The Elements

The  Elements are something we live with every day. Sun, Wind, Rain, Hail. We can't control them. On recent investigation I discovered an Elemental is a mythical being of which there are four:

Gnome (Earth)

Undine (Water)

Sylph (Wind/Air)

Salamander (Fire)

All of these are fundamental to life. Remember Sherlock Holmes' favourite saying "Elementary my dear Watson."  However much we try to come up with reasons or answers for why things are the way they are, Elementals cannot be ignored.

 

Elemental

Mental elements

Ice,  wind,  fire

Storm,  sun,  sea

Cold,  wet, heat

Wild,  loose,  free

Fight,  survive,  live

Love,  share,  give

Multiply,  flourish,  increase

Grace,  peace,  harmony

Time,   never,   cease.

 

Thanks for reading. Anne Ward

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Elemental

I spent a few days on the Isle of Man this week. I'd never been before, so it was all new territory to explore and the weather was fabulous - more like June than April. As part of my grand tour (if the traversing of such a small island can be called that with any justification), I visited the stunning Laxey Valley with its imposing wheel, which I'd only ever glimpsed as a graphic on the titles to the local BBC Northwest News programme.

Laxey housed a mining community in the 18th and 19th centuries, with two significant shafts sunk nearly half a mile deep into large veins of ore. The elements being mined by a workforce of 1,000 men were huge quantities of zinc (a fifth of the UK's production), large amounts of lead and substantial copper deposits. By the mid-1870s the Great Laxey Mine was one of the most successful metal mines in Britain and production continued right up until its eventual closure in 1929.

The major problem with deep mines was flooding, so the Laxey Wheel, actually known as 'Lady Isabella' was designed by Manx engineer Robert Casement to pump water out of the mineshafts. It is the world's biggest water-wheel with a diameter of over 22 metres and when it was on active duty it drove the pump-rods which forced water out of the mines.

Nowadays this huge wheel is preserved as a heritage site and looks like something out of a 1950s science-fiction film-set (see the photograph below).

So there you have it, my take on the elemental - both in terms of the sheer scale of the device and the ultimate purpose it served, helping to extract elements from deep in the lode.

To accompany it, here is a piece of elemental nonsense which I formulated at the recent Pop Art/Collage poetry workshop at the Grundy Art Gallery - phrases re-assembled at (seeming) random from a tiered collage we created by mining magazines for interesting words, phrases and images. I think it works...

Elemental, my idea...
A rebel point of view,
you've got it all wrong.
Space is just the beginning...
content within context,
the new season iconic.
Your favourite escape
doesn't have to be
a faraway place.
Blingo!
Departure...
kick it, push it,
night and day;
eat, sleep and die
intrinsic dialogue,
mounting ethereal.
Angry Nepalese sunflower god,
a Faraday grace,
ambiguous mad genius
packing serious firepower,
think killers don't know you?
Get a facelift!
London films while Asia frustrates.
Hit the off switch.


Thanks for reading. Have a good week, S :-)

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Basic Stuff

elemental (ˌɛlɪˈmɛntəl  ) 

Definitions

adjective

1. fundamental; basic; primal   ⇒ the elemental needs of man
2. motivated by or symbolic of primitive and powerful natural forces or passions   ⇒ elemental rites of worship
3. of or relating to earth, air, water, and fire considered as elements
4. of or relating to atmospheric forces, esp wind, rain, and cold
5. of, relating to, or denoting a chemical element

noun

6. (rare) a spirit or force that is said to appear in physical form

~ * ~ 

So, "elemental" hey? Okay. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Alrighty then. Whoever chose this theme wasn't being fair to those of us who may be struggling with their writing at the moment were they? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Oh well. As I am struggling, and to keep things simple, I have dusted off a couple of old poems (written many moons ago). Please forgive this cop out, but I am not going to beat myself up because I simply cannot think of something fresh on theme. 

I have therefore picked two poems which cover "elemental" from differing points. This one as an adjective:

The Force

Thick dark grey clouds blanket the sky,

Creeping, crawling, clinging cold that bites,

Freezing rain and hammering hail,

Winds whistling and howling, gusting to Gales!

No shelter from the elements along our coastline,

Facing the Irish Sea, bringing mountains of brine,

Battering the Sea wall relentlessly,

A force to be reckoned with?  Not likely!

Respect to the power that accompanies our weather,

Such a brute and so fierce and will be forever?

Chimneys, slates and trees may fall,

But this pounding we take is only our Winter after all!

Or this one as a noun:

Destination Unknown

A crisp, clear night marking Winter’s cusp

Fields and tree’s twinkle with frost

Moon so full with hazy halo to bear

Stars sparkle above guiding the lost.

A long straight path skirts a Village

Picturesque yet ghostly in the cool blue light

Nocturnal peace so unearthly shattered

Shrill sounding whistle instilling fright.

The ground rumbles gently beneath your feet

Growing stronger, then you hear the distant hum

Of metal wheels on metal tracks, getting closer

Fear claws at senses in the oncoming thrum.

More noises, now distinct as it approaches

Clickety clack and the chuff of the steam

Then screeching and squealing of the brakes

Thunderous tremors and piercing screams

Replaying the tragedy where so many lost their lives

You see the carriages derailing and plunging down

Rolling over and over again

The victims destined never to reach Town.

The sound of groaning steel, so twisted

Cries for help, die on the air, simply fade away

Restoring an eerie silence and stillness all around

Elemental echoes of a grim and fateful day.

Long ago, it’s true that Trains ran along here

On this pathway come cycle track

The sleepers removed so many years ago

But a Spectral Train needs no tracks to come back!

Again, many apologies for this under par blog this week. I will hopefully have more luck with next weeks theme.  Many thanks for reading.  ;-)  x

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