Metaphors are only pretty if you don’t look too closely.
I have a great metaphor for myself
I’m one of those
whatdoyoucallit
moving ice river-thingies
But then
the fact I can’t remember the word that would be perfect
as a personal description
represents me more dramatically and accurately
than some cheaply painted prop
Ramblings of a Medicated Lady: Words of Woe by Loria Taylor 
9 comments
Comments feed for this article
April 9, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Paul
That is so cool.
April 9, 2009 at 8:02 pm
socratesoul
Ha! Awesome.
April 9, 2009 at 9:54 pm
poeticgrin
I like this voice you’re exploring lately. Quirky-strong.
April 10, 2009 at 7:56 am
medicatedlady
There’s something kinda cool about writing about writing.
Thanks, friends for your comments.
April 10, 2009 at 11:38 pm
mariana
Excellent phrase :”Metaphors are only pretty if you don’t look too closely”.
“Look at almost any passage and you’ll find that a paragraph has five or six metaphors in it. It’s not that the speaker is trying to be poetic, it’s just that that’s the way language works”S.P.
Which implies metaphors main function is not to make texts prettier.
April 12, 2009 at 4:54 pm
queerlefty
“But then
the fact I can’t remember the word that would be perfect
as a personal description
represents me more dramatically and accurately
than some cheaply painted prop”
All I can say is, this feels like wisdom.
April 13, 2009 at 7:21 am
medicatedlady
mariana–I agree that metaphors aren’t around just for their prettiness. They serve a purpose–to link unfamiliar situations/things to familiar situation/things. However, my point is metaphors, no matter how seemingly “perfect,” eventually break down and the differences between the unfamiliar and familiar fail to connect.
My, queerlefty, what a compliment! Thank you.
April 13, 2009 at 7:38 am
mariana
You left me thinking (kind of randomly, I am also medicated)
1.Metaphors are there for a series of reasons, the linking unfamiliar situation one I think is fundamental, I think it is also that needs to be studied deeper, but one of It functions might be the transitions between the tone of the speach (formal, informal, hypotetical, real)
2. “What I am having doubt about is when you say metaphors, no matter how seemingly, perfect”, they are not ment to be the real thing, the perfect analogy, and therefore they are not used for playing that part in the discourse..
3. But I coudn’t agree more that they eventualy fail to connect, they always fail. Maybe they conect only because humans needs to see they do make sense.
Anyway it moves me emotionally your poem, this almost makes me cry
“But then
the fact I can’t remember the word that would be perfect
as a personal description
represents me more dramatically and accurately
than some cheaply painted prop”
April 13, 2009 at 7:46 am
medicatedlady
I find that medication is key in any intellectual discussion. 🙂 I appreciate the discourse. And of course, I am glad you feel something when you read this piece. Many thanks, mariana.