figure skater Sandro Halank‘The Figure Skater’ and Other Poems by Daniel Kemper The Society June 3, 2024 Beauty, Music, Poetry 14 Comments . The Figure Skater Across the frozen way, stamping, sprinting, faster as hurried steps display something that she’ll master her body starts to sway faster, ever faster. Wind and its turbulence eddying over her shoulders, she’s steadying only the gesture she’s readying with a final glissando away. . . Missa Papae Marcelli Is it a devilish music, subverting the mass with its dissonant chords, imitations and layered tonality— will it be banned from the church or permitted to pass with its popular sway and adored for its deep musicality? Change of cadence might obscure the holy words, but could I reinforce devotion by restricting chords to blocks and slowly, slowly give dynamic tones emotion? The kyrie could blend with glory, turn to credo, then as words and chords aspire to sanctus, clear and pure, the whole would churn with polyphonic tongues of holy fire. Unexpected returns to the opening cadence would wring inexpressible groanings from spirits emboldened to sing an additional tollis peccata, repeated as time and polyphony hover with rapture and shimmer, sublime… . . A Sacramento Stroll, as Winter Storms Fade The petals blown from trees connect me to the sky. But ornamental pears that I stroll past have trembling few of their blossoms remaining to sprinkle along on the breeze. The fertile earth reclaims their growth, as they disperse __and undo themselves to be resolved to earth again, as verse with unbearable lightness was lost in the breeze that carried poems once—across the world to you. The petals blown like fountain-spray when I pass by a cherry tree on Wavecrest Way surprise me, too: from the canopy buzzing with blowflies and bees, __from the dew, from the burgeoning zephyr, perfuming a breeze that even gods can’t catch. And can’t renew. From trees—the cedars, oaks and maples waving by— come storm-uprooted thoughts. How bright their frailty grew __and withdrew. My head turns down. My legs are numb. But floating, too. Connecting me with light and petals, visions fly past undiscovered sidewalks, clouds, and walls of blue. And here I stand. A shiver sends its rippling through me to the sky. And leaves me here to wonder why. The petals blown from trees connect me to the sky, but only sky, and not across the world to you. . . Daniel Kemper is a former tournament-winning wrestler, a black belt in traditional Shotokan karate and a former infantryman. He has a BA in English, an MCSE (Systems Engineering), and an MBA. He quit a 25-year IT career in 2023 and went all-in on poetry. Since then, he’s had works accepted for publication at The Blue Unicorn, The Lyric, thehypertexts.com, The Creativity Webzine, Amethyst Review, Rat’s Ass Review, Formalverse, The Literary Hatchet, and Ekphrastic Review. He was an invited presenter at the 2023 national PAMLA conference and will preside over the Poetics Panel at PAMLA 2024. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by The Blue Unicorn and has been the featured poet at the historic Luna’s Cafe and the Sacramento Poetry Center. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Trending now: 14 Responses Roy Eugene Peterson June 3, 2024 The use of music related words and phrases added a lyrical quality to the first two poems that must have come from a love of the art. In the third poem, you “connected across the world…” in thought and interesting rhyme. Having lived in California a couple of times, I can envision the pear tree with pears hanging down and few leaves left. Reply Daniel Kemper June 4, 2024 Howdy, howdy, Roy. I’m glad you enjoyed the lyricism. I do indeed love music, though a latecomer to it. In the first, I’m really trying to learn about melody. I have plans to expand it to a sonata, or at least the desire, but the elaboration hasn’t come to me yet. I’ve tried to force a few things, but, nope. “Don’t move until you see it,” a chess trainer would say. The ornamental pears/flowering pears have become one of my favorites. They bloom early –February. Being impacted pretty badly by seaonal affective disorder, they are a tremendous morale boost. They tell me hold on just a little longer, spring is almost here. I’ll have more to say on [Missa], but have to go ATM. Reply Mary Gardner June 3, 2024 These are three superb poems, Daniel. I could feel the breeze and rapidity in”The Figure Skater,” the pleasant hexameter of “Stroll”exactly fits its subject and feeling, and I am delighted with “Missa’s” four meters. Reply Daniel Kemper June 4, 2024 Hey Mary, Thank you so much for your praise and detail. That little melody for “The Figure Skater” eluded me for some time. Characteristically, just out of reach, lol. [Stroll] – I’ve asked for the final stanza to be adjusted. Format and the web can be a bear behind the scenes though. It should lay out like this: Connecting me with light and petals, visions fly past undiscovered sidewalks, clouds, and walls of blue. And here I stand. A shiver runs rippling through me to the sky. And leaves me here to wonder why. The petals blown from trees connect me to the sky, but only sky, and not across the world to you. The reason is that I’m working out a couple different “symphonic” techniqes. Diminution is primary: There are two anapestic lines in the first stanza, plus the little anapestic nub between them. With each stanza the space between the anapestic lines diminishes, until they are together (adjacent to the nub), then drop out completely, as does the nub, just after. The anapestic lines are all wind-based (present time), hopefully to grab the flow of the breeze. Arpeggio is secondary. The “chord” of the first line is broken up across the stanzas. S1 The petals blown from trees connect me to the sky. (The whole chord) S2 The petals blown … S3 From trees … S4 Connect[ing] … S5 me to the sky. (A reason why the stanza as initially posted needs breaking up into three stanzas.) S6 Replay the whole chord and finish with a floursih. I’m writing the best poems I can, then standing back and feeling out if the effects I think a musical technique will bring actually bring it. So long as there’s a concrete, reliable result though, I can pocket the techique for later. You can never know, empirically, until to post and test. These are still building blocks of full sonatas etc. But for all that–I hope you enjoy my conversations, too– I’m most pleased that you enjoyed the meters of Missa. Really pleased. Thank you so much for having a go and applying your terrific ear. Thank you!! Reply Sally Cook June 3, 2024 Excellent poems, all! Reply Daniel Kemper June 5, 2024 Hi Sally. Thank you for your praise. Did any parts stand out better or worse than the others? Reply Cynthia Erlandson June 4, 2024 Beautiful poems, and fascinating musical design and phrases. “With polyphonic tongues of holy fire” is my favorite line. It sounds like it could be a poem/musical composition for Pentecost. Reply Daniel Kemper June 5, 2024 That was my favorite line as well! Hey, I am really humbled by the idea of it being good enough to be considered as a composition for Pentecost. Thank you ! Reply Margaret Coats June 4, 2024 Wonderful poems of motion, Daniel. All three, though most obviously in “The Figure Skater,” with its overload of motion words for its size. Skillful use of slightly longer lines for the spin near the end. “Missa Papae Marcelli” offers a good description of the work, in your own poetic way. I would not say there is any dissonance, as this is never heard. Palestrina always features internal consistency, and perhaps that is what you are describing as you go on to speak of the relation of parts of the Mass. This may be most apparent in this Mass, which I’ve heard but not sung. The Palestrina Masses I have sung do not have such a clear connection as you note, for example, when you imply the Kyrie could blend with the Gloria–but this seems obvious in Missa Papae Marcelli. I like your juxtaposition of “unexpected” with “inexpressible,” and the non-period at the sublime end of the poem. Your “Sacramento Stroll” is remarkable for being more than descriptive when it reaches for the impossible connection with someone “across the world,” at two significant points. It’s intriguing to see “storm-uprooted thoughts” moving the stroller. Good use of the natural imagery to strive for that desired connection, if only through the breeze or sky. And yes, those two conduits carry things differently! Still, unlike the plant material or the speaker, they are not confined to the present scene. Loved this one as a very carefully worded walk through time and spirit. Reply Daniel Kemper June 5, 2024 Hey Margaret, 90% likely I’ll run out of time before I finish all that I’d like to engage you on, but your engagement is wonderful. Let me get started. I didn’t think about them being poems of motion, but that they are. The “figure skater poem,” as I might have mentioned is a result of really meditating on what makes melody. In particular, in what way can formal poetry express melody and not collapse into ambiguous free verse. Among your many good points, the one about dissonance has me most focused ATM. The poem means to engage the story of the event as well as the Missa itself. What I had in mind for the first stanza was Palestrina mulling how to work out what he had to do for the performance. All the concern about polyphony’s legitimacy seemed forefront, and much had to do with dissonant chords, which of course means there’s sort of no actual negative connotation to dissonance. “The devil’s chord” would be the most jarring example. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_Papae_Marcelli Much lore has built up around him “saving the day” for polyphony, though such romanticization carries the case farther that is “just the facts.” It’s clear though, that I could have set my frame better. Such feedback is so helpful. No other way to learn this stuff than write the best I can and get the experienced voices here to weigh in. Participation is how traditions are built. Palestrina is so wonderful, so hypnotic, isn’t he? It gives me an odd feeling every time. For reasons I can’t explain, I often re-play that music having forgotten how good it was, just thinking, well nothing in particular when I play it, then WHAM! BRB – times up 🙁 Reply Daniel Kemper June 5, 2024 The [Missa] was a unique construction for its time. It had to satisfy many questions and tensions. He didn’t violate any standards, so it’s not unique in that respect. The part of the poem that pleased you most (Yay!) had chunks pretty heavily from Romans 8:26. The Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. I wrote the first words of [Sacramento Stroll] last year just after some historically bad storm damage (and personally historically bad relationship damage heh). There is an actual cherry tree I pass on my walks that inspired this. Also, one of those uprooted trees only a few lots down from it. Storm uprooted thoughts for sure. I’m still hoping to get the final stanza fixed into the three its supposed to be, b/c I think it has greater impact, but things will do for now. I’m so happy that you enjoyed these symphonic constructs. I’m thinking they are pretty unknown and challenging to many. Since it’s so new, it will take time. Not just for the reader base, but for me–there’s so much to learn about how these new ideas actually play. Reply Adam Sedia June 6, 2024 “Figure Skater” is great: a compact, tight form with a fast, musical flow, reminiscent of its subject matter. It illustrates how well use of form can capture an image. Similarly, “Missae Pape Marcelli” translates the sounds into language — not an easy feat, speaking from experience. The final poem is almost modernistic in its description of inward feelings, yet classical in form, and like the others richly descriptive. A wonderful job of “painting with words.” Reply Daniel Kemper June 6, 2024 Hi Adam! I’m so pumped that you checked out these poems–knowing of your musical background. I hope some of the comments in the chain entice you to further contemplations and play. Thank you for the compliment on [Missa]: Extra impact coming from someone who’s artistry spans more than one realm! I’m pondering your description of [Stroll]– I’m definitely gratified you perceive it’s classical core (diminution, arpeggio and all), but you also touch a point of anxiety for these. The free-verse world will certainly see some of these “poetic symphonies*” (or so I’m calling the longer pieces right now) as the same as their own. If you have thoughts on how to prevent or at least brace against the misperception, dude, lay them out. I can use them! *vs symphonic poems, lol. Reply Adam Sedia June 11, 2024 I didn’t mean that “Stroll” structurally resembles anything like free verse at all. Nor did I intend the comment to disparage the poem at all. Rather, I found the sensibility approaching modernism, with heavy emphasis on the sensory and the internal thoughts. That is not to say that there is no place for those, but in light of Pound’s admonition “show, don’t tell,” and the post-Whitman focus on the self, the perspective struck me as modernistic in an otherwise classically-constructed poem. I hope this clarifies what I meant. Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Roy Eugene Peterson June 3, 2024 The use of music related words and phrases added a lyrical quality to the first two poems that must have come from a love of the art. In the third poem, you “connected across the world…” in thought and interesting rhyme. Having lived in California a couple of times, I can envision the pear tree with pears hanging down and few leaves left. Reply
Daniel Kemper June 4, 2024 Howdy, howdy, Roy. I’m glad you enjoyed the lyricism. I do indeed love music, though a latecomer to it. In the first, I’m really trying to learn about melody. I have plans to expand it to a sonata, or at least the desire, but the elaboration hasn’t come to me yet. I’ve tried to force a few things, but, nope. “Don’t move until you see it,” a chess trainer would say. The ornamental pears/flowering pears have become one of my favorites. They bloom early –February. Being impacted pretty badly by seaonal affective disorder, they are a tremendous morale boost. They tell me hold on just a little longer, spring is almost here. I’ll have more to say on [Missa], but have to go ATM. Reply
Mary Gardner June 3, 2024 These are three superb poems, Daniel. I could feel the breeze and rapidity in”The Figure Skater,” the pleasant hexameter of “Stroll”exactly fits its subject and feeling, and I am delighted with “Missa’s” four meters. Reply
Daniel Kemper June 4, 2024 Hey Mary, Thank you so much for your praise and detail. That little melody for “The Figure Skater” eluded me for some time. Characteristically, just out of reach, lol. [Stroll] – I’ve asked for the final stanza to be adjusted. Format and the web can be a bear behind the scenes though. It should lay out like this: Connecting me with light and petals, visions fly past undiscovered sidewalks, clouds, and walls of blue. And here I stand. A shiver runs rippling through me to the sky. And leaves me here to wonder why. The petals blown from trees connect me to the sky, but only sky, and not across the world to you. The reason is that I’m working out a couple different “symphonic” techniqes. Diminution is primary: There are two anapestic lines in the first stanza, plus the little anapestic nub between them. With each stanza the space between the anapestic lines diminishes, until they are together (adjacent to the nub), then drop out completely, as does the nub, just after. The anapestic lines are all wind-based (present time), hopefully to grab the flow of the breeze. Arpeggio is secondary. The “chord” of the first line is broken up across the stanzas. S1 The petals blown from trees connect me to the sky. (The whole chord) S2 The petals blown … S3 From trees … S4 Connect[ing] … S5 me to the sky. (A reason why the stanza as initially posted needs breaking up into three stanzas.) S6 Replay the whole chord and finish with a floursih. I’m writing the best poems I can, then standing back and feeling out if the effects I think a musical technique will bring actually bring it. So long as there’s a concrete, reliable result though, I can pocket the techique for later. You can never know, empirically, until to post and test. These are still building blocks of full sonatas etc. But for all that–I hope you enjoy my conversations, too– I’m most pleased that you enjoyed the meters of Missa. Really pleased. Thank you so much for having a go and applying your terrific ear. Thank you!! Reply
Daniel Kemper June 5, 2024 Hi Sally. Thank you for your praise. Did any parts stand out better or worse than the others? Reply
Cynthia Erlandson June 4, 2024 Beautiful poems, and fascinating musical design and phrases. “With polyphonic tongues of holy fire” is my favorite line. It sounds like it could be a poem/musical composition for Pentecost. Reply
Daniel Kemper June 5, 2024 That was my favorite line as well! Hey, I am really humbled by the idea of it being good enough to be considered as a composition for Pentecost. Thank you ! Reply
Margaret Coats June 4, 2024 Wonderful poems of motion, Daniel. All three, though most obviously in “The Figure Skater,” with its overload of motion words for its size. Skillful use of slightly longer lines for the spin near the end. “Missa Papae Marcelli” offers a good description of the work, in your own poetic way. I would not say there is any dissonance, as this is never heard. Palestrina always features internal consistency, and perhaps that is what you are describing as you go on to speak of the relation of parts of the Mass. This may be most apparent in this Mass, which I’ve heard but not sung. The Palestrina Masses I have sung do not have such a clear connection as you note, for example, when you imply the Kyrie could blend with the Gloria–but this seems obvious in Missa Papae Marcelli. I like your juxtaposition of “unexpected” with “inexpressible,” and the non-period at the sublime end of the poem. Your “Sacramento Stroll” is remarkable for being more than descriptive when it reaches for the impossible connection with someone “across the world,” at two significant points. It’s intriguing to see “storm-uprooted thoughts” moving the stroller. Good use of the natural imagery to strive for that desired connection, if only through the breeze or sky. And yes, those two conduits carry things differently! Still, unlike the plant material or the speaker, they are not confined to the present scene. Loved this one as a very carefully worded walk through time and spirit. Reply
Daniel Kemper June 5, 2024 Hey Margaret, 90% likely I’ll run out of time before I finish all that I’d like to engage you on, but your engagement is wonderful. Let me get started. I didn’t think about them being poems of motion, but that they are. The “figure skater poem,” as I might have mentioned is a result of really meditating on what makes melody. In particular, in what way can formal poetry express melody and not collapse into ambiguous free verse. Among your many good points, the one about dissonance has me most focused ATM. The poem means to engage the story of the event as well as the Missa itself. What I had in mind for the first stanza was Palestrina mulling how to work out what he had to do for the performance. All the concern about polyphony’s legitimacy seemed forefront, and much had to do with dissonant chords, which of course means there’s sort of no actual negative connotation to dissonance. “The devil’s chord” would be the most jarring example. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_Papae_Marcelli Much lore has built up around him “saving the day” for polyphony, though such romanticization carries the case farther that is “just the facts.” It’s clear though, that I could have set my frame better. Such feedback is so helpful. No other way to learn this stuff than write the best I can and get the experienced voices here to weigh in. Participation is how traditions are built. Palestrina is so wonderful, so hypnotic, isn’t he? It gives me an odd feeling every time. For reasons I can’t explain, I often re-play that music having forgotten how good it was, just thinking, well nothing in particular when I play it, then WHAM! BRB – times up 🙁 Reply
Daniel Kemper June 5, 2024 The [Missa] was a unique construction for its time. It had to satisfy many questions and tensions. He didn’t violate any standards, so it’s not unique in that respect. The part of the poem that pleased you most (Yay!) had chunks pretty heavily from Romans 8:26. The Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. I wrote the first words of [Sacramento Stroll] last year just after some historically bad storm damage (and personally historically bad relationship damage heh). There is an actual cherry tree I pass on my walks that inspired this. Also, one of those uprooted trees only a few lots down from it. Storm uprooted thoughts for sure. I’m still hoping to get the final stanza fixed into the three its supposed to be, b/c I think it has greater impact, but things will do for now. I’m so happy that you enjoyed these symphonic constructs. I’m thinking they are pretty unknown and challenging to many. Since it’s so new, it will take time. Not just for the reader base, but for me–there’s so much to learn about how these new ideas actually play. Reply
Adam Sedia June 6, 2024 “Figure Skater” is great: a compact, tight form with a fast, musical flow, reminiscent of its subject matter. It illustrates how well use of form can capture an image. Similarly, “Missae Pape Marcelli” translates the sounds into language — not an easy feat, speaking from experience. The final poem is almost modernistic in its description of inward feelings, yet classical in form, and like the others richly descriptive. A wonderful job of “painting with words.” Reply
Daniel Kemper June 6, 2024 Hi Adam! I’m so pumped that you checked out these poems–knowing of your musical background. I hope some of the comments in the chain entice you to further contemplations and play. Thank you for the compliment on [Missa]: Extra impact coming from someone who’s artistry spans more than one realm! I’m pondering your description of [Stroll]– I’m definitely gratified you perceive it’s classical core (diminution, arpeggio and all), but you also touch a point of anxiety for these. The free-verse world will certainly see some of these “poetic symphonies*” (or so I’m calling the longer pieces right now) as the same as their own. If you have thoughts on how to prevent or at least brace against the misperception, dude, lay them out. I can use them! *vs symphonic poems, lol. Reply
Adam Sedia June 11, 2024 I didn’t mean that “Stroll” structurally resembles anything like free verse at all. Nor did I intend the comment to disparage the poem at all. Rather, I found the sensibility approaching modernism, with heavy emphasis on the sensory and the internal thoughts. That is not to say that there is no place for those, but in light of Pound’s admonition “show, don’t tell,” and the post-Whitman focus on the self, the perspective struck me as modernistic in an otherwise classically-constructed poem. I hope this clarifies what I meant.
