The Quadrenz, or: Creativity forms verses

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 ‘Q’, David created the ‘Quadrenz’ form.

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Q: Quadrenz

David’s Quadrenz

That's how it goes-
I know it's tough-
Life doesn't get easier;
Adulthood requires true grit.

We wither. That's how
Everyone whom I know
will go- either before
or after I do.

I try my best
Not to wax funereal-
That's how I parent-
I know it's imperfect.

Is my fakery sustainable?
Does love justify it?
I'm uncertain that's how...
How can I know?

Sangeetha’s Quadrenz

Life is a breath
of love and chances;
No one knows how
to crack the code.

When every life is
only born of love,
Why do we question
how true it is.

When the day wakes
The night falls asleep
Life is a coin 
of love, with duality.

When the end comes,
the questions will cease
Whatever this life is,
live life of love.

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Quadrenz?

• 4 stanzas;
  • 4 lines per stanza;
  • 4 words per line;
• Each stanza is divided into four quadrants (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4), with each quadrant containing four words, like so:
  • Q1 Q1 Q2 Q2
    Q1 Q1 Q2 Q2
    Q3 Q3 Q4 Q4
    Q3 Q3 Q4 Q4
• The words of the first quadrant of the first stanza (Q1) are exactly the same as:
  • The second quadrant of the second stanza;
  • The third quadrant of the third stanza;
  • The fourth quadrant of the fourth stanza;
• All other quadrants of all other stanzas are different;
• The entire poem looks as follows, with ‘X’ being any word and ‘Q’ being one of the four words of the repeating quadrant (Q1 of the 1^st stanza, Q2 of the 2^nd, Q3 of the 3^rd, and Q4 of the 4^th):
  • Q Q X X
    Q Q X X
    X X X X
    X X X X
    
    X X Q Q
    X X Q Q
    X X X X
    X X X X
    
    X X X X
    X X X X
    Q Q X X
    Q Q X X
    
    X X X X
    X X X X
    X X Q Q
    X X Q Q

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d’Verse Open Link Night

I’m sharing this for d’Verse’s OLN!

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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!