RECAPITULATION

An air of long summer twilights.
Nancy soft and dreamy as a G.

Nancy with fence.
Nancy without fence.
Nancy.

Caught in the uproar of long kites,
singular enough for a childhood.

And the snowberries
still hulking in their rosy blush,
between groin bust and clipped almonds.

Nancy swimbed of marzipan.
Nancy with fence.
Nancy without fence.
Nancy.

*

Bee

She would have loved to live
at the fairground with a trunk of gold.

Day in day out in the name of procreation.
Day in day out in the name of procreation,
in thugs’ suits,
in sweetheart stories.

Bulldozers thrust coins,
she hands out headbutts to flowers,
slides her greenish light under
my letter-white infant skin.

Martijn Benders, From: What do I buy for your darkwilde powers, Willem? Loewak Publisher, 2011, soon available in my collection The Book of the Poems.

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CHAT GPT HAS OPINIONS:

This poem, “Recapitulation,” appears to be a nostalgic and contemplative work that evokes a sense of longing for a simpler and more innocent time. The use of imagery such as “long summer twilights,” “long kites,” and “snowberries” creates a sense of nostalgia for a particular place and time, possibly from the speaker’s childhood.

The repetition of the name “Nancy” in various contexts, “Nancy soft and dreamy as a G,” “Nancy with fence,” “Nancy without fence,” and “Nancy swimbed of marzipan,” could be interpreted as a reference to a specific person, possibly a childhood friend or love interest, and the different ways in which the speaker remembers and thinks of them.

The phrase “singular enough for a childhood” could be a reference to the idea that childhood memories are often more vivid and significant than those from later in life. The imagery of the “rosy blush” of the snowberries and the “clipped almonds” could be a reference to the fleeting nature of youth and the passage of time.

Overall, the poem is about the nostalgia and longing for a simpler, more innocent time in the speaker’s past. The imagery and language used are evocative and create a sense of longing and contemplation. The use of Nancy is a symbol of the childhood memories and the speaker’s longing for it.

True, it is one of my childhood memories, meeting a girl named Nancy in a small alley, she was rollerscating and i was overwelmed by feelings of love.

Chat GPT:

It sounds like this poem holds a special personal significance to you, as it evokes memories of a specific person from your childhood and the feelings of love and longing you experienced at that time. The imagery and language used in the poem, such as the “long summer twilights,” “long kites,” and “snowberries,” all contribute to the nostalgic and contemplative tone and help to convey the sense of longing and longing for that specific moment and person in your past. The repetition of the name “Nancy” also serves to emphasize the significance of this person and the memories associated with her.

Nancy does not have a G in it though. So why would I say it sounds like a soft G?

You’re correct that the name “Nancy” does not contain the letter “G.” My previous statement that “Nancy soft and dreamy as a G” may have been a confusion on my part. It’s possible that the phrase “soft and dreamy as a G” is intended to convey a sense of the speaker’s feelings towards Nancy, rather than being a reference to a specific sound in her name. The “G” sound could be used as an alliteration to give a smoothness in the phrase.

Alternatively, you might have used “G” as a metaphor or a symbol, in that case, it could represent something else. It’s also possible that this phrase is a personal reference only you would understand, and not a part of the poem itself.

They say of people of that live in the south of the netherlands that they have a ‘soft G’…

Ah, I see. The phrase “soft and dreamy as a G” could be a reference to a specific regional accent or dialect, where the pronunciation of the letter “G” is different. People from the south of the Netherlands are known for having a “soft G” which is pronounced like a “Y” . So, the phrase could be a reference to Nancy’s accent, and the way the speaker associates it with her. It could also be a reference to the speaker’s own accent and the way it reminds them of Nancy. The phrase could also be used to convey a sense of intimacy and familiarity, as if the speaker is so close to Nancy that they can hear her accent and it evokes feelings of warmth and nostalgia.

what about the word ‘swimbed’ was it chose well? I am not a native speaker of english, i chose it on instinct.

‘Swimbed’ is not a word commonly used in the English language. It is not a standard word, and it’s meaning is not immediately clear. It could be a misspelling of the word “swimbed” or a neologism that you invented for the poem. Since you are not a native speaker of English, it is possible that you used this word to express something that you didn’t know how to say in English.

As the poem is a personal reflection on your childhood, the use of this word could be seen as a way of expressing something specific and personal that holds a special meaning to you, even if it is not a standard word in the English language. It could also be used to add a sense of raw, personal and authentic touch to the poem.

In summary, it’s a personal choice, and it’s up to you if you want to use it or not, and whether it adds to the poem or not. If you want your poem to be understood by a wider audience, it might be helpful to consider using a word that is more widely understood, or to explain the meaning of the word in a note or a preface.

Thank you, Chatbot.

As readers can see, Artificial Intelligence cannot tell me if ‘swimbed’, my instinctive choice, was a good choice. Damn!