A Cleave poem
in the form of two Shadormas
as I age | rhythms shift | |
over endful days | whetting my senses | |
transformed by | a wisdom | |
existing | beyond me | |
in the perceived universe | calling unrelentingly | |
I’ve come to believe | heaven leans on earth |
How to read a cleave poem?
Simply:
- Read the left hand poem as a first discrete poem.
- Read the right hand poem as a second discrete poem.
- Read the whole as a third integrated poem.
Shadorma
- The Shadorma is a Spanish poetic form made up of a stanza of six lines with no set rhyme scheme (rhyme is optional);
- It is a syllabic poem with a meter of 3/5/3/3/7/5;
- It can have many stanzas, as long as each follows the meter.
#TankaTuesday
The above was written for Colleen M. Chesebro’s ‘Tanka Tuesday’ prompt.
Poets were encouraged to write syllabic poems on the theme of “lessons from nature”.
Twiglets #293
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!
Okay I thoroughly enjoyed that cleave poem. You totally sparked a creative edge in me and now I want to write one! Thank you!
๐ Tiffany ๐ ~ that is a lovely compliment; thanks!
~David
I admire your cleave poems. Well done, David.
๐ค๐๐ป Ken ๐๐ป๐ค
The lessons we can only learn through experience. ๐
๐
๐๐๐ป Jules ๐๐ป๐
A three in one poem! It gets stronger with each reading. I love the transformation described in this.
๐๐ป๐ค thanks, D. ๐ค๐๐ป
[…] from skepticskaddish.com inspired me to try the Cleave […]
โค Reena โค
What a powerful format David… separately and together. x
โค Sally โค ~ thanks!
Reblogged this on Reena Saxena and commented:
Enjoy the Cleave Poem, done with two Shadormas — by David
Aww, thanks, Reena โค