For The Sunday Whirl Poetry Prompt: Wordle #87
http://sundaywhirl.wordpress.com/
Last Chance Angel (for Earl)
Just one good ole boy
chewing and spitting tobacco
in jeans and checkered flannel.
Would never top list
of slickest members amidst
his legion of brethren.
Keeps a low profile on visibility,
but can blind with a blast
of flashing, glassy light, while
unfolding milky-white
pigeon-feathered wings.
Respects every soul’s freedom
to choose, even if it means
not rushing in when results
might end up tragic.
Yet, there’s magic in his
knowing intercession blended
with rigorous honesty.
He actually says, “I don’t know,”
when he truly doesn’t.
Fully comprehends every
twisted itch of humanity’s
imagination, but listens for
softest sigh of sorrow, whispered
by chosen he has been enlisted
to assist.
Elizabeth Crawford 12/16/12
Last Chance Angel Earl
played by Leon Rippy
in TNT’s series titled
Saving Grace
Notes: This week’s process was completely out of the ordinary. I’ve been watching the episodes of Saving Grace, aired on TNT from 2007 through 2010. It is both raucous and raunchy, but also deals in lots of laughter and a certain degree of (cop show) violence. Yet, still manages to address the issue of faith in a broken, too often hard to comprehend world. From the first time I heard the phrase, last chance angel, I was hooked and started hearing lines of poetry in my head. I actually prayed that the word list this week would provide a means of conveying his portrait. The words and I wrestled but we did (eventually) find some common ground, whew! It’s not quite where I want it, but at least it’s a beginning.
Soul's Music 
And such an impressive beginning. I like your Good Ole Guy. Did you get the Wordle words yesterday?
Got them Friday evening and started immediately. Worked with them off and on all day Saturday and finally finished in the evening. Tried to leave three comments on your site, but they all seemed to disappear. Hope you got at least one of them, my friend, because I thought your poem was a splendid interpretation,
Elizabeth
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Sounds like a show worth checking out! More people would benefit from saying “I don’t know” when they really don’t!!
I certainly agree with admitting ones ignorance. Really got into the show (watched it on my computer from Netflix) and would recommend it highly to anyone who is not ultra sensitive. Had several discussions with my daughter as she caught bits and pieces of what I was so enthralled with. Very interesting discussions. Thanks for reading,
Elizabeth
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I believe we meet many ‘Angels’ as we go through life. Earl sounds like a great guy. I love honesty.
You may not be happy with it but this is a really lovely poem.
Yes, we do meet many angels during our lifetime. I think I was more taken with the designation “last chance” than anything else. Have often heard of guardian angels and everyone knows about second chances, but I leapt at the idea of ‘last chance angel’. Maybe because I’m in my late sixties? Thanks for reading and I do think I would change some of the wording,
Elizabeth
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I found your process notes interesting…especially “it’s not where I want it,” I have to ask is it ever? And sometimes I think we have to accept it is where it wants to be? I like it very much.
Thanks my friend. I think I’m of that contingent that isn’t sure any poem is ever finished. What I post here is always considered a draft, because most poems have a few pimples. I prefer to let them grow out of adolesance, giving them time and a bit of patience. Then its a matter of enhancing their obvious assetts.
Elizabeth
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This is a great beginning. A series would be interesting, Hope you keep going with it!
I’ve really enjoyed the program, but Earl was the one character I wanted to write about because he made me think and ponder about all sorts of things. Perhaps all angels are of the ‘last chance’ variety? Thanks for stopping by,
Elizabeth
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Wonderful writing, Elizabeth, and I, too, love the sound of “last chance angel”. I especially love how he “listens for the slightest sigh of sorrow”.
And I love his wonderful sense of humor, my friend. Have a warm and loving Christmas my friend,
Elizabeth
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A very nice poem, Elizabeth. I have never heard of that show, but it sounds like it might be interesting. I am not much of a tv person though, unless it is a good movie (which are hard to find).
Pamela
My tv went caput over a year ago, Pamela. I’m watching this on Netflix via my computer. I thought I was going after the movies, but find I’m enjoying some of the tv series far more. Although I’ve already watched all three seasons of this one, I’m planning on going back and watching them again. I know I missed a lot on this first viewing. It is intense and fast moving. Besides, I think I fell a bit in love with Earl, and that alone makes me laugh out loud.
Elizabeth
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very nice. I liked the portrait the poem painted, and then when I read about your process, it made even more sense. I’m not familiar with either the show, or the character, but they should be flattered that you honored them with such a lovely write!
Thanks Mama. Poetry has ever been a process for clarification to me. I glommed onto that phrase ‘last chance angel’ and the words let me find what I so admired in this portrayal of such a being. It is very different from those lines I first heard whispering at my inner ear. That’s why it is only a beginning.
Elizabeth
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it seemed lighter at first then the vein of humanity and nature flowed interesting connection to Saving Grace which i have only seen a couple of , and of course a pleasure to read
Thank you Clawfish. I wanted to explore the phrase ‘last chance angel’. This ended up being a portrait of that character in the series. Words are only ever stepping stones. This is a beginning because I do have some ideas about what that phrase could or might mean. We have to begin somewhere,
Elizabeth
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I haven’t seen the show, so I can’t comment on Earl.
I’m struck by your comment that everything here is a draft. I think what you have can become a good poem, but the use of the wordle words is getting in your way. As an example, the line “Keeps a low profile on visibility” seems especially forced.
I’m rereading Michael Bugeja’s book THE ART AND CRAFT OF POETRY [which I highly recommend] and in the first chapter he talks a bit about not rushing into writing a poem. You have collected your thoughts in this post. Then them cool for a while, then come back and revisit your idea. I think it’s a good one
You might come up with something that is quite different from your draft.
Cheers!
JzB
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An auspicious beginning if not a concrete foundation! While I think I have heard of the show I have yet to view it. I have watched many of the ‘Touched by An Angel’ programs that seems to be in a similar vain perhaps? Without the police drama, and very family oriented even when dealing with death.
Out of my two offerings, I will link you to my non-story verse:
http://julesgemsandstuff.blogspot.com/2012/12/sunday-whirl-87-non-story-life-well.html
Sorry Jules, but these two programs have little in common other than perhaps the word ‘angel’. I like ‘Saving Grace’ because of its hard hitting, gritty portrayal of life lived often at the margins, yet with brief momentary flashes of light being offerred. For me, perhaps because of my own history, that is far more real and understandable. This piece of writing is a beginning, written to see if I could actually capture just a bit of what I was sensing while watching the program. As I said above, my original ideas still remain ‘out there’ and will eventually find a home and maybe even some daylight. Thanks for the read,
Elizabeth
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Beautiful, especially the last stanza.
Thank you much, especially for your poem this week. My return comments seem to be disappearing and am not sure what I can do about that. I like the last stanza here as well,
Elizabeth
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