# Loose Ends



## >KÃ¢rK< (Dec 31, 2007)

How long's a piece of string?
And where’s the scissors?
I s'pose time must account for something,
But anyway, who’s counting?

There's only so much you can’t do in a day
Isn't there? Surely.
Or is that indefinitely?
Perhaps I just can't see the join.
Perhaps I'm looking too hard.

An overdose of hindsight -
To what end?
My own personal Minotaur,
Or back to Square One?
There's only so many ends a ball of wool can't have
Isn't there?

But anyway, who's counting?​


----------



## Baron (Dec 31, 2007)

Can't have or can have?  I nice, light piece.  Thanks for the read.


----------



## Mirror (Dec 31, 2007)

I like this one. Seems like an endless spiderweb.


----------



## >KÃ¢rK< (Dec 31, 2007)

Baron said:


> Can't have or can have? I nice, light piece. Thanks for the read.


 
_Can't _have. Don't ask me to explain, 'cos I don't think I could  Thank_you_ for reading.


Mirror said:


> I like this one. Seems like an endless spiderweb.


Cheers Mirror. That describes it quite well, I think.


----------



## zoya_brar (Dec 31, 2007)

_Perhaps I just can't see the join._

Do you mean joint? 

Interesting piece otherwise. I am not sure if the cant goes down well with me or not, but overall I like yje idea..


----------



## >KÃ¢rK< (Dec 31, 2007)

Nah, I mean _join_. Maybe it's a Brit thing that sounds odd elsewhere???

Thanks for reading and commenting


----------



## Pete_C (Jan 2, 2008)

I liked this; it needs a slight tidy-up. but it's pretty much all there.


----------



## Blue Shades (Jan 2, 2008)

Who would ever thought that a piece of string can lead to such a short; yet meaningful poem?
Well done!

All the best..

Blue Shades


----------



## >KÃ¢rK< (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks, Blue Shades. Glad you like it 

In response to those who can't grasp the seemingly unnecessary negative clauses here, the closest I can come to explaining it would be thus:



> There's only so much you can’t do in a day


 There must be some maximum limit to the amount of _nothing_ you can do in a day.

...and in the same way,


> There's only so many ends a ball of wool can't have


 I'm at a loose end, but I can't make ends meet because I can't find them. There must be some maximum limit to the number of loose ends that I am _not_ able to find.

I think that makes sense.


----------



## vangoghsear (Jan 3, 2008)

I don't dislike contrast in poetry and this one is completely not void of it.:-s:lol:

Nice one.


----------



## Patrick (Jan 3, 2008)

I struggled with the concept: There's only so many ends a ball of wool can't have, didn't do it for me because there are an infinite number of ends that a ball of wool can't have. The fact that it can come to a certain number of ends does not diminish from the infinite number of ends it can't have. The same for the things you can't do in a day line. The one saving grace, is the confusion I am feeling reading this poem is like tumbling through a spiderweb. I am not sure if that's good or bad, but you made a good effort.


----------



## >KÃ¢rK< (Jan 3, 2008)

vangoghsear said:


> I don't dislike contrast in poetry and this one is completely not void of it.:-s:lol:
> 
> Nice one.


LOLz! I don't disagree! Thanks 

MotB: That one "saving grace" as you say, was the whole point. Would you not agree that the verbal and mental tergiversation "served its end" so to speak?


----------



## Patrick (Jan 3, 2008)

>KârK< said:


> LOLz! I don't disagree! Thanks
> 
> MotB: That one "saving grace" as you say, was the whole point. Would you not agree that the verbal and mental tergiversation "served its end" so to speak?



Yes, but don't get too wrapped up in trying to make a poem meet an end - it will create one for itself. I think you've tried a bit too hard to be abstract with this one, but I am still giving you credit for the effort.


----------



## >KÃ¢rK< (Jan 3, 2008)

_Wrapped up_. Har har.  Thanks for reading and commenting. Effort-wise, it just sort of fell out of my pen; I was in a particularly vacant mood and wanted to see what I would "end up" writing. This was it. No masterpiece, to be sure, but I thank you and everyone else for the criticism.


----------



## silvergirl (Feb 25, 2011)

As if the world needed anymore neverending confusion


----------



## escorial (Jun 1, 2013)

strung oot


----------



## Cyborg (Sep 10, 2014)

This definitely has a fantastic feel. I mean It very open ended, as to what this string could be it's anyone's guess. But it's sort of got that Donna Haraway or Gilles Deleuze vibe, and it's very poetically and eloquently explained. Particularly the idea of there's only so many ends a ball of wool can't have is questioned is interesting. If the wool is any discourse, it's sort of like saying even though there are a lot of ins and outs to any subject, the number of incorrect approaches may be nontrivial and/or infinite (uncountable or countably? either perhaps).


----------

