King Arthur

The angel’s pity whistles as King Arthur rises.
aquatic echoes boiling in incandescence
and pillars distant with flame. His eyes drool

blue as pirouette storks flash behind his eyes,
ore in the crochet fashion Guinevere spins.
Repast weeps, her heart’s wound spins
as a green-skulled widow rotting in orchid.

Yet in krakens glare and wilting stare
must the warrior return to battle, arisen
mounting with the screaming cackle
of his lightning black mare and wounds
mended with tallow and sky grease.

About This Poem

Review Request Direction: How was my language use?

Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft

About the Author

Country/Region: Albany NY

Comments

Splendid imagery.

Great language use.
Am unsure about
ore in the crochet fashion [or, awe?]

The poem creates a stunningly dynamic impression.
The only problem is I just don't get it.
I'm left with the banal question 'why?', or is that the point?

King Arthur will only come

King Arthur will only come back in England's direst hour of need.
Every Englishman knows this.
I don't think he'll be fighting Norsemen again.

lol

I don't know why. I'm irish, and I suppose it shouldn't mean much to me; but it has that symbolistic weirdness, the whole story, and I like that.

I believe that, Jane.

I don't know if it's my age, but as a child we were bought up on the Arthurian legends. Home and school, they don't seem to get a look in these days.
I'm going to Tintagel this summer, camping there for a few days.
Needless to say, I'm looking forward to it.
I enjoyed reading this, even if I did think you lost the legend a bit. I love the first line though, drew me right in.
Sometimes I find it a bit hard to really connect with a different surrealist take - nature/imagery/ symbolism of something already surreal, but that is grounded in legend and folklore and that is almost a part of my life, with its familiarity.
Have you read TH White, Once and Future King? I expect so, I found it hard to unpick the legend from the tale, so deftly were they woven together.
Now, let's see if I can write anything after my visit to Uther Pendragon's seat.
No pressure then....... grin.
Jx
From his tomb, at least according to Mallory.
Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam, rexque futurus

you didn't answer my question

ore, or or awe?

The sword in the stone is so true,

and historically interesting if mythically banal.
It was around that time time people learned to cast metal in clay. They did pull the new fangled, highly effective swords from a bunch of clay (baked to 'stone') castings.

Arthur

Served as a central character of Celtic story telling, going back to the 5th century. Possibly/ probably used for political propaganda. His 'legend' was developed by Geoffry of Monmouth around the 11 century and has been enhance by so many other leading poetical figures Mallory being one.
There is a massive question mark over whether he did really exist, but in the minds of us Britons, he is more ancient hero than myth. We want him to have existed, so in the minds of many, he did. Which just illustrates the power of Celtic mythology handed down over the centuries.
Jx

Not at all

I don't think anyone's being fussy. I think I meant awe, but don't count on it. Likely awe.

I remember King Arthur as being put in a boat and sent to paradise, or something like that; honestly I don't care that much about the source material. I care about it only as making some kind of inspired material. Admittedly, though, the poem does need some work.