Barton, Karen

English

Scholars Commons

The Goose
Volume 15 | No. 1 Article 35
9-1-2016
Concrete Poem Diary
Karen Barton
The Open University, Milton Keynes
Part of the Literature in English, North America Commons, Nature and Society Relations
Commons, and the Poetry Commons
Follow this and additional works at / Suivez-nous ainsi que d’autres travaux et œuvres:
https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose
This article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Goose by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Cet article vous est accessible gratuitement et en libre accès grâce à Scholars Commons @ Laurier. Le texte a été approuvé pour faire partie intégrante
de la revue The Goose par un rédacteur autorisé de Scholars Commons @ Laurier. Pour de plus amples informations, contactez
scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation / Citation recommandée
Barton, Karen. "Concrete Poem Diary." The Goose, vol. 15 , no. 1 , article 35, 2016,
https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose/vol15/iss1/35.
 
White Lines of Demarcation 
 
Early morning, I’m                                                                           
listening                                                                                             
to ras-                                                                                                d 
             ping                  rooks                                                         i 
                       calls            cack-                                                       s 
                                        ling                    gar-                                  c     n 
                                                                         gled                         o       o 
                                                                   laugh-        of crows      r  a   t        h        t                                         
                                                                         ter                            d   n  e         i      i      
                                                                                                            -  t   s           t  n 
                                                                                                                                  - g 
                                                                                                                             build- 
                                                                                                                              ings 
                                                                                                                  s                 
                                                                                                               l   f   f   e        from 
                                                                                                             i   r   a   c        the 
                                                                                                           d  e   l   h      gabled 
                                                                                                         i   e   l   o      school 
                   c                                                                                   n   -      e     roof 
          rat-  h  t                                                                              g          s 
this  a-       a  e                                                                                                                    
          tat    t  r 
is foreign  
frac- 
       tious 
a slapped 
                 domino 
in volatile shebeen 
               each clack 
a threat 
of snap- 
             ped tempers. 
Not for them the sensual cooing, throaty coaxing, of pigeons, when the playground 
empties.                                                                                                              That’s tame!  
This ras-                 crows                                                              screeching coal-tar,  
                ping of           and                             is                                  shadow birds 
                                rooks                                                   un-leashed     re-proof      
the ack-ack gun of bituminous bile, and feathered foul language,  
rever- 
ber- 
a- 
ting 
anger, thrilling beyond  
the white boundaries on tarmac. 
1
Barton: Concrete Poem Diary
Published by / Publié par Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MURMURATION 
citrus-hued horizon 
   the   
      into  
        Lifting  
 
takes flight.  
  the surging cloud form  
 
of the flood plain 
Caressing the borders 
 
s i l h o u e t t e d   
 
shaken, 
     quilt  
            a 
               like  
billowing, 
 
rises and falls in unison. 
 
 
Moving, spreading 
 
 
black speckles of ink 
 
 
splashed on a wetted 
 
canvass. 
 
 
The starlings 
 fill the air 
 
 
with static crackle 
of wings beating, 
 shocking the hush  
 
 
of evening. 
 
 
Whirling, they 
                      d e v i a t e  
                  pulsed hesitations 
            like a breath            held 
            defying                     death   
             languorously         paused 
  
                             
       now 
            wheeling 
 
Through the twilight,  
       r 
    u 
  s 
h 
 
   a n d   
d  r  o  p 
alight 
   i 
   n 
   g 
 
  on 
 
a 
waving 
       s 
      e 
    e 
d 
heads 
  in the 
    r     
    e 
     e 
    d 
  beds 
b 
e 
l 
o 
w. 
in 
 um –bell- ets 
  clus-ter-ed 
 
o
2
The Goose, Vol. 15, No. 1 [2016], Art. 35
https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose/vol15/iss1/35
KAREN BARTON is a neurodiverse poet studying The History of Art with Creative 
Writing for her BA at the Open University, Milton Keynes. She lives in Wiltshire, UK, 
close to Stonehenge. Her non-poetic occupations have included: magician’s 
assistant, dancer, and art and creative writing tutor. She is the founder and co-editor 
of Matryoshka Poetry and has been published in The Curly Mind, I Am Not A Silent 
Poet, and Quatrain Fish and is forthcoming at Thank You For Swallowing. Her work 
can be found at: https://thepapercutpoet.blogspot.co.uk  
 
3
Barton: Concrete Poem Diary
Published by / Publié par Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2016


Concrete Poem Diary

Wilfrid Laurier University

The GooseVolume 15 | No. 1 Article 359-1-2016Concrete Poem DiaryKaren BartonThe Open University, Milton KeynesPart of the Literature in English, North America Commons, Nature and Society RelationsCommons, and the Poetry CommonsFollow this and additional works at / Suivez-nous ainsi que d’autres travaux et œuvres:https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegooseThis article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Goose by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Cet article vous est accessible gratuitement et en libre accès grâce à Scholars Commons @ Laurier. Le texte a été approuvé pour faire partie intégrantede la revue The Goose par un rédacteur autorisé de Scholars Commons @ Laurier. Pour de plus amples informations, contactezscholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended Citation / Citation recommandéeBarton, Karen. "Concrete Poem Diary." The Goose, vol. 15 , no. 1 , article 35, 2016,https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose/vol15/iss1/35. White Lines of Demarcation  Early morning, I’m                                                                           listening                                                                                             to ras-                                                                                                d              ping                  rooks                                                         i                        calls            cack-                                                       s                                         ling                    gar-                                  c     n                                                                          gled                         o       o                                                                    laugh-        of crows      r  a   t        h        t                                                                                                                  ter                            d   n  e         i      i                                                                                                                  -  t   s           t  n                                                                                                                                   - g                                                                                                                              build-                                                                                                                               ings                                                                                                                   s                                                                                                                                l   f   f   e        from                                                                                                              i   r   a   c        the                                                                                                            d  e   l   h      gabled                                                                                                          i   e   l   o      school                    c                                                                                   n   -      e     roof           rat-  h  t                                                                              g          s this  a-       a  e                                                                                                                              tat    t  r is foreign  frac-        tious a slapped                  domino in volatile shebeen                each clack a threat of snap-              ped tempers. Not for them the sensual cooing, throaty coaxing, of pigeons, when the playground empties.                                                                                                              That’s tame!  This ras-                 crows                                                              screeching coal-tar,                  ping of           and                             is                                  shadow birds                                 rooks                                                   un-leashed     re-proof      the ack-ack gun of bituminous bile, and feathered foul language,  rever- ber- a- ting anger, thrilling beyond  the white boundaries on tarmac. 1Barton: Concrete Poem DiaryPublished by / Publié par Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2016                                            MURMURATION citrus-hued horizon    the         into          Lifting   takes flight.    the surging cloud form   of the flood plain Caressing the borders  s i l h o u e t t e d    shaken,      quilt              a                like  billowing,  rises and falls in unison.   Moving, spreading   black speckles of ink   splashed on a wetted  canvass.   The starlings  fill the air   with static crackle of wings beating,  shocking the hush    of evening.   Whirling, they                       d e v i a t e                    pulsed hesitations             like a breath            held             defying                     death                languorously         paused                                       now             wheeling  Through the twilight,         r     u   s h     a n d   d  r  o  p alight    i    n    g    on  a waving        s       e     e d heads   in the     r         e      e     d   beds b e l o w. in  um –bell- ets   clus-ter-ed  o2The Goose, Vol. 15, No. 1 [2016], Art. 35https://scholars.wlu.ca/thegoose/vol15/iss1/35KAREN BARTON is a neurodiverse poet studying The History of Art with Creative Writing for her BA at the Open University, Milton Keynes. She lives in Wiltshire, UK, close to Stonehenge. Her non-poetic occupations have included: magician’s assistant, dancer, and art and creative writing tutor. She is the founder and co-editor of Matryoshka Poetry and has been published in The Curly Mind, I Am Not A Silent Poet, and Quatrain Fish and is forthcoming at Thank You For Swallowing. Her work can be found at: https://thepapercutpoet.blogspot.co.uk   3Barton: Concrete Poem DiaryPublished by / Publié par Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2016

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