Short Forms, Endings and Beginnings

I've been enjoying using shorter forms lately.  Not because they have fewer words or are easier to write; in some respects they are more difficult to write.  Short forms require you to be concise, to work within limits and still express your intent.  One of the beauties of short forms is the possibility that your work will be interpreted differently by different readers.

American Sentence (17 syllables)

Let fly the things that fasten you down. Leave space for something new to nest.

American Haiku (5,7,5 syllables)

Candles, bread and salt

So many more than 12 steps

Doors start to open.

A 2 part list poem, with the added constraint of increased line length to a climactic line, then a denouement.

I. Taking Leave

Raw nerves

Empty boxes

Wringing hands

Scattered dreams

A life reduced to anonymity

Shame and hope shoved together

Scrub away the despair

Sweep the cobwebs

Expel the demons

Free your soul

Tinny silence.

2. Settling in

Foreign smells

Creaks and bangs

Cardboard jungle

Garlic in the sweaters

Duct tape on the counters

Stigmata on my arms and legs

Beef stew on the stove

Lavender in the bath

A friendly mirror

Clean sheets

Deep sleep.