The Numberhyme, or: Creativity forms verses

Posted on by ben Alexander

Sangeetha & David’s new poetry project

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

Once they’d completed their first oeuvre, they continued their journey together; Sangeetha came up with a fun idea. Beginning in January ’22, they took turns selecting poetic forms beginning with the letters of the alphabet (A through Z) and wrote poems to one another using those forms.

Upon completing that second project, Sangeetha suggested they go through the alphabet once more but in their new series, for every letter of the alphabet (A through Z), they would select not only a poetic form but also – a keyword for each poem.

Eventually, they completed their third series and decided to embark on a fourth towards the end of 2022. This time, taking turns, they would create their own poetic forms for every letter of the alphabet (A through Z), and exchange poems, as they’d done before.

For ‘N’, Sangeetha created the ‘Numberhyme’ form.

N: Numberhyme

Sangeetha’s Numberhyme

Surely, sincerely, my high feeling 
Achieving something by captivatingly rhyming,
Mathematically challenging, but lyrically puzzling
Is making everything monumentally confusing.
Dryly, I sigh, why try

Points: 130

David’s Numberhyme

My sense of humor's dry.
By tumor I may die;
By love; or immense sigh;
By centaur; door; or pie;
Won't I? Okay, don't cry!

Points: 145

Numberhyme?

  • No more than 5 lines;
  • No more than 5 words per line;
  • You get points! Numberhyme points are calculated thus:
    • Every word that rhymes with any other word: 5 points;
    • If two rhyming words occur at the end of adjacent lines: 5 points;
    • The maximum possible: 145 (the idea is to maximize your points)

Sangeetha & David’s ‘Creativity forms verses’

  1. The Atoz
  2. The Beyonder
  3. The Ckackackonance
  4. The DoReMiDo
  5. The EX
  6. The Fibonacci Sapta
  7. The Golden Drill
  8. The Helipad
  9. The Inetersperse
  10. The Juxtadecasec
  11. The Keywyrd
  12. The Ludo
  13. The Metanome
  14. The Numberhyme
  15. The O(c)tlier
  16. The Polymono
  17. The Quadrenz
  18. The Rainbow
  19. The Syllibole
  20. The Telegramophone
  21. The Updise
  22. The Verisimili~me
  23. The Wiggle Waggle
  24. The Xtraverse
  25. The Yester
  26. The Ziggurat

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!

42 thoughts on “The Numberhyme, or: Creativity forms verses”

  8. The numberrhymers are in a league of their own –
    Like with pole vaulting, ice-skating or ballroom; through practice the
    Sinews of endurance are visible
    Master pieces flow.

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