He/She led in nothingness polyglot of potential tones all words carried in scream a giant that snored between dual purpose of matter and created, named things Insubstantial as all mountains the first giant sweated consciousness into creatures beyond itself, a me and them that children would mark itself Ymir, themselves Jötnar Gravel filled Ymir’s throat the wordless voice wailed raw material for all nouns where every verb was made formless matter taken to be designated by sound
The Screamer Awakens
Z. D. Dicks
3 Questions for Z. D. Dicks
What was your process for creating these poems?
I looked to the Norse myths themselves and tried to capture a small part of each one and flesh out some detail. I wanted to explore what it would actually be like to exist in that space.
What is the significance of the form/genre you chose for this work?
I used a free form for the poems as it represents a more contemporary feel to a very traditional subject. Norse mythology boasts some of the oldest poetry and I felt compelled to put my own slant on it.
What is the significance of this work to you?
These three poems represent the birth of Norse mythology, a navigation of the world tree and the often overlooked wife of Loki. The significance is to touch on the pain of creation, initially with the world and then between inhabitants of a shared space and then full circle touching on the mother of monsters. The point, if there is one, is that suffering is constant and it isn’t how to avoid it but rather accept it. There is a lot of esoteric knowledge touched on in Norse mythology and I tried to share a small part of it.
Z. D. Dicks holds an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Gloucestershire.
In 2016 he founded the Gloucestershire Poetry Society and the Gloucester Poetry Festival. His poetry is widely published.
He currently has three collections 'Malcontent' and 'Intimate Nature' with Black Eyes publishing (2019) and one 'Vexed' with Hedgehog Poetry Press (2020).
Helen Ivory (Ink, Sweat and Tears) described his work as 'muscular language' and is himself 'a gothic Seamus Heaney' according to Anna Saunders.