Hello and Happy Thanksgiving! When Friday arrives, be sure to visit Tanita at {fiction, instead of lies} for Poetry Friday Roundup. I'm posting a day early because I am so very thankful this year!
Also, for this week's ArtSpeak: FOLK ART series I have a Thanksgiving-ish poem inspired by art created by Alabama artist Trés Taylor.
I wrote a poem earlier this year after Trés' gorgeous work: "Casting for Dreams."
Today's poem employs a "4 x 4" form I *think* I learned about on Linda Mitchell's blog A Word Edgewise. It has the following rules:
4 syllables in each line
4 lines in each stanza 4 stanzas
4 times repeating a refrain line – line 1 in the first stanza, line 2 in the second, and so on.
I wanted to try short sentences. And I wanted near-rhymes, not perfect ones. Thanks so much for reading!
The Sharing Table
We gather round.
We feast for days.
We offer thanks.
We dream of rain.
We close our eyes.
We gather round.
We nuzzle up.
We burrow down.
Our bellies fill.
Our hearts expand.
We gather round,
stars in our hands.
Time to warble!
Wear a sky-crown!
Bless this table
we gather round.
Irene, this is lilting, ready to be sung! It reminds me of the Shaker hymn, 'Simple Gifts'. We do have much to be thankful for! I love the art, too, full of goodness! I hope you had a special Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeletePerfection! I recently tried a 4x4 with short lines...but no thought of rhyme. They are fun and challenging, what with that migrating refrain!
ReplyDeleteIt was GREAT spending time with you at NCTE!
Ahhh! I love it! The repeated pulse of "we gather round" and the brevity of the lines work together and make it so dance-y. I could see this being half-menorized by a kid on seeing it once in a coloring book, and then fondly remembered ever after. I hope this one is widely shared.
ReplyDeleteDelightful Irene, love the “stars in our hands,” “sky-crown,” art, and blessings. Hope you had a joyful Thanksgiving, thanks!
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