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A couple of months ago a friend suggested that "Asleep Inside an Old Guitar" had become too familiar to use as the title for my collection. Familiar? Well, it was the name of my first fab blog. Remember that blog? When I named names and exposed the corrupt underbelly of poetry contests? Wait...
I dismissed his suggestion, but now I'm beginning to think the title is too familiar. "Asleep Inside an Old..." Sorry, I fell asleep just typing it! I think it's time to find a fresh title. In that spirit, I'm going to type out any lines or phrases from my collection that might work as titles:
Blue Ghost
Dreams Ripening the Fruit
Like Cantinflas
Throatlatch
Gather Enough Light
As if One were Dreaming the Other
Blossoms, Stigmata
Jade Geometry
Dusk Knotting into Stars
Pale Music
Black Petals
Beneath the Grass Green Mirrors Sleep (Or Beneath the Grass Green Mirrors)
Rust, Century
Mint Trombones
Black Fish, Slender Moon
An Arrow Pulled Out of a Dove
Ghost Undressing
Abacus
The Looms of Mirrors
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OMG: The hairs on the back of my neck stood up when I typed "Throatlatch!" What a freaking sexy word.
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Throatlatch: A strap passing under the neck of a horse for holding a bridle or halter in place.
Throat:
n.
1. The anterior portion of the neck.
2. Anatomy The portion of the digestive tract that lies between the rear of the mouth and the esophagus and includes the fauces and the pharynx.
3. A narrow passage or part suggestive of the human throat: the throat of a horn.
4. Botany The opening of a tubular corolla or calyx where the tube joins the limb.
tr.v. throat·ed, throat·ing, throats
To pronounce with a harsh or guttural voice.
Idiom:
ram/shove down (someone's) throat Informal
To compel to accept or consider: always ramming his political opinions down my throat.
Latch:
n.
1. A fastening, as for a door or gate, typically consisting of a bar that fits into a notch or slot and is lifted from either side by a lever or string.
2. A spring lock, as for a door, that is opened from the outside by a key.
v. latched, latch·ing, latch·es
v.tr.
To close or lock with or as if with a latch.
v.intr.
1. To have or be closed with a latch.
2. To shut tightly so that the latch is engaged: a door too warped to latch.
Idiom:
latch on to/onto
To get hold of; obtain: latched on to a fortune in the fur trade.
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I think I just found a new title for my collection.
About Me
- Eduardo C. Corral
- Eduardo C. Corral is a CantoMundo fellow. He holds degrees from ASU and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Beloit Poetry Journal, jubilat, New England Review, Ploughshares, Poetry, and Post Road. His work has been honored with a "Discovery"/The Nation award and residencies from The MacDowell Colony and Yaddo. He has served as the Olive B. O'Connor Fellow in Creative Writing at Colgate University and as the Philip Roth Resident in Creative Writing at Bucknell University. He's the interview editor for Boxcar Poetry Review. He won the 2011 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition.
14 comments:
"Throatlatch" is the best title for a book of poems I've heard in a while. It totally makes sense. If you were distilled into a word it'd be "throatlatch." Great title for your book--please keep it, it feels exactly right.
For your book I'd have the title in small-medium size font, the letters a bit set apart as in: t h r o a t l a t c h, the title suspended in midair on the cover, in keeping with the spirit of the word and poet, that is, a severely tightly wound energy of infinite potentiality.
HD
I was reading down the list and "Throatlatch" grabbed me immediately before I even got to the part of your post where you said it grabbed you. In other words... dude, that's IT. What a great word!
Beneathe The Grass Green Mirrors
Throatlatch, definitely! Before I'd even gotten through the list I was in love with it. Damn you for figuring it out first! ;-)
Same here. It was the obvious title. One hell of a word!
What a great word: 'throatlatch'... Good to give you that tingly feeling.
I like Throatlatch, but I also like Rust, Century. As a matter of fact, if you don't use it, I may have to steal it. :)
I loved Throatlatch too, Eduardo!
(And this from the bitch who waved goodbye to his gag reflex at 13).
Throatlatch -- definately.
In the eternal words of Paris Hilton:
That's hot!
Throatlatch-- yes.
Yes, use that, so I can steal: An Arrow Pulled Out of a Dove. Man, that sounds like a classic national book award winning title right there! But Throatlatch sounds more like the Eduardo we all know and love (um, whatever that means)!
If you're giving away titles, than I'll take "Stars are the Slowest Lightning." Thanks. I'll treat you to dinner someday.
J O E
I don't really care for Throatlatch, sorry. Sounds too constrictive!
I like:
Dusk Knotting into Stars
Pale Music
Abacus
I especially like Abacus. Could make a great cover art.
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