P is for Pelmatogram

Jo Bryant

it waits

when the morning sun rises

then it disappears into darkness

a lover of sorts

accepts failings

idiosyncrasies

laughs at lame jokes

trembles when romances orgasm

pasts interwined

future intermingled

vocabulary a thought from greatness

keys hum to a touch

relaying the melody of thoughts

gossamer threads

from mind to paper

from paper to mind

vessel emptied

on to empty vessel

the path walked left visible

for those who follow

***

pelmatogram = footprint

***

This poem is posted in response to the photo prompt over at Magpie Tales.

It is also part of the ABC Wednesday prompt: the letter P

and Thursday Poets Rally Week 55

***

Published by Jo Bryant

I was born in the land of Banjo Paterson, gum trees, and weather extremes. I am a freelance photographer. I love to make images that make people happy. To capture forever a precious moment. I am also a freelance writer/editor. I live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, but still like to claim my Australian heritage. I graduated with a Bachelor of Communications in 2008. I am writing my first novel. I love to write poetry, short stories, and also write for the web. And there is nothing that is on a par with a sunny summer's day spent at Waihi Beach.

101 Comments

  2. Hi Jo, I really liked this, especially the back and forth between machine and brain and the responses of the machine. The laughter and trembling, the intertwine between paper and mind. Felt like a very original treatment. K.

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  12. This winter, when the first snow falls, crisply sheeting the sidewalks I will study the pelmatograms left by wayfarers, snowmen builders and who knows, the hoof pelmatograms of eight reindeer.
    Thank you for the lovely word!

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    1. Very happy to be of service – and I will be thinking of those pelmatograms left by wayfarers, snowmen builders and who knows, the hoof pelmatograms of eight reindeer.

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  13. ‘the path walked left visible

    for those who follow’

    . . . a lovely image, the pelmatogram at its most basic being the imprint on the typewriter ribbon, but it implies so much more than that.

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  17. I love your poems Jo, but their titles always give me headaches. 🙂 Beautifully crafted ode to that lovely piece of machinery. I was having the same issues with line spacing in my posts by the way. I found I could go to the HTML version of my post, and eliminate the spacing there. When I went back to the original version, my new spacing remained. As you said though, the spacing really works well to highlight your words.

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    1. Now why would a word give you a headache ???
      I am not worried about the spacing – except if I need it to highlight something in the text – so I probably won’t bother too much…no-one has seem bothered by it before – so it’s a trifle really. 🙂

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  26. Hi there – nice word – is it an example of neologism?
    You never can tell!
    Cheers – Stewart M -Australia
    PS: you may find my other (more wordy) blog of interest if you have a few minutes to spare!

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  40. I just learned another new word. Two today! Your poem seems to be a visualization of abstract ideas. Does that make sense? I do like your descriptions.

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  43. Oh I really like your take on this Magpie (though it was the Poetry Palace that brought me here!)
    My fav lines:
    relaying the melody of thoughts

    gossamer threads

    from mind to paper

    from paper to mind

    just sublime. Loved it!

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  44. Brilliant write, Jo….learnt a new words and meaning because of you as rest others have mentioned..Very happy enough to have visited your blog..Thanks for the share..

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  45. When you think about the old typewriters and all that paper we’d waste. Write a line, rip it out, screw it up, put a new piece in, write a few words, rip it out, screw it up. What a waste it all was.
    Loved the back and forth of this between mind, machine and paper and, I too, learned a new word. Thank you. 🙂

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    1. Too true – luckily these days we have other ways without tearing down a complete forest to write a novel…
      Glad you stopped by and thanks for the lovely comment.
      🙂

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  49. I love the lines ‘gossamer thread from mind to paper’ and back again… Loved the whole thing, actually, and I’m so grateful you didn’t make me go look up pelmatogram in the end! *smile*

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