[stylist] Poem: "Snuff"

[William L Houts]

Hi Thea,

In my understanding of the poem, the speaker is more benign.  He's a 
kind of angel gazing upon the scene from a slightly detached 
perspective.  And he's saying that the creator of this horrible scene is 
both monstrous and pathetic while we who look on and are broken-hearted 
about it know that human decency is the real truth, not the horrible 
photograph.  Something like that, anyway --I'm not really good at 
dissecting my own poems this way.  But I thank you for taking the time 
and energy to read the poem and report what you see in it.  Like the 
rains mentioned in "Snuff", you're very gracious, ha.


--Bill





On 3/11/2014 9:45 AM, Miss Thea wrote:
> Hi, Bill.
> What strong impressions I had!
> I was in that motel room, saw the murderer making a snuff film, 
> setting up the camera and using the knife.
> Were you writing from the perspective of the murderer?
> I thought maybe you might be, and the "reader" was the character you 
> looked upon as self-righteous, your line "the hope of us all" may have 
> been said in a sarcastic tone, or even a contemptuous tone.
> I saw a lot of character as well as description.
> The character speaking in this poem may have been psychotic, 
> dispassionate, cold, all in a day's work, making a snuff film.
> Or a snuff photo.
> There's a lot of meat in this sandwich; I like it.
> Thea
>
> -----Original Message----- From: William L Houts
> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 7:51 PM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: [stylist] Poem: "Snuff"
>
> Hi Stylists,
>
> Here's a short poem I wrote last summer.It's interesting to me because I
> was using a lot of rhyme last summer and this one barely has any. The
> subject matter isn't very pretty, but I think this one may be one of my
> best, even if it's bad form to say so, ha.
>
>
> --Bill
>
>
> --Bill
>
>
> ---
>
>
> The photo made me ill:that's how I knew.
>
> This was no gaffe, no show for the marks
>
> but murder:the plain motel bed,
>
> and the eyes, god the eyes of dephless X.
>
> Hewas naked,
>
> this man reduced to the size
>
> of someone's doll.The legs hung
>
> over the bed's edge, and he lay,
>
> his back flat, though beyond all rest,
>
> all sight, all knowing. As if only
>
> this camera, this eye
>
> and the knifelike eye
>
> behind it, unveiled how things really are:
>
> a mansion of rooms without pity,
>
> and their stunted ridiculous devils
>
> O reader, with your outraged eye
>
> you've had your monsters too:
>
> your heartsblood thieves, your killers,
>
> your stunted ridiculous devils
>
> O reader,with your dog-nose truth,
>
> your yes, your gifts of mending fire
>
> you are the hope for us all.
>
> and upon our stricken heads,
>
> the gracious rains fall.
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-- 
"Let's drink a toast now to who we really are."

           --Jane Siberry