Tag Archives: micropoetry

A ReVerse Poem ~ 2 July 2023

What a surprising ReVerse this week, with so many things changing in our world. And not entirely for the better here in the U.S. Don’t worry, I’ll refrain from spelling that all out here. Those who are “woke” are experiencing lucid nightmares and those who aren’t are having wet dreams. Enough said.

At any rate, a lot of change is happening. Wildfires in Canada are sending smoke signals south of the border connecting us despite our attempts to set ourselves apart. We are humanity. One world. All of us reaping what we have sown. And in the midst of all this, life goes on. An update on the wren family who took up residence in my peace lily pot…we’re expecting…twins!!! I’ll keep you posted. Nature has not always been kind to the fledglings who got their start in the eaves and hollows around my house. We’re hoping for a healthy brood this time.

And I am hoping this post finds you happy, healthy, and hopeful. Never lose hope dear friends. Nature has a way of reminding us what is important if we forget.

Peace and happiness to you!

~kat


A ReVerse Poem ~ 2 July 2023

braced against winds of change
toes dug deep in sand where it’s cool
we breathe the same air
inhaling deeply, exhaling slowly
daubs of blood and nectar
eating up memory
making peace in the lily pot

~kat

A ReVerse poem (a practice I started many years ago) is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the ReVerse features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time.


surrender

surrender

we grip the edge of the abyss,
braced against winds of change
when true freedom
is in the letting go

~kat

And this concludes a week spent exploring the Naani. It sounded simple enough, four lines, 21-25 syllables in total, but as with all micropoetry, saying what you want to say in literally few words always leads to copious tweaking, rewriting and refining to get it right. I have attempted to do that here, but not without the assistance of my trusty online syllable counter. Now you know one of the secrets hidden in my toolbox of writing assists. That and a good thesaurus are lifesavers when it comes to being succinct and syllable count correct!

Because I love torturing myself with these micropoetry challenges, next week I’m going to revisit the Gogyohka. And finally if you’d like to try the Naani yourself, here are the rules:

Naani Poem

The Naani poem has its roots in India. It’s a modern day type of poem. It has four lines only. The entire poem can have 20-25 syllables. there is no restriction concerning the theme of the poem.


landlocked

landlocked

I long for the sea
toes dug deep in sand where it’s cool
swallowed by foamy surf
lips that taste of salt

~kat

Naani Poem

The Naani poem has its roots in India. It’s a modern day type of poem. It has four lines only. The entire poem can have 20-25 syllables. there is no restriction concerning the theme of the poem.


fallout

There are wildfires in Canada. And though they are thousands of miles from the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills where I live, the hazy air tastes of ash and sulfur. We are eerily connected by the very air that we breathe. Our man-made boundaries rendered meaningless by our mother the earth.

fallout

smoke settles in the hollows
mutes the blue in ruddy haze
breaching vain borders
we breathe the same air

~kat

Naani Poem


The Naani poem has its roots in India. It’s a modern day type of poem. It has four lines only. The entire poem can have 20-25 syllables. there is no restriction concerning the theme of the poem.


spent

spent

when i remember to…
i breathe
inhaling deeply, exhaling slowly,
to rise from the shallows

~kat

Naani Poem

The Naani poem has its roots in India. It’s a modern day type of poem. It has four lines only. The entire poem can have 20-25 syllables. there is no restriction concerning the theme of the poem.