Pulling From The Land (Two-Ways)

The following poem was created using the “blackout form” – which pulls from an existing piece of work and creates a new work by redacting words from the original. In this case, I pulled from the poem, “The Land” by Vita Sackville-West, which is an absolutely beautiful work of poetry. This is my first time trying the blackout form and I decided to add a twist and create a two act poem. Each act is a different redaction of the whole original. Hope you enjoy.

Pulling From The Land (Two-Ways)

from Vita Sackville-West’s “The Land”

Act I

Storms prowled;
Lightning flickered;
White flashes;
Knotted suspense.

The skulking storm whirled a sword;
Threatened terror;
In like a beast, he strode;
Upon his anger, a thousand shards leapt.

His challenge sudden, wild;
Opened, great drops spattered;
Crashed thunder shook;
And lightning lay.

Act II

A spring night flickered in the east;
The white pear-blossom gleamed motionless;
Birds still by the glint over the horizon,
Earth held stayed, hills upon the plain, prostrate.

Earth drank his rain;
Under her trees;
Opened her secret bosom to the drops;
The green garden lay.

Be well,

Monty

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