Tag: Rhyme

The Sabbath, or: Shabbat

ben Alexander23 Comments

A palinode to: ‘Shabbat, or: The Sabbath’

Fuck that noise;
Sabbath law annoys;
Girls and boys
want their toys;
They are denied simple joys;
Onus ~ faith destroys

d’Verse prompt:

Write a palinode

A palinode or palinody is an ode or song that retracts or recants a view or sentiment to what the poet wrote in a previous poem.

The d’Verse writing challenge is to write a palinode. This can be in relation to a poem you have written before (please link or include prior poem), or as part of poem.

The poem of mine to which I wrote this palinode is called: ‘Shabbat, or: The Sabbath’

Shabbat, or: The Sabbath

A shadorma

She draws me;
Jews' age-old decree;
Through her we
are set free
for our holy day weekly ~
we simply can be

I don’t blog on Shabbas (the Sabbath)

According to most traditional interpretations of Jewish religious law, Jews are forbidden from using electronic devices (such as computers, cell phones, etc.) on the Sabbath. This has its benefits and its drawbacks.

You can read more on this here: I don’t blog on Shabbas (the Sabbath)

P.S.

Shadorma poems need not rhyme.

Prime, or: Crime Minister

ben Alexander22 Comments

My 1st verso-rhyme

My pen's not for intrigue
~but~ I'm fuming
at our Prime Minister's
great arrogance;
insane power complex
all-consuming;
ugly machinations;
and grievance dance!

P.S.

The political insanity that Israel has been embroiled in for the past two years (four elections have been held during that time period!) is primarily Prime Minister Netanyahu’s fault from my perspective. This is not a matter of left- or right-wing politics. It’s a matter of an indicted Prime Minister facing trial and having lost the trust of the citizenry to the point that he cannot cobble together a stable governing coalition to remain in power.

The reason I say that that this is not about left- or right-wing politics is simple. There is no question that the majority of Israelis support a right-wing government; and the only reason that Israel doesn’t currently have one is because of Netanyahu. In other words, he is striving to keep himself in power at the expense of the well-being of the entire State of Israel.

There literally seem to be no limits whatsoever to the lengths that Netanyahu is willing to go to remain Prime Minister. He’s willing to lie; break the law; incite against government institutions; employ racist propaganda; prevent the passage of the state budget; you name it.

The Knesset hasn’t been able to pass a budget for two years(!), and, therefore, many critical government services haven’t been available to the weakest sectors of Israeli society. Last year, Netanyahu had the opportunity to pass a budget, which he had agreed to pass, and he didn’t. Why? Because preventing the passage of a budget was the only way for him to prevent another politician (Benny Gantz) from taking the reins of government.

I desperately hope that his politically disparate opponents manage to form a broad coalition and remove him from power. The coming several days are critical to this endeavor. A country’s politics must not be held hostage by, nor revolve around a single individual – the current, ongoing reality continues to do untold damage to the State of Israel, its people, and its democracy.

P.P.S.

Netanyahu needs to go, Israel needs a reset – opinion

(written by the editor of the Jerusalem Post)

This heart, or: This mind

ben Alexander56 Comments

My 1st puente

In the form of two envelope quintets

This heart has no other blood known
than flowed through all past generations
linked one-by-one through space and time
by ancient Hebrew conversations
echoing through flesh and bone

~ ever more so as I've grown ~

This mind has grasped that nothing's known
though men cling tight to correlations
creating of them gods sublime
and altars built on false foundations
they worship while I stand alone

d’Verse poetics prompt:

Build a bridge

At d’Verse, poets were instructed to either:

  1. Write a poem about bridges that uses some form of the word ‘bridge’ in the poem or in the title, or:
  2. Write a puente (bridge) poem, which does not need to include the word bridge (but it can).

I opted for the 2nd alternative, and decided to make my puente poem out of two envelope quintets. Given the rhyme structure of my poem, I envision it as a suspension bridge.

Dr. Seuss, or: Eminem

ben Alexander100 Comments

The truth finally comes out

I shall now type some lines on a lark (I'm silly);
When I rhyme, my kid begs- Please stop it! No really!

She insists ev'ry day that I cease the abuse;
That my words just annoy; that I'm no Dr. Seuss.

And she's right, I admit, 'bout my quips and puns weak;
Endless reasons to cringe when I verse tongue-in-cheek.

Perhaps I should refrain when she's perched on my lap;
Cuz to tell you the truth, I'm much better at rap!

d’Verse prompt:

Hopscotch with Anapestic tetrameter

Today, at d’Verse we were prompted to write poems with tetrameter — and anapests.

Specifically, we were instructed to hopscotch like children in spring, doing anapests, which means two unstressed syllables, followed by one stressed. da-da-DAM. Anapestic tetrameter means four stressed syllables on each line (so each line has twelve syllables). It’s a form mastered by Dr. Seuss, which my daughter and I are very familiar with.

And, apparently, Eminem also makes use of anapestic tetrameter:

P.S.

I suck at rap.

Earthly spin, or: Greatest sin

ben Alexander31 Comments

A poet’s lament

What, I wonder, rests within? Underneath my skin?

True, I see a forehead; and, through my beard, a chin,
But I've never known my organs, nor blood vessels thin.
Perhaps I'm naught but poetry and have always been.

I strain to hear my rhythm through daily bustling din;
All thoughts of self-discovery swept up in earthly spin.
Oh -- dreadful that survival might be the greatest sin!

d’Verse

The above poem is in response to d’Verse’s ‘The Body & Poetry’ prompt.

The challenge:

Write a poem about the body parts (e.g. eyes, hands, feet) as a metaphor and/or story.

It doesn’t have to be about your body or family’s history (from the first person experience), if this makes it uncomfortable for you.

You can write about the body’s experience of someone else (from a third person narrative perspective).  You create the mood – serious, or sad or sexy, or funny or filled with nostalgia.

Passover, or: Passage

ben Alexander26 Comments 
This

   Is Passover; again it'll pass all us over
   Masses motor story, unworried at the past
   So fast, can't last, so that's why we repeat that
   story, sorry if you find it boring;

This

   Freedom, redone, we're playing the rerun
   It's said words weigh, though I'd say no way
   Paragraphs versus verses, sentenced them
   All to death; 

This

   Clever letter, hits maybe even better
   Play free on repeat; it won't skip a beat
   It's crazy the ways we these minutes, 
hours, days flee; see them, the end, only 
   in passing;
   
This.
This.

This is.

   This is my passage.

Shabbat & Pesach (Passover)

Dear friends, I am offline for two days until sunset on Sunday so I will be unable to respond to your comments until then. I’ll miss you 🙂