This is the W3 Challenge for this week, given by Anupama, the Poet of the Week.
- Challenge: Reimagine emotions as objects;
- What if feelings took shape? Anger could be a blade, sharp and biting. Loneliness might be an echo in an empty room;
- Poetic form: Any
- Length: No more than 12 lines
I struggled with this. My first attempt was using the Irish Snam Suad. I put the rules below the poem — and I, of course, didn’t follow all of them. Also, is introvert an emotion or just a state of being?
A closed box
Rarely talks
Readily
Disconcert
-ed by crowds
Too too loud
In a shroud
Introvert
Rules for Snam Suad:
- all lines have 3 syllables with the following rhyme pattern: aabcdddc
- lines four and eight are 3-syllable words, all other lines end in monosyllabic words
- lines two and three share consonance
- lines three and four, six and seven, and four and seven share alliteration
- line seven uses alliteration
Frankly, I was not satisfied with my introvert poem so I tried again with a different Irish form: Deibide baise fri toi and different object-emotion pairing. Water — Peace. It makes sense to me, but I’m not sure I communicated it.
The water —
When the world is a-totter
I go to the lake to lease
Peace
Sea, river
Stream, pond — they all deliver
From the frenetic to calm
Balm
Rules for Deibide baise fri toi:
- The poem and/or stanzas within the poem are quatrains (or 4-line stanzas).
- Rhyme scheme for each stanza is a simple aabb pattern.
- Lines one and two rhyme on a two-syllable word; lines three and four rhyme on a monosyllabic word.
- Line one has three syllables, line two has seven, line three has seven, and line four has one
Both valiant efforts. I resonated more with the second as the undulating properties of the water bring the same calming effect as being alone. Nicely done.
Two beautiful poems. I really enjoyed the second form; water is a powerful way to convey peace.
Both the poems are spot on. Loved the format you’ve used.
Sally I like them both! Though the second has better flow (and I’m not making a pun on purpose)!
Haha
I resonate better with the second one, but water brings me peace as well. Beautifully done! 💞💞💞