Magnetic Weekly II

Magnetic Weekly

Two lines of poetry were created on my cabinet this week.

Parabolem I: And then winter comes

When I think of winter, I am skating.

I shoot o’er smooth ice, a dart, a moment.

I turn, spin and dash long past sun’s fading.

When I think of winter, I make snowmen.

The snow sparkles, crunches as I roll balls.

Coal smiles, twigs wave on my icy humans.

When I think of winter, I deck the halls,

Wrap presents, sing songs. An end to waiting

Comes that bright morning. Peace, goodwill to all.

I dream of snuggling, hot chocolate in hand,

Watching flakes, like marshmallows, drift and dance

I dream of sleds whipping along the land.

Snow spraying, now bailing, downhill advance.

And then winter comes

I dread the dark, the early, endless night

Waking without seeing, sunless fumbling.

I dread icy patches hiding from sight.

Sliding, jerking, jolting, twisting, tumbling.

When I live in winter, I bow my head

To the whipping, biting wind. Ice inside

My lungs. My soul, my bones shaking with dread.

When I live in winter, I try to hide

In layers, but cold is all devouring.

Nostrils freeze, skin numbs, bites, burns when outside.

When I live in winter, I am scouring.

Flesh burns, freezes to make a path to tread.

When done, it snows. I flee crazed, cowering.

New Form: Parabolem

The Parabolem

 An attempt to merge the precision and symmetry of mathematics with the creative expression of poetry.

Stanzas and Lines

- 5 stanzas of varying length:

       1st 9 lines

       2nd 4 lines

       3rd 1 line

       4th 4 lines

       5th 9 lines.

- Poem is either title-less or uses the 3rd stanza as its title.

Rhyme and Meter

- 1^st and 5^th stanzas are terza rima, each with three unique line endings.

-  2^nd and 4^th stanzas are quatrains formed of two rhyming couplets.

-  Line length should be consistent throughout the poem, with a minimum of 6 syllables/beats per line.

- Rhyme Scheme: ABA.BCB.CAC  DE.DE  F  GH.GH  IJI.JKJ.KIK

Theme

-  The 3^rd stanza is the central idea of the poem. It can be a word, phrase, or sentence and is the one exception to the line length rule.

-  To reflect the mathematical nature of this poem the two stanzas on either side of the center are thematic opposites. For example: pessimistic/optimistic, past/future, natural/supernatural, etc.

- The purpose is up to the poet. One can choose to describe, react, praise, etc. as long as the previous thematic rules are kept.

- Thematic examples:   

BEFORE                NEGATIVE

BEFORE                NEGATIVE

EVENT                   ISSUE

AFTER                   POSITIVE

AFTER                   POSITIVE

Created by Tyler Letkeman on August 23rd 2014.

Am I?

Am I a winter's day?
Am I a watermelon?
Am I a dog off its leash?
Am I the rind, the pulp or the juice?
Am I a metaphor or a simile?
Am I a one-way street or a cul-de-sac?
Am I a french fry or an onion ring?
Am I snoring?
Am I too full of the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way?