There is a trend in Poetry MFA programs these days that
encourages poets to eschew the use of adjectives and adverbs, Usually I say hogwash to this – English is a
rich language, and we have many tools available to us. A
painter wouldn’t ignore the range of
colors in her paintbox – well, there was that Blue Period of Picasso’s…Part of
the very essence of poetry is brevity. While we should always view our own work
critically and remove unnecessary or redundant words, it mustn’t be at the expense
of the imagery, cadence or meaning.
One way to really exercise your ability to embrace
brevity is to write in short forms. Last
week, I touched briefly on the Mondo, a Japanese form comprised of 2 Katauta: a 3 line stanza with syllable
counts of 5,7,7. In a Mondo, the first Katauta expresses a question, and the second, an answer. A very structured form! It can feel very restrictive at first, but very rewarding when you are successful. This is my go-to form when the words or
images coalesce into a question. Then I
build the stanzas around it.
Here are a few for your reading enjoyment.
Through such wet, grey weeks
I can scarcely rise each day
How can I embrace this gloom?
Let mist cool flushed cheeks,
relish lingering blossoms
gaze upon the green with grace.
When glowering clouds
Blind sunlight and smother warmth
do you give way to despair?
In white noise of rain,
Slow melancholy of birds;
Quiet dreams rise from rivers.
Do you count the days
as lashes upon your back,
beads upon a rosary?
My incense is sweet;
only lilies scar my hands,
rose windows illumine hours.
