Storming, or: On the verge

A double ‘kōel’

often, words won't come together;
sonant sounds, soft and strong, storm;
I struggle with if or but and whether;

then the verses eventually emerge;
persistence penetrates my pessimism;
and again, I feel myself on the verge-

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W³ poetry prompts

This kōel is for this week’s W³ poetry prompt, which is to:

• Write a poem of at least six lines that’s heavy on consonance, assonance, or both;
  • Consonance: repetition of identical consonant sounds;
  • Assonance: repetition of similar vowel sounds.

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Kōel?

• Stanzaic: written in any number of tercets;
• Rhymed: rhyme scheme axa bxb cxc etc., with x being unrhymed. Rhymes should have strong vowel sounds;
• In its strictest form, L1 and L2 are assonant and must carry the same vowel sound in each word in the line;
• L2 is always alliterated: Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs must all begin with the same consonant. Articles and connectors need not alliterate.

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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!