February Homework: Extremes

[Catherine Lee]

Extremes

We remember the banks lying arid and still
with no rainfall for months to relieve and to fill.
We despaired at the carcasses dotting the ground,
scorching heat, barren landscape, despair all around,
faced with animal losses, dead crops, constant gloom
while the riverbed withered - a dry, dusty tomb.

Then at last came a glimmer to grant us a lift -
welcome answer to prayer. Nature’s great, precious gift.
Intermittent at first, each drop counted as gold,
but then downpours - a deluge began to unfold!
Then the river rose high, grew in volume and force,
so a rough bridge was built using every resource.

But the waterway formerly thirsting for rain
raged torrential and monstrous, brought challenge and pain,
drowning wildlife and stock, saturating the land
while they desperately searched for a grip in the sand.
And the river flowed on; we watched verges erode,
simply crumbling as water increased, overflowed.

In a circle the seasons will constantly turn,
and we’ll battle in earnest, continue to yearn
for a balance of Nature instead of extremes,
when we’re haunted by sights that beleaguer our dreams.
Meanwhile full, parched or flooded, this old riverbed
still remains, and continues to bury the dead.

© Catherine Lee

[Gary Harding]

Catherine,

Extremes

I would say very capably and confidently written, and poetically constructed with one line frequently flowing smoothly into the next one. Short and to the point, which I especially like.

Catherine, the main thing is your vivid imagery and mastery of language which always pervades your writing. Extremes is in accordance with that. In my opinion of course.

Yes... Nature has an artist's canvas of contrasts and drought and flood are the classics, in weather at least.

"Of ragged mountain ranges, (rugged?)
Of droughts and flooding rains." Dorothea

"In a circle the seasons will constantly turn" is my favourite line. Very "ballady", being simple and expressive.

Your subject is incredibly timely with the imminent Cyclone Alfred (Fred) striking terror into the hearts of everyone here, kindly helped along by the media, naturally... news images of white-faced people, trembling at the knees lined up at the supermarkets hoping for a crumb of bread or one egg kindly rationed. Panic, dread.. shared hysteria which like a cyclone feeds on itself and grows..

"Fred is coming!!" they shriek.

That palpable atmosphere of.. cold community Fear! Fred, Fred!

Weather Bureau says it is about to LASH the coast.. yes, lash! Water LAPPING at the road they say.. yes Lapping no less!! Perish the thought but it is almost as if this government Bureau has some self-interest in adding its bit to the hype.

I see the the Army have been called in to offer (unspecified) help. Perhaps they will range their one operable artillery piece and fire a few rounds at Cyclone Fred in hopes of scaring it off. Then presumably the lads can return to the pub from whence they originally came.

Your Extremes of weather are here ...or at least one of them... accompanied by mass hysteria. At least it gets people's minds off inconsequential matters such as the national debt... and with an election coming up, that is useful. Perhaps it could be a case of "Fred saves the government!"

Back to your poem..... An excellent work. Well done in its conception, and cleverly written. .

I always sit back and read your poems several times, enjoying them more with each read.

Congratulations on your Blackened Billy Competition win too! That is a major and prestigious Competition. A brilliant win.
Gary

[Ron]

Very well done Catherine, concise with realistic word pictures created every line!
A pleasure to read!
Also congratulations from me as well on your Blackened Billy win, well done!
Cheers
Ron.

[Maureen K Clifford]

I think you were a month early with this or maybe just prophetic as Cyclone Alfred is venting his hissy fit on Queensland and NSW

As always your vivid word pictures make it a stand out - well done Nicely crafted and great use of the prompts

[Terry]

Hi Catherine

You have covered it well the circle of life in parts of Australia, but we always bounce back.
Verry well written as always Catherine and a pleasure to read.

Terry

[Catherine Lee]

Thank you so much, Gary, Ron, Maureen and Terry for your very kind words about my homework, as well as your warm congratulations for my Blackened Billy win!...As always, I greatly appreciate your feedback and am encouraged by your specific comments in regard to language, imagery, certain lines, and of course, your overall enjoyment.

Naturally I was thinking of you all as Cyclone Alfred approached, so it was good to receive fairly regular reports from actual friends on the ground rather than relying on the media – which other than the basics I rarely do, because yes, Gary, having battened down the hatches at a resort in the Whitsundays way back in the nineties as well as gone through a couple of other newsworthy events over the years, I do hear you when it comes to this!

Once again, thank you all so much….as I’ve said before, your continued support and encouragement means a very great deal to me.

[Terry]

Hi again Catherine

I've been missing in action and hadn't seen the B&B results.
So congratulations Catherine on a very well deserved victory.

Cheers

Terry

[Catherine Lee]

Thank you so much, Terry! xx

[Maureen K Clifford]

Just wanted to point out that this poem of Catherine's did indeed go to 'extremes' when it came to the number of views it received. Congratulations Catherine on achieving the momentous number of 493,543 views. Not sure if that is an all time record but if not, I reckon it would be pretty close. Well done

[Gary Harding]

OK. Although Catherine's poem fully deserves this number of views, half a million, I believe it is either a software glitch or there has been some interference with the views counter. Shelley has just indicated scamming, and presumably interference being more active on the Forum recently.

I have a thread in another part of the forum and it has been giving very silly view indications. Particularly over the last couple of weeks. Suddenly after 7 years, +200,000 views in a few days. I mean 14,000 views in an hour on a (let's face it) niche forum for a relatively small number of enthusiasts. Yeah, right! Several other evidentiary factors lead me to this definite conclusion too, but I won't go on about them..

So suddenly 500,000 views of one poem ... nah.. not in truth. A keystroke bot program can go in and out of a thread and each time clock up a view. For what purpose if any at all, I don't know.

Mind you, I would really like to believe it! for Catherine's poem, and for my thread too.. wow!. HOWEVER, even given that most people will believe what they WANT to believe... to be totally HONEST I would not get excited at all. I could of course be wrong. But just Beware.

I have two friends who have very recently believed things (and people) on the net to their truly massive (financial and other) detriment. Beware.