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Oct 29, 2017
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Vellichor
Exploring eternity in a parlor
a fool finds velvet and marble
The velvet ever statuesque
marble seeming to drape
lithe over a hewn muse
Above the fool, jellyfish stained glass
Gentle movement, perfume of aging paper
their eyes brush the stitched spines
lingering on the edges of crooked shelves
bowed with years of burden and replacement
once among a quaint little copse
these planks harbor stories, mildew blossoms
Books, corporeal and evanescent like people
yet, commiseration and every inkling they accord, remains
About This Poem
Last Few Words: Vellichor is defined as "the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time — filled with thousands of old books you’ll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were captured" - a word coined by John Koenig for his "Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows".
Style/Type: Free verse
Review Request Direction:
What did you think of my title?
How was my language use?
What did you think of the rhythm or pattern or pacing?
How does this theme appeal to you?
How was the beginning/ending of the poem?
Is the internal logic consistent?
Review Request Intensity: I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft
Comments
lonlyhrtsclub13
7 years 8 months ago
I love this
There is something so mysterious and fascinating about an old bookstore or library. The smells, the discovery, which you described very clearly. Brought me to the center of the store, ready to join another time, another place. Wondrous adventures locked in each page. Good read.
swamp-witch
7 years 8 months ago
Carrie,
Thanks so much. I had fun writing it. I really love the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. I feel like each new word I learn is something I've felt, but couldn't define. The dictionary helps not only because I can better articulate those feelings, but also because I know that someone else has felt the same way.
I had a poem that expressed the same thing a while ago, called The Bibliophile's Predicament. When I find it I will repost. :)
Kelsey
lonlyhrtsclub13
7 years 8 months ago
Dictionaries
Are so much fun. You can find so many different words that mean what you want to say but sound better than plain English.