hard labor
when
we work
to survive
it costs our soul
if that is our only motivation
~kat
Poetry form for the month of May: Tetractys/5 lines/syllable count 1-2-3-4-10
Tag Archives: digital art.
May Day 1
hearts
how
they bleed
when worn on
sleeves, broken hearts,
shielded in darkness, how they harden
~kat
This month we’re exploring the Tetractys, a poetic form invented by Ray Stebbing, consisting of at least 5 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 syllables (total of 20). Tetractys can be written with more than one verse, but must follow suit with an inverted syllable count. Tetractys can also bereversed and written 10, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Double Tetractys: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1
Triple Tetractys: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 10
and so on.
“Euclid, the mathematician of classical times, considered the number series 1, 2, 3, 4 to have mystical significance because its sum is 10, so he dignified it with a name of its own – Tetractys. The tetractys could be Britain’s answer to the haiku. Its challenge is to express a complete thought, profound or comic, witty or wise, within the narrow compass of twenty syllables.” – Ray Stebbin
intoxicated
intoxicated
you entered
my heart,
you, to whom I am
bound like
a drunkard to wine
I begged
to be freed
from your kisses
~kat
A Blackout poem and digital artwork for Mind Love Miseries Menagerie’s Sunday Writing Prompt inspired by the poem, The Vampire by Charles Baudelaire. (See below)
The Vampire
You who, like the stab of a knife,
Entered my plaintive heart;
You who, strong as a herd
Of demons, came, ardent and adorned,
To make your bed and your domain
Of my humiliated mind
– Infamous bitch to whom I’m bound
Like the convict to his chain,
Like the stubborn gambler to the game,
Like the drunkard to his wine,
Like the maggots to the corpse,
– Accurst, accurst be you!
I begged the swift poniard
To gain for me my liberty,
I asked perfidious poison
To give aid to my cowardice.
Alas! both poison and the knife
Contemptuously said to me:
“You do not deserve to be freed
From your accursed slavery,
Fool! – if from her domination
Our efforts could deliver you,
Your kisses would resuscitate
The cadaver of your vampire!”
Published in 1857.
labyrinth – NaPoWriMo 2019 #24
labyrinth
the path meanders
weaves to the heart, returning
to the beginning
~kat
For NaPoWriMo 2019 Prompt #24: write a poem that, like “Dictionary Illustrations,” is inspired by a reference book. Locate a dictionary, thesaurus, or encyclopedia, open it at random, and consider the two pages in front of you to be your inspirational playground for the day. Maybe a strange word will catch your eye, or perhaps the mishmash of information will provide you with the germ of a poem.
Work was a monster today…I had hoped to write a poem over lunch, but…I did not get lunch! I did manage to snap a photo of the random page I found when I opened the dictionary. My eyes settled upon the word Labyrinth. I have walked many a labyrinth in my life, and I think the universe is telling me I need to find another one to lose myself in. The truth is you can never really get lost in a true labyrinth, but the you who enters is never the same you that comes out. Namasté. ☯️
domesticated – NaPoWriMo #23
domesticated
my fierce predator, roams the halls at night
seeking prey, a twisty tie, dust bunnies,
wayward crickets, balls of yarn,
lying there catching sunbeams
i watch him sleep, dreaming
of mice that got away
~kat
A Kimo Poem for NaPoWriMo 2019 Prompt #23: write a poem about an animal.
Kimo Poems
Kimo poems are an Israeli version of haiku. Apparently, there was a need for more syllables in Hebrew. That said, most of the rules are still familiar:
• 3 lines.
• No rhymes.
• 10 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second, and 6 in the third.
Also, the kimo is focused on a single frozen image (kind of like a snapshot). So it’s uncommon to have any movement happening in kimo poems.
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