I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
–T. S. Eliot (1888 – 1965)
A Choka
how the star dissolves into the morning's first brew bobbing and fizzing at the glistening surface pushing hopelessly against edges unyielding which rim the opaque nectar of our universe weightless particles screened by hazy nebulae desperately quaffed in grim anticipation of another whirling day
Choka?
The most intricate Japanese Poetry form is the Choka, or Long Poem. The early form consisted of a series of katauta joined together. This gives a choice of form structures of 5/7/5/5/7/7… etc., or: 5/7/7/5/7… etc.
The Choka could be any total line length and indeed many exceeded 100 lines. Looking at this, it is easy to see why Poetic Historians believe the katauta is the original basic unit of Japanese poetry using either the 17 or 19 unit onji.
d’Verse Quadrille
The above choka is my take on d’Verse’s Quadrille challenge.
The Quadrille is simply a poem of 44 words (excluding the title), and it can take any form. This week’s challenge was to use the word “star” in a Quadrille.
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!
The Skeptic's Kaddish 🇮🇱 
A charming and clever poem. Well crafted, David. 🙂
💞🙏🏻 Bill 🙏🏻💞
Going to think about your quadrille as I sip my first cup tomorrow morning … ahhhhh, sublime taste and jolt. Thanks!
💗🙏🏻 Helen 🙏🏻💗 ~ thanks for that!
This is a wonderful piece. It’s a joy to read. At the end I can see a white swirl in a dark liquid as a symbol for my day to come. Every word from the the remarkable opening image leads me there.
🧡🙏🏻 Maria 🙏🏻🧡 ~ thanks so much!
~David
The night dissolving into the day. Some transitions are easier than others…(K)
💚🙏🏻 Kerfe 🙏🏻💚 ~ very much so
Very creative and love the technique. Well done!
❤️🙏🏻 Terveen 🙏🏻❤️
Those first two lines are an excellent description of a morning
💙🙏🏻 JYP 🙏🏻💙
The universe in a coffee cup. I can relate to that!
Nice one, David.
💚🙏🏻 Susan 🙏🏻💚 ~ thanks!
I love the image created in the first two lines, David! 🌟💙
💛🙏🏻 Merril 🙏🏻💛
A stellar choka-quadrille, David! I can see in my mind the star dissolving ‘into the morning’s first brew’ and taste the ‘hazy nebulae desperately quaffed’. Thankfully, I no longer anticipate whirling days.
💝🙏🏻 Kim 🙏🏻💝 ~ I struggle with the whirling!
I have written a post just now inspired by this.
💗 Jaideep 💗
[…] Cupped, or: Limitless […]
💘
I’m not sure if Virginia Woolf responded to this quote which Eliot wrote. But here is a general opinion-
In her diary, Virginia Woolf wished that “poor dear Tom had more spunk in him, less need to let drop by drop of his agonized perplexities fall ever so finely through pure cambric. One waits; one sympathizes, but it is dreary work.”
And all the time he was conquering the world of letters.
⭐how the star dissolves into the morning’s first brew⭐
Breathtaking and refreshing, absolutely gorgeous capture of morning is breaking!!
💖🙏🏻 Abi 🙏🏻💖 ~ that’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing!
You welcome.💖. I think the two belonged to the same literary circles. I read an essay some time back about the continued spats between them, always at loggerheads.
So cool! A slice of history!