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Writer's pictureAlistair Appleton

Thunder / Elizabeth Bishop

I love Elizabeth Bishop's poetry. The Moose and The Sandpiper are both masterpieces. But I came across this uncollected sonnet of hers from 1928 and it contains lots that I like about her work: nods to the supernatural, fearless rhymes and lines that "feel" correct even as you wonder what they mean.


The last line of this poem is an example of that! I will never hear thunder the same way...


Thunder


And suddenly the giants tired of play. --

With huge, rough hands they flung the gods' gold balls

And silver harps and mirrors at the walls

Of Heaven, and trod, ashamed, where lay

The loveliness of flowers. Frightened Day

On white feet ran from out the temple halls,

The blundering dark was filled with great war-calls,

And Beauty, shamed, slunk silently away.


Be quiet, little wind among the leaves

That turn pale faces to the coming storm.

Be quiet, little foxes in your lairs,

And birds and mice be still - a giant grieves

For his forgotten might. Hark now the warm

And heavy stumbling down the leaden stairs!

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8 Comments


Kristine LaPlante
Jul 03, 2022

I felt the large, splashing raindrops beginning with the last line.

Thank you for the poetry art you present here, Alistair :)

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Alistair Appleton
Alistair Appleton
Jun 14, 2022

Yes!


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Love this poem, reminds me of when I was a child and someone told me thunder was just the gods playing ten-pin bowling over our heads. Completely reframed it for me into fun.

Also love your poetry blogs. Rumi, Neruda and Mary Oliver are some of my favourites.

💜

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Gill Jewell
Gill Jewell
Jun 14, 2022
Replying to


Thank you, where would we send poems ? Have you written poetry ? I am sure I can speak on behalf of folk to request any you would feel comfortable in sharing ? -Understand if only for established ones . Bruce Dawe( Australian ) is fab’.



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Bianca Aga
Bianca Aga
Jun 13, 2022

A poem that easily conjures up visions of nature with its sounds ❤ (helped by todays very blustery Orkney island weather with mondays laundry day on quick dry)

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Archer Swiggum
Archer Swiggum
Jun 13, 2022

Last line feels almost familiar: the fox and mice must hide because father -- the sometimes perplexingly angry giant of our childhood -- is coming down the stairs looking for someone to punish. And yes, grieving his "forgotten might."

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