First of all, thanks to Barbara for this devil of a poetry prompt over at Big Tent Poetry . I have never written a “cascade” poem before, and boy did it give me trouble! I was so busy figuring out how to do it, I think the content and flow suffered a bit…but, here goes... my take on Woman as victim, as symbolized by Dorothy.
Brushing straw from your tangled hair,
throwing your apron to the ground,
just put your best red high heels on,
be brave and make it on your own.
The scarecrow called you ignorant
to feed his fatuous conceit.
Set him ablaze and run away,
brushing straw from your tangled hair.
The tin man was one hard bastard,
with an inhuman, empty soul.
Just let him rust, to save yourself,
throwing your apron to the ground.
That scaredy cat you tangled with,
would browbeat, just to feel so brave.
Screw up your courage once again,
and put your best red high heels on.
The “Great One” gave you bad advice,
to keep you slave to his desires.
No wizard, he's a charlatan,
be brave and make it on your own.
You did very good with this form!
ReplyDeleteclaustrophobia
Cynthia,
ReplyDeleteI like how you used OZ as the backbone of this.
Excellent.
Pamela
Wow, that's a bit of a different take on the land of Oz. I like it-- it gives lots of food for thought!
ReplyDeleteI love it, Cynthia! Very creative and I think you executed the form very effectively. Dorothy, the feminist! :0)
ReplyDeleteI like the affect the cascade created in your new perspective on Dorothy. This is better than you give yourself credit for.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
As Elizabeth said, this is indeed better than you think. Each of the four lines you begin with work so well in the stanzas they end. Brava, Cynthia!
ReplyDeleteCynthia,
ReplyDeleteA very powerful message in the power of self belief. Using the Wizard of Oz was wonderful.
Good to have found your words via Poets United!
Best wishes, Eileen
Love the power and depth of this cascade -
ReplyDeleteWonderful use of the cascade form! Bravo!
ReplyDeleteKudos for this brave post ! Impressive !!
ReplyDeleteI always thought there was something of the emperor's new clothes about the cascade form. Or perhaps, in this case, a man behind a curtain.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I enjoyed this piece.
beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOh, Cynthia - I love this!! The yellow brick road image whispered, "read this carefully, its fantastic!" so I did...
ReplyDeleteI hope you write more of these poems!
Fantastic use of the form and I love the take on Dorothy -- taking on the world and making it her own. Are you sure you haven't done much cascading before? This was GREAT.
ReplyDeletehow very creative to use the oz folks, er ummm men to make a point about dorothy, down to her red shoes and straw.. especially delightful was the great deceiver.. we've all seen the movie... for such an important topic often misunderstood by most one can hear the hope and be brave loud and clear...
ReplyDeleteWell done, Cynthia. You gave this sense and purpose.
ReplyDeletelove the image...
ReplyDeletekeep it up.
I am your follower, welcome follow us back.
hope to see you at our week 11 potluck tonight.
we are open Sunday, American central time 8pm and remain open until Wednesday 8am.
any poems are welcome,
linking in early would be of most beneficial to have your work read and commented by fellow participants.
Oh, I like this take on OZ. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteI am very Jealous! What an awesome Idea and the pic of the Yellow brick road is the icing on the cake! Super creative.
ReplyDeleteVery well crafted..!!
ReplyDeletekeep Writing My Dear.. :)