Famished, or: Frozen

Posted on September 9, 2021September 10, 2021 by ben Alexander

My 1^st novelinee

My parched throat stings; and when I try to form,
Nought comes forth but heaving; this painful rasp.
Metaphor locusts consume in their swarm...
Depleted... whence... that... dry, terrible gasp?
In this verse desert, there are not enough *
I'm searching but cannot find quite the right *
Damn... did it ring sweetly...? was it a rough *
I... did it... rhyme loosely...? was... it the tight... *
In//spi//ra//tion\ \fro//zen... in... dead//est\ \night

d’Verse prompt:

‘Something Novel in Lines’

Since today is the 9^th of the 9^th month it is fitting for that numeral to inform today’s d’Verse poetry form – so let’s meet the novelinee!

The novelinee is a nine-line stanza overlaid with this rhyme sequence: a,b,a,b,c,d,c,d,d in 10-syllable lines (decasyllabic) with alternate stresses (iambic pentameter).

68 thoughts on “Famished, or: Frozen”

Dilranga Perera September 19, 202122:32

❤
1. ben Alexander September 19, 202123:38
  
  ✨🙏🏻✨
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) September 12, 202117:37

Oh, I love it… the desert is a perfect for self-doubt and the hopeless search for a muse.
marialberg September 12, 202102:31

Metaphor locusts is an interesting concept. 🙂
1. ben Alexander September 12, 202109:11
  
  😉 Maria, thanks! 😉
  
  -David
Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet September 12, 202101:10

The novelinee, like other poems that employ iambic pentameter, is a challenge for me. Yours worked out OK! You’re so talented, David! ❤
1. ben Alexander September 12, 202109:02
  
  Have you actually tried it, Cheryl? I’d never even heard of it before last week!
  
  ❤
  David
Jane Dougherty September 11, 202123:00

Another of your self-doubt poems that you carry oft to perfection!
1. ben Alexander September 11, 202123:01
  
  it’s a theme that works for me (cuz I don’t have to fake it!)
  1. Jane Dougherty September 11, 202123:07
    
    But it always comes out so good!
    1. ben Alexander September 11, 202123:07
      
      thank you, Jane
      
      ❤
      David
      1. Jane Dougherty September 11, 202123:08
        
        xx
I hear u September 11, 202122:49

Great piece, I like it
1. ben Alexander September 11, 202122:56
  
  Thanks 😀
  
  ❤
  David
  1. I hear u September 11, 202122:57
    
    Mine pleasure
Sunra Rainz September 10, 202121:55

Clever use of fragmentation here, David, to express the verse desert, the idea of parchedness! 🙂
1. ben Alexander September 11, 202120:19
  
  ❤ thanks, Sunra! ❤
Quaranjavirus September 10, 202121:06

Fantastic poem…you’re really knocking these out of the park! Novelinees, triolets,biolets,atoms,hexastiches, and lets not forget the musettes and freeverse that inspired me! And speaking of musettes, here’s another:

https://theforgersoffantasy.art.blog/2021/09/10/amanda/
1. ben Alexander September 11, 202120:18
  
  wow – you’re on a roll!
  
  -David
  1. Quaranjavirus September 11, 202120:54
    
    Hey come on.. I ain’t as good as you.. you’re posting like dominos!:D Thanks for the appreciation though..
    1. ben Alexander September 11, 202120:56
      
      I’m actually trying to slow it down a bit, now that I’ve completed 365 micropoems 🙂
Xan September 10, 202116:35

This is great! Ex/act/ly the feeling of the block!
1. ben Alexander September 10, 202117:35
  
  😘 Alexandra, thank you! 😘
  
  -David
SelmaMartin September 10, 202115:52

Well, we know who’s in the driver seat here. Lovely. Thanks for sharing.
1. ben Alexander September 10, 202117:34
  
  ❤ thank you, Selma! ❤
merrildsmith September 10, 202112:44

A fun take on the struggle to create, David. 💙
Love “metaphor locusts”! 😀
1. ben Alexander September 10, 202116:02
  
  💕 Thanks so much, Merril 💕
  
  -David
  1. merrildsmith September 10, 202123:24
    
    You’re very welcome, David.💙