Roberta Writes – d’Verse: Poetics: Personifying The Abstract #dVerse #poetry #photography

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Regular readers of this blog will know that I am currently undertaking a modernised rewrite of Dante’s Inferno. I now have a working title for this poem – Gaia’s Redemption. Anyhow, Mish’s Tuesday prompt was to write a poem including personification. This prompt was perfect for the first twenty lines of my re-write. In Canto II, I have agreed to undertake a journey through the nine levels of the Sixth Mass Extinction with my spirit elephant guide. I have entered the cave that takes us down into the bowels of the spirit world. If you are interested, you can read an analysis of Canto 2 of Dante’s Inferno here: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/inferno/canto-2

I missed the deadline for Mish’s prompt here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/03/25/poetics-personifying-the-abstract/ so I’m sharing it for Open Link Night here: https://dversepoets.com/2025/03/27/open-link-night-381/

CANTO II

A living, breathing creature, this Precambrian era cave

It’s 2.8-billion-year-old skin wrinkled by wear and time

Access defended by minions; entry limited to the brave

Their glowing forms a marriage of dolomite and lime

The monster silently screamed its uncertainty and rage

Spirit elephant paid it no heed, gliding past unchallenged

I drew in a great breath, plunged forward, ducking under

Wall of spear like stalactites from which moisture dripped

Somewhere deep below, a gong sounded like thunder

Death’s hand upon me, I ventured into the stone crypt                                               10

***

“Guide, I am concerned your trust in me is misplaced

I don’t know how to achieve your lofty expectations

What if I disappoint you? It will be a humiliating disgrace

I don’t want to face the environmentalists’ accusations”

My Guide did not pause or speak, just shone a soft light

Which illuminated two formations beneath the Hand of God

Symbolising the visual, the first’s gazed through dark eyes

The other gripped a pen between slender white fingers

Understanding came, pictures held power and told no lies

The written word facilitates communication with thinkers                                          20

My cave is based on the Sudwala Caves in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Here are some photographs from my recent visit to these caves.

Picture caption: Wall of the Sudwala Cave. This is a very ancient cave system, the oldest in the world, and is formed in dolomite
Picture caption: The Screaming Monster
Picture caption: This formation (the two small stalactites), is called Lot and his Wife – I thought the formation above looked like the Hand of God.
Picture caption: This formation is called Kentucky Fried Chicken. It hangs down from the ceiling of the cave

Below is my YouTube short of Somcuba’s Gong inside the Sudwala Caves

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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100 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – d’Verse: Poetics: Personifying The Abstract #dVerse #poetry #photography”

    1. HI Merril, yes, it is a big undertaking, but I haven’t had such an interesting writing project for ages. I hope I can keep the enthusiasm going. I love caves and this one is fascinating. The Weeping Madonna will also find her way into Canto II.

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  10. Grazie mille, Roberta, for the link, which helps to understand much better Canto II and which shows, according to me, how important a good model is, which shows also in your poem:) The Sudwala Caves in Mpumalanga, which I had the chance to visit are just wonderful!

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  12. Dear Roberta
    An interesting and bold undertaking to modernise Dante’s Inferno. The problem we see with this is that the ‘Divina Comedia’ is written in the spirit of the classical period. Almost every line is full of references to Greek or Roman mythology and history. This fixed frame of reference makes it easy to understand. What frame of reference do you choose to create consistency and overall comprehensibility?
    We wish you a happy weekend
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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      1. Your project reminds us of James Joyce, who used the Odyssey as the model for his Ulysses. We wish you good luck with your project. – We have read about Divina Comedia for three years, and we love it.
        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  19. You are definitely a multilayered and gifted soul – not to mention ambitious! I have not read Dante’s Inferno … The Iliad, the Odyssey and the entire Bible but you’ve got me intrigued!

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  21. Wow! Amazing! Incredible! and many more adjectives for your poem. Your talent is truly a gift! Will you do all three parts of the Divine Comedy? I read this in college and loved it. It’s on my list of To Be Read Again books. I’ve never heard of the Sudwala caves. Love your photos, Robbie.

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  23. An excellent continuation of your Inferno rewrite! I like the title you’ve chosen, too. The cave photos are unlike any I’ve seen. Must be due to their age. Pretty incredible.

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  24. Wow I am arriving late to the scene. I’ve been busy today. This is big. This is a wonderful poem and an impressive undertaking. The photos and the little video is very inspiring. What an amazing project. I am looking forward to following this.

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  26. A noble and ambitious undertaking, Robbie! We need to offer balance to HIStory as we’ve been silenced for too long. The cave and its contents are mysterious and even in pictures, throw off magical vibes. The last one looks like a giant mouth to me.

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  31. I saw your post, Robbie, but I didn’t want to rush in making my comment. The second photo does look like a screaming monster and the third photo looks like the Hand of God. I could see the finger nail of the index finger! Your canto is well written with vivid imagery even without looking at the photos. Thank you for sharing this with us! Best wishes on your rewrite of Dante’s Inferno.

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  34. What interesting formations in that cave, Robbie. They really stand out against the flat-ish rock walls. I didn’t know about your current project – “a modernised rewrite of Dante’s Inferno.” What an undertaking! The section you shared was fascinating and the rhyme deftly done. Best of luck with the work ahead of you.

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