Always I affix the mask just so,
stealing strength to simply say hello;
feelings bind me up inside and I
know no other way except to lie –
sew the pain and fear inside the seams
tucking them away beside my dreams;
f**k myself & what I want – too scared…
weak…
pathetic…
well beyond repair
seek no further than the mask I wear
all you need to know, dear friend, is there.
An aside: I'm not really much of a curser, so for the full affect, you will need to appropriately replace the asterisks.
A note on form: This piece is a variation on the Framed Couplet. I did take a slight liberty with the one line (breaking it over three).
On inspiration for this piece: This idea was pulled from Poetic Asides's 2015 April PAD Challenge: Day 6. The theme for this prompt was things-not-as-they-appear.
Showing posts with label framed couplets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label framed couplets. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2015
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Own the Lies to Own the Truth – and Love
Close your eyes and listen with your heart
don't ignore the truth it does impart;
Own this feeling blossoming within,
loose yourself in this insane whirlwind.
You deserve to be compete – to feel
more – far more than dreamed; you needn't conceal
nor inter the fear that binds, instead...
Share it! Own it! Breathe it! Kill it dead!
There is much of you to love, you need
but renounce the lies that fear does breed.
Shut them out – escape the pain – be free.
Close your eyes – the truth is hard to see.
Thoughts appreciated: Currently the poem ends as I had initially intended in the last line, but after finishing the piece, I felt a little bit of a nag to change the final rhymes. There is part of me that wants to hold true to the original inspiration for this piece and yet another that kind of likes the alternate ending. Feel free to share your thoughts...here is the alternate final lines:
"Shut them out – escape the pain and fear;
close your eyes – the truth is hard to hear."
Inspiration for this piece: This poem began with a simple line that popped into my head, "close your eyes the truth is hard to see." After finding the 9 syllable phrase sounding nicely like trochee with an extra stress at the end (or as I prefer to think of it, iambic with an extra stress at the start), I thought it lent itself well to form. So I set off to write the piece with this as the opening line. It didn't take long before it found it's way from the leading line to the closing line.
A note on form: This piece is a variation on the Framed Couplet. (I like to call it a Chained Couplet.) The form is composed of 9 syllable lines written (as mentioned above) in iambic meter with an extra stress to start off. It also incorporates a beginning rhyme (on the first syllable) and an ending rhyme pairing each couplet like this. In this variation, I have staggered the beginning and ending rhymes creating more of chain line between each and utilizing the same word as the first syllable in the opening and closing line to create a clasp of sorts.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Volcanic Eruption
Evil spawns new life in light'ning's wake,
rising up from molten death — earth quakes.
Writhing forth, as slumbers hold abates,
demon wings unfurl and stretch.
(the fates
deem the time has come prepare to snip
threads of helpless lives as red tears drip;
spreading fear sets in.)
Each crack of bone
rolls like thunder — dormant joints now moan,
stolen from their sleep. The creature throws
off its ashen blanket; darkness grows
drawing clouds around its giant form.
Raised arms, clenched fists, puffed chest, call the storm.
Brazen fractals light the pluming cloud
looming 'round the monster like a shroud.
Few can see his head tilt back and laugh
(evilly) he carves out epitaphs.
A note on form: The above construction is a twist on a form; I had this inkling to toy with Framed Couplets. The form was introduced to me by Gay Reiser Cannon (aka beachanny) during one of her lovely post for dVerse Poets Pub's FormforAll. While I am not really one for writing in strict meter or rhyme (of which this form has both), something about this form speaks to me. As I mentioned this is a twist on the form; it may be more aptly named "Chained Couplets." While I maintained the meter of the form, I altered the rhyme pattern slightly. The original form uses pairs of line where the first words and last syllables of the pair rhyme--thus the idea of "framed" couplets. I maintained the end rhyme (first with second, third with fourth, and so on), but I shifted the initial rhyme (second with third, fourth with fifth, and so on). In addition, I used the same initial sound as the the start of the first and last line to act as sort of a clasp in the chain.
Thoughts on writing in form: I once tweeted, "it's amazing how one can loose sight of somethings true purpose when trying to conform." This piece is an example of how I felt as the form took over the writing. I'm not sure how "the fates" made their way into this piece. I was also quite stuck on how they would lead me back to the original image that lay behind this poem. Even now, after suffering their appearance, I'm not 100% sold on them. Yet, they do make an excellent link to the last line...so maybe their unexpected arrival was not so bad. Sometimes I do wonder what a poem might have actually turned out to be if I had neglected to adhere to a specific form.
Inspiration for this piece: I was Flip(board)ing through some photos looking for something that might spark a bit of inspiration. In doing so, I came across some amazing photos of lightening over the Sakurajima in Japan. There, in the ashen clouds adorning this monster, I could see shapes take form--in a fashion similar to looking at the clouds to discover rabbits, flowers, or dragons. What I saw in the billowing masses was a figure rising from the volcano. Below I have included the original image, along with one I tweaked slightly (altering its brightness, contrast and tint) to allow for the form to shine through a bit more clearly for others who do not have my crazy vision.
rising up from molten death — earth quakes.
Writhing forth, as slumbers hold abates,
demon wings unfurl and stretch.
(the fates
deem the time has come prepare to snip
threads of helpless lives as red tears drip;
spreading fear sets in.)
Each crack of bone
rolls like thunder — dormant joints now moan,
stolen from their sleep. The creature throws
off its ashen blanket; darkness grows
drawing clouds around its giant form.
Raised arms, clenched fists, puffed chest, call the storm.
Brazen fractals light the pluming cloud
looming 'round the monster like a shroud.
Few can see his head tilt back and laugh
(evilly) he carves out epitaphs.
A note on form: The above construction is a twist on a form; I had this inkling to toy with Framed Couplets. The form was introduced to me by Gay Reiser Cannon (aka beachanny) during one of her lovely post for dVerse Poets Pub's FormforAll. While I am not really one for writing in strict meter or rhyme (of which this form has both), something about this form speaks to me. As I mentioned this is a twist on the form; it may be more aptly named "Chained Couplets." While I maintained the meter of the form, I altered the rhyme pattern slightly. The original form uses pairs of line where the first words and last syllables of the pair rhyme--thus the idea of "framed" couplets. I maintained the end rhyme (first with second, third with fourth, and so on), but I shifted the initial rhyme (second with third, fourth with fifth, and so on). In addition, I used the same initial sound as the the start of the first and last line to act as sort of a clasp in the chain.
Thoughts on writing in form: I once tweeted, "it's amazing how one can loose sight of somethings true purpose when trying to conform." This piece is an example of how I felt as the form took over the writing. I'm not sure how "the fates" made their way into this piece. I was also quite stuck on how they would lead me back to the original image that lay behind this poem. Even now, after suffering their appearance, I'm not 100% sold on them. Yet, they do make an excellent link to the last line...so maybe their unexpected arrival was not so bad. Sometimes I do wonder what a poem might have actually turned out to be if I had neglected to adhere to a specific form.
Inspiration for this piece: I was Flip(board)ing through some photos looking for something that might spark a bit of inspiration. In doing so, I came across some amazing photos of lightening over the Sakurajima in Japan. There, in the ashen clouds adorning this monster, I could see shapes take form--in a fashion similar to looking at the clouds to discover rabbits, flowers, or dragons. What I saw in the billowing masses was a figure rising from the volcano. Below I have included the original image, along with one I tweaked slightly (altering its brightness, contrast and tint) to allow for the form to shine through a bit more clearly for others who do not have my crazy vision.
 |
| photo taken by Martin Rietze (http://www.mrietze.com/) |
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