prior assignment.
How do you get into a mindset like that? I mean no one thinks they are the bad guy, every terrorist, dictator, and run of the mill douche thinks they are in the right and generally believe they are well liked. I could not get into it. My shortcoming as a writer or lack of time to try.
I believe this form could convey his stature ("scene" 1) and outrage (scene 2) which was the catalyst of many things to come obviously leading to scene three which inadvertently had a lot of symbolism- mainly his belief that Hawaii was not part of the US and he was going to take it out.
I thought briefly of him having 2 different visions- one where Thalia was raped and one where Thalia was a part of consensual sex. However I don't think someone like him would ever fathom a white woman having consensual sex with someone of a different ethnicity.
just to be clear though- I think I wrote a prose poem, not a scene from a play. Students of poetry may discuss….
Thanks for your reading and response guest- BIG mahalo
I too agree that lines between the forms are getting blurred. As for me though- anything that allows more poetic device is an enhancement:) I am sure however that others may not feel the same….