Whirlwind
Whirlwinds whirl like winds whirl,
And wind whirls like whirlwinds
But why can’t wind wind the whirlwind
Instead of the whirlwind winding the wind?
If whirlwinds didn’t wind the wind like whirlwinds wind,
Then winding winds wouldn’t be of this world,
Not would wind want to whirl,
Or whirling would want to wind
But wouldn’t whirlwinds want to wind the wind like whirlwinds wind?
And wouldn’t the wind want to be wound by whirlwinds like whirlwinds are wound?
Perhaps the wind wouldn’t want to whirl the wind like wind is whirled?
Or maybe, whirling would want the wind to be what it whirls and not to be whirled by the wind?
Wouldn’t the world be wonderful if whirlwinds didn’t whirl?
Wouldn’t the world be wonderful if wind was not whirled?
Wouldn’t the world be wonderful if whirlwinds didn’t wind the wind?
Wouldn’t the world be wonderful if wind was not wound by whirlwinds?
Or would the world be wonderful it whirlwinds did whirl?
Or would the world be wonderful if wind was wound?
Or would the world be wonderful if wind did wind the wind?
Or would the world be wonderful if wind was wound by whirlwinds?
But I suppose that if the whirlwind didn’t wind the wind like whirlwinds wind,
Then there wouldn’t be such a thing as a whirlwind
I don’t think that whirlwinds would want to wind anything but the wind,
Nor would the wind want to be wound and whirled by anything else but whirlwinds
I think the world is a wonderful world with the wonder of whirlwinds,
And without the wonder of whirlwinds, the world wouldn’t be a wonderful world
I wouldn’t want the world to be without the wonderful wonder of whirlwinds,
And I don’t think that the world would want to be without the wonderful wonder of whirlwinds
© Sabeen Hussain
A real tongue twister! Like 'Life Drawing', in which I wanted to take the literal act of 'life drawing', such as in an Art class, and use it as a metaphor for taking control of our destinies, determined by our perception of our lives, I was wondering what your interpretations of the first draft of this poem might be...?
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Comments
Whirlwind
Hi Nadeem,
Thanks for your comment. Yeah, I can imagine it being performed, but if I ever did, then I'd need to get to grips with everything - it's really hard to read aloud!
Not sure about how I might be able to slot in imagery, as you've suggested, especialy if I want to maintain the alliteration and the sense of fun. But ehn again, it would be a really good challenge...
Sabeen
Whirlwind
Hey Sabeen,
Wonderfully fast-paced without even trying! Good stuff!
I agree with Pete - it's a fun poem and I imagine this to be a performance piece as opposed to a published piece - it really needs to be heard live on stage some time. I can imagine you performing this and doing really well with it!
Perhaps for the purpose for the page though, you might want to think more about imagery and deeper meanings using the whirlwind as a metaphor like you've said.
Other than that though - I really enjoyed it!
Nadeem
Whirlwind
Thanks Pete - yeah it was really fun writing it, actually, and I'm glad that came across - having trouble saying it, though! I think that when it comes down to expressing meaning, puns and word-play are a very effective way of exploring philosophy, because of the way in which they allow language to be manipulated, which consequently adds a deeper dimension to what may be seen as just a poem...
Sabeen
wonder
a joyous poem - a celebration of the power of alliteration - of the fun of using language of itself and for itself. A great choice of central image -whirlwind- since it alliterates well, and is natural and wonderful in itself. Meaning? Happiness / playfulness / joy projected onto nature.
I sometimes try translate such poems into another language to lose the aliteration and get closer to any meaning. ultimately tho' this one comes across as simply a fun poem! -pete
Pete