The Dizain, or: Form verses creativity

Sangeetha & David’s new poetry project

Once upon a time, two poets who’d never met in person spontaneously began writing verses back and forth to one another over the Internet. Their first poetry project took them some nine months: a 100 verse Hyakuin.

Once they’d completed their oeuvre, the two decided to continue their creative journey together; and Sangeetha came up with a fun new idea, which David loved – to explore different poetic forms together, working through the Alphabet from ‘A’ to ‘Z’.

Every week, for twenty-six weeks beginning in January of the year 2022, they would take turns selecting poetic forms beginning with the letter corresponding to that particular week (1=A, 2=B, etc., etc.) and write poems to one another using that form.

David suggested they call their new project ‘Form verses creativity’, and so it began.

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D for Dizain

David’s Dizain to Sangeetha

Sangeetha, my great appreciation
For you continues weekly to increase;
Every verse you gift births inspiration ~
Dear muse bestowing coveted release ~
My riotous mind left soothed and at peace.
You’ve changed me in so many little ways ~
Your natural rhythm; wise turns of phrase;
Syllabic playfulness (which I so love);
How you confidently eschew clichés…
Even those tildes winking up above!

Sangeetha’s response to David

With a wink I say this my dear David
Because you are the one who started this
With wit and intellect you responded
To any verse ~  the haiku or the blitz
At fellowship with words, you are a whiz
Inviting bright minds to collaborate
Spellbound as words and meaning tessellate 
Into a poem evoking emotion
Connecting across boundaries and states
For that, you get a standing ovation!

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Dizain?

• Two accepted forms:
  • Eight lines: Rhyming ababcdcd, or
  • Ten Lines: Rhyming ababbccdcd;
• Meter not required; classic meter customary.

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Let’s write poetry together!

When it comes to partnership, some humans can make their lives alone – it’s possible. But creatively, it’s more like painting: you can’t just use the same colours in every painting. It’s just not an option. You can’t take the same photograph every time and live with art forms with no differences.

–Ben Harper (b. 1969)

Would you like to create poetry with me and have a completed poem of yours featured here at the Skeptic’s Kaddish? I am very excited to have launched the ‘Poetry Partners’ initiative and am looking forward to meeting and creating with you… Check it out!