There's something primal about these images that appeals to me. The meter pushes the content along nicely, and I think the substitutions are well handled and pleasing — to my ear at least. I agree that the epigraph is not needed, and in fact, it rather saps the energy of the poem — there's enough so that it does not sink it— but I would drop it (witty though it is). I love "ditch digger's sweat," and "bole and briar." My only nit is line 14. It seems a little flat after the great images that preceded it. But, that said, I'd follow this poet anywhere.
Rob
Last edited by Rob Wright; 07-18-2013 at 01:20 PM.
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