RHPeat
December 15th, 2015, 08:45 AM
The dashes could be replaced with commas. But commas or dashes it doesn't matter. But the punctuation makes the middle line metaphorical as an appositive or appositional as a restatement. That the middle line refers back to the first line as Fats says. At times appositives can reword lines adding more intent to the composition in question.
Example for instance:
Wearing thick facial make-up
and heavy bright red lipstick,
a mask for a residue in time,
she entered the pub
thinking she owned the place.
The "mask" line being the appositive.
or like AstroAnnie's use of dashes
Wearing thick facial make-up
and heavy bright red lipstick —
a mask for residue in time
— she entered the pub
thinking she owned the place.
but it can even use both a comma and a dash as well.
Wearing thick facial make-up
and heavy bright red lipstick,
a mask for residue in time —
she entered the pub
thinking she owned the place.
it's still an appositive within the lines.
It can also be longer as two or three lines in a longer poem. One thing to keep in mind is the metaphorical stance of poetry as a power of suggestion. That words can imply more than they say through connotations and the use of figurative language. That contextual device as a figure of speech can imply more to use of words to create deeper understanding below the surface of the poem textual vocabulary. Vocabulary itself can even become in question if a word out of context with the rest of the poem. A word can feel out of place within the poem. That the prosody/ music of the poem can become over burdened in ways.
a poet friend
RH Peat
Example for instance:
Wearing thick facial make-up
and heavy bright red lipstick,
a mask for a residue in time,
she entered the pub
thinking she owned the place.
The "mask" line being the appositive.
or like AstroAnnie's use of dashes
Wearing thick facial make-up
and heavy bright red lipstick —
a mask for residue in time
— she entered the pub
thinking she owned the place.
but it can even use both a comma and a dash as well.
Wearing thick facial make-up
and heavy bright red lipstick,
a mask for residue in time —
she entered the pub
thinking she owned the place.
it's still an appositive within the lines.
It can also be longer as two or three lines in a longer poem. One thing to keep in mind is the metaphorical stance of poetry as a power of suggestion. That words can imply more than they say through connotations and the use of figurative language. That contextual device as a figure of speech can imply more to use of words to create deeper understanding below the surface of the poem textual vocabulary. Vocabulary itself can even become in question if a word out of context with the rest of the poem. A word can feel out of place within the poem. That the prosody/ music of the poem can become over burdened in ways.
a poet friend
RH Peat