Apr '13 30
I love the final line of F Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby:

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
So I decided to decimate and recreate.

I wanted to see how far I could break down the sentence phonetically. I changed words but remained reasonably close to the original sound, whether or not the resulting sentence made sense. It was quite difficult; I managed only four variations, then I turned it into a poem. 'slí', pronounced 'shlee', is the Irish word for 'way'. A French 'que' also made its way into the piece.

And so, we have what might be called a conceptual poem for day number 30, the last day.

Tomorrow, I rest. Maybe.

Grate gads, be

So we beat on,
boats against the current,
borne back ceaselessly
into the past.
Soho wee beet un,
bow oats eggs ends the currant,
boron beck seas less lean
to passed.
Sew 'e, be ton,
beau its sag sense it the cur and,
beaux're on bex 'e's Leslie
en tooth pass it.
Sow he bee ten,
beaux it Sagan Seti thick runt,
bore on baa que sees le slí
in topaz.
Sowie, beaten,
boa wits egg sensed thee icky rennet,
bow Ron bah access Les lien
two thee pest.

Posted by Jennifer Liston

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6 Comments

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  1. Marianne Musgrove says:

    *Well done on making it the thirty days! Reading about your process of conceiving poems has been very interesting, as were the poems themselves. Love the icky rennet.

  2. Jen says:

    *Thanks Marianne! It was a fun project but it's nice to know I don't have to write a poem tomorrow! :-)

  3. Robert Rath says:

    *I think you need another dictionary or possibly a very large vodka! Amazing collection over 30 days!

  4. Jen says:

    *Vodka please! Thank you xoxo

  5. Alison says:

    *Yeeha! Well done you! Lots of stunners - such a talented lass! I don't deserve a vodka but I'll toast you with one! xXx

  6. Jen says:

    *Thanks Alison! Haha let's get some serious toasting happening soon! xo

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