Best Turnbull Poems
Edwin Van Dusen
1831 - 1903
Come closer my friend
Come closer to my forgotten grave,
Here in Clark Cemetery.
You’ll find me enclosed beneath the hardened dirt here,
Beneath the grassy terrain.
My soul enveloped in infinite dust,
Remains alive still.
I fondly remember Christmas time
And hunting birds of prey in Turnbull.
But now I sleep in this eternal death world,
In the eye of Orpheus
Staring downward ever downward
My eye lids inside this cushioned casket,
Flutter and wink again and again,
Wanting love
Or the beginning of an amazing thought.
The thought that I lived and loved,
That I experienced every day of my life
With a mad joy.
SHADY LADIES
Hostas
Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .
The mist lifts slowly
A new vista is unveiled
Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .
empty slides in the park
chatter fills the school bus
Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .
WINTER SPORTS
Snow falls
The hills are alive
Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .
How
beautiful...............an image
suddenly...............conceived
an instant..............thought
following...............a terminal
caesura.................pause
hesitation..............or dislocation
of attention...........written
read by.................a seeing eye
or said
aloud
Columnar style after Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet.
Turnbull created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .
See my imagist Spaces poetry examples first posted here 2007
A window pane shatters
Nobody makes a home run
Note:'spaces' is an imagism form .It has a title and three line ,the middle being blank and left to the readers imagination. I labelled it 'spaces' as the middle line is an unsaid poignant pause or image.
Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .
John B. Jackson
1880-1911
Norma knew.
Norma, my erstwhile friend of a thousand hunts;
Only she knew the feel of my beading thumb,
As we sought out promising locales, and
Our clever quarry, from points near and far.
From the salty marshes by the Pio Pico adobe,
To the broad summit of Sycamore Canyon,
We left tracks only the night ‘coons could find.
So, did we learn anything in life, me and Norma?
I once spied a tern furrowing in a breach.
Norma was ready and loaded for the kill,
As I drew a long bead,
Held my breath, and pulled the trigger.
She, my Winchester 1895, lever-action,
Reduced that tern to feathers in an instant of smoke,
With white pillow plumage in complete upheaval,
Flying all about, and interspersed asunder!
That single memory was on my mind,
Before slipping eternally through the veil.
I remember closing my eyes, and there she was!
Appearing before me as a haunting ghost,
As she was, on the day she saw me kill the tern,
My disappointed mother, telling me I was cruel,
Cruel and heartless and mean,
For destroying “God’s creature.”
So, it was on that same day I put Norma away,
Lock, stock and barrel; stowed in silence,
Under the rafters of my humble bed;
I said a final goodbye and adios amiga,
To my once ballistic sweetheart,
And the love of my wild, youthful days.
Never again did I kill any living creature,
And found an inner wisdom I could never explain.
But, truth be known,
I wish I had Norma now.
Here in this dark cold grave.
I miss the tender touch of her cold trigger.
The gentle pull of her icy hammer.
And mostly, I miss the intoxicating power,
Of her fiery, exploding steel.
For together we traversed the canyons of Turnbull,
And the rolling vernal pastures of Workman Mill,
Tasting many a delicious quarry.
It’s true, my friends,
Norma knew.
Only she knew the feel of my beading thumb.
Lena Lane
1894-1912
Dying at 18 was my punishment from God.
“Bless me Heavenly Father, for I have sinned.”
Johnny Barrow found the silk ribbon,
The only man man enough to look for it;
For I did not resist his insistent male charms,
That day in Turnbull, that rich awkward moment in time,
When two decided heartbeats and one determined hand,
Found the scented red ribbon,
Concealed most discretely upon my airy bosom.
Shame and sin indeed found us receptive that day;
He and me, staring awestruck at blue sky and white skin;
But I am fine with this legacy of private meetings,
And alas, private audacious touchings;
If only kindly Estella knew, poor sick soul;
Johnny really loved her; all the stars above admit that.
But Johnny wanted me, desired me with wanton civility,
Wanted me for the grand games we played in secret,
Touching games, grand groping games,
In the hidden lacey canyons of Turnbull.
If only kindly Estella knew, that poor homely thing;
Poor sick and disheveled girl!
Over there in your shriveled grave!
I took your boy, Estella!
I took brown-eyed Johnny Barrow,
And branded him with my fiery mark!
HISPANIC REVERBERATIONS
Blue-bells
Note ; furore in Uk gardn circles over invasion of foreign immigrant blue-bells
over native inhabitant..much like the grey/red squirrel discussin.k
Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .
Gael Turnbull-
imagination fills the space
spaces-PECKING ORDER
Sparrow on the bird table
the hawk has a feast
Note:'spaces' is an imagism form .It has a title and three line ,the middle being blank and left to the readers imagination. I labelled it 'spaces' as the middle line is an unsaid poignant pause or image.
Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .
SPACES-THEOPHANY
This is my beloved Son
Hear Him?
Note:'spaces' is an imagism form .It has a title and three line ,the middle being blank and left to the readers imagination. I labelled it 'spaces' as the middle line is an unsaid poignant pause or image.
Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .
Note:(ichthys), or XIesoûs Khristós, Theoû Huiós, Sot?r;translates into English as 'Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior'
minimalist words
from Saroyran
visuality
typed
typography
from Riddell
rings
a concrete
bell
Turnbull
the most
intuitive
as the reader
must
participate
the 'unsaid'
space
the
imaginative
bait
&cause
of a
poignant
thought pause
My 'Turnbull 'spaces example
PECKING ORDER
Sparrow on the bird table
the hawk has a feast
*Spaces-Cataract
The mist lifts slowly
A new vista is unveiled
*Gael Turnbull(1928-2004,a Scottish doctor-poet created the imagist Spaces form in his collection Briefly (1967) a two line poem with a larger than usual space
Turnbull called poems using his device ‘Spaces’, and noted of these ‘The visual “space” is,a pause or hesitation, even a temporary dislocation of attention’ .