Acrostic 2

This acrostic isn't complex, but isn't obvious either. Look long enough, however, and you will see the message. I may do more than one of my name, but for today, enjoy this one.

I will say the goal was to keep each line to ten syllables, just for the sake of some sort of perimeters.

I did resort to breaking up lines in the middle of sentences. Many poets doe this, but I usually regard it as hackneyed and a bit of a cheat. But for this, and because I'm trying to experiment a bit, I allowed it.

*

These things are true; I'm behind, alone, scared.

Words from others, and from my former selves

Are the blades, bullets, bombs of my regrets.

But, with patience, love and faith in myself,

Reflections of my best intentions and

Of those of other people will dispel

Shadows of my past, as well as nightmares

Of my present. Then shall the future show

Me that I'm: ahead. With friends. Courageous.

Acrostic 1

Time at last for a new form, and it's one that can be both childish in its simplicity as well as dizzying in its complexity. Cute or mechanical, obvious or secretive, obvious or mysterious. It is the acrostic.

In it's simplest form, this type of poem, (designed originally to help pilgrims easily remember religious truths) consists of lines the first letters of which spell something. Usually that which is spelled relates to who springs from the content of the poem itself, though not always. At other times, it is the first world of each line that spell the message. Or the second word. Or basically any number of complicated ciphers can be involved in the creation of an acrostic.

It can rhyme, but need not. There are no official limitations on syllables per line or stanzas or any such thing. In short, an acrostic can be as little or as much as the poet wishes.

I will be experimenting with both the easy and the complex during this exploration of the acrostic and I'm looking forward to it. The form has enough freedom to allow me a relief from the specific complexity of the villanelle, but offers the potential of complexities that allow it to be a challenge to me at times.

So, enjoy my first simple example. Not as straight forward as it could be, as I don't use uniform meter in each line. But the "hidden" segment should be obvious to you.

*

Tell
Your friends
Until they understand
(Not merely hear) that
Given the particulars of his
Life, he will almost never have
Enough patience to accept or ignore
Bouts of their rapid verbosity,
Or any assumed intimacy
With such people.
Extroverts prevail
Rarely.

Villanelle 8 (And Corrections)

Happy New Year.

The holidays are always such a whirlwind and this year was no exception. As you can see from my previous entries, I managed only one villanelle during that period. And if you look closely, I did it wrong. My previous villanelle has seven as opposed to six verses. I never noticed as I wrote it, nor as I transposed it into the blog. I only noticed it when I completed today's villanelle.

That was also when I noticed I'd mislabeled the last one as number eight, when it was in fact only number seven!

While the holidays and many other factors certainly contributed to the double-error of my last villanelle, the complexity of the form and the level of concentration required before during (and it would seem after) its composition played a bigger role. All of this by way of saying that I've elected to end this first exploration into the villanelle for now. It's only eight, I realize, but believe me, eight villanelle takes the time, thought, creative energy and concentration of many more poems of other forms. I still like them, and there is a certain fun in going through the sometimes mind-wracking process of this form. But seeing as how slow my composition rate had become since switching to villanelle, I wanted to move on to something else, here in this New Year. Something fun, but less complicated. I don't know what I'll go with next, but rest assured it will be something I can produce with less time commitment than a villanelle. Hopefully by the time I enter my second exploration of this fascinating form, whenever that may be, I'll be able to produce more. Until then, do enjoy this final villanelle for now, structured properly and everything.

*

And so begins a time of peace.
A time to seek a comfort in my soul.
My worst anxieties will cease.

Like philosophers in Ancient Greece
I'll make excellence and piety my goal.
And so begins a time of peace.

All my anger I now release.
And walk into Light, though stumbling like a foal.
My worst anxieties will cease.

This human life we do but lease,
Our temporary nature is the toll.
And so begins a time of peace.

Henceforth, while on this Earth, my joys increase.
No more lay I, lazy on a knoll.
My worst anxieties will cease.

Likewise, regrets and fear decrease.
The wonders of this life I shall extol.
And so begins a time of peace.
My worst anxieties shall cease.

Villanelle 7

Finally, after quite the hiatus, I'm back with another villanelle! My apologies for the delay. But as I have said villanelles require a lot of thought and concentration, even for someone used to writing poetry, such as myself. So much concentration in fact that during this exploration I have had to alter my entire poem-writing process, which has remained essentially unchanged throughout my life. The results have been satisfactory to me, but they are quite time consuming to get started. (Though Nanowrimo, as well as the holidays have contributed somewhat to the delay this time I have to say.)

I had hoped to write at least ten villanelles during this exploration. That may still happen, if I put my nose more to the grindstone, but the grindstone is not the point of this poetry experiment. The point is to find out a few things about myself, my poetry, and to see what sort of forms speak to me most. While I enjoy the villanelle challenge quite a bit, I'm not sure that working on two more is in my best interest for this go around. I don't want it to become work, after all.

Then again, it is only two more, and I've taken a break from most other creative writing for the rest of the year. So who knows? Right now, not even I.

I do know, however, that it's time to post this most recent villanelle. It's hot off of the pencil. It didn't take the turn I thought it would when I first conceived the refrains, but I like the quaint, almost folksy eloquence of the poem.

*

I'll get to where I need to go.
I'll listen to what my heart will say.
I'll discover all I need to know.

Learning lessons from both friend and foe.
Preparing for tomorrow with today.
I'll get to where I need to go.

Often, what we reap is what we sew.
I shall begin to sew without delay.
I'll discover all I need to know.

Who am I to answer "no"
When destiny itself shows me the way?
I'll get to where I need to go.

Therefore, my worries I will stow.
I'll take this journey, come what may.
I'll discover all I need to know.

"Grant strength to creatures here below,"
To heaven every night I'll say.
I'll get to where I need to go.

And if the gods on me bestow
That single thing for which I pray,
I'll get to where I need to go.
I'll discover all I need to know.

Villanelle 6

I must apologize for being away from the poetry posting for nearly a month. Other writing missions have eclipsed the poetry aspects of my writing lately. Plus villanelles are very time and energy consuming. I need to set aside specific, uninterrupted time to compose these poems. Even more so than the sonnets, I think. A villanelle is not the sort of poem one can simply whip up while waiting for dinner to cool.

Indeed, exploring the villanelle has caused me to depart somewhat from a longstanding custom I have of starting and finishing each of my poems all in one sitting. Believe it or not, that has been what I have done for 99% of my poems, but with these I've found it easier to come up with the refrain first, and then come back to fill in the refrain with verses later. In this last case, quite a bit of time passed between developing the refrain key and composing the poem itself. (I still compose the body of the poem all in one sitting, however.)

Time got away from me, but now I am caught up to this latest villanelle, and I present it here at last.

*

For a moment I can see her still.
(Though I never hear her speak.)
She was more to me than just a passing thrill.

I'm swallowing a bitter pill.
Prospects of her coming back are bleak.
For a moment I can see her still.

It was mostly physical until,
She let me see her weep when she was weak.
She was more to me than just a passing thrill.

But she had longings I could not fulfill.
I am an average man. She is unique.
For a moment I can see her still.

Most men who look like me would kill
To move their hands across her form-so sleek.
She was more to me than just a passing thrill.

I simply couldn't summon up the will
To leave my peaceful valley for her peak.
For a moment I can see her still.
She was more to me than just a passing thrill.