06 December 2010

Love Me To Used Well You

I am generally too literal minded for poetry. Oh, once in a while, something strikes my fancy or hits my synapses just right, but generally speaking, I skip over the poems in the New Yorker.

Recently, though, they printed a poem which totally charmed me with its seductively witty and spare construction.


When I googled it, to see if I could find it for you, dear readers, I discovered that the poet - Ciara Shuttleworth - had tossed it off in her graduate Prosody and Form class, during class. Furthermore, it's a thoroughly rigid poem form, here wrought with great precision and economy.

Part of me wants to write a six word sestina myself, for the intellectual exercise. Most of me is happy to know that someone else has done it with such aplomb.

12 comments:

Harriet M. Welsch said...

This is magnificent! I've attempted many sestinas in my lifetime. They are extremely challenging to write. The idea of writing one with just 6 words has never occurred to me. This one is stunningly effective.

Bibliomama said...

I feel the same way about poetry. Unless I read it aloud my eyes want to go too fast, and reading it aloud makes me feel like a weenie. This is admirable.

Anonymous said...

There are many fixed forms in poetry, and we come across so few of them because they are remarkably demanding.

This is really fun - thank you for sharing it. I enjoy poetry, but loathe exercise.

Life in Eden said...

wow, I know so little about poetry. never heard of this construct. amazingly difficult it would seem to me. my eyes glazed over just reading the wiki description!

but I loved reading this. very cool.

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

I am literal-minded also, but for some reason I have always loved poetry.

That's definitely impressive.

S said...

very, very nice.

S said...

I tried. Meh.

George,
You
Always
Upset
Gladys
So.

So.
George.
Gladys,
You
Upset.
Always.

Always
So
Upset,
George:
You,
Gladys.

Gladys:
Always
You.
So,
George:
Upset!

You
Upset
So.
Gladys
Always,
George.

So: you,
George, upset
Gladys -- always.

Very Mary said...

WOOT TO SLOUCHY!!!! Way to go!

Jess said...

It even reads oddly well (and beautifully) if you read the two columns as you usually would a sentence.
(You well...used you. To love, love me. and so on)

I love poetry that resonates along your bones.

Marty, a.k.a. canape said...

Ooooo, there was Haiku Friday. We could have Sestina Sunday . . .

susan said...

Slouchy FTW! Amazing poems all around.

Angela said...

Outstanding. And Slouchy too!