Read the full post here.
While the poems may have seemed difficult to write, the responses to Day 27’s “homeric similes” prompt were really quite amazing. Featured: First up, we have Vixie’s Stories, second, we have Poetry by Hasen.
Today’s featured online magazine is Wood Cat Review, I’ll point you to William Doreski’s “Toads in Early Spring” and Christian Ward’s “The Judges of Wandle River.”
PROMPT: Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a “duplex.” A “duplex” is a variation on the sonnet, developed by the poet Jericho Brown. Here’s one of his first “Duplex” poems, and here is a duplex written by the poet I.S. Jones. Like a typical sonnet, a duplex has fourteen lines. It’s organized into seven, two-line stanzas. The second line of the first stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the second stanza, the second line of the second stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the third stanza, and so on. The last line of the poem is the same as the first.
And what is it I say? You have to love a Duplex!
Flash of orange by Vickie Johnstone was a wonderful poem.
blazed his way through the carriage
like an orangutan swinging between branches,
looking for the swiftest route through
the fervent foliage and busyness of leaves.
Winter Snow Barges by N. K. Hasen
the cars now under
Frozen mounds over eight inches high of snow,
Trapped like ancient shells in a block of ice.
I look forward to reading Wood Cat Review properly. Today I read the suggested poems.
William Doreski’s Toads in Early Spring
A cracking opening.
At mid-day, huge slobbery toads
slug up through the melting snow.
I collect them like truffles
And despite using language like slobbery/slug up/ there is beauty in this, perhaps from the truffles. It is a beautiful poem.
Christian Ward’s The Judges of Wandle River
Again, an incredible opening:
A drizzle of midges
The wedding dress of a white
shopping bag suspended
above the river
threaded with comparisons in judgement. Great poem. I read it many times.
Duplex – I think the 2nd or maybe the 3rd one written during this year’s Napo – will have to check document. In a similar position to yesterday having just spent an hour in poetry, we now have all those life tasks to do before work tomorrow. So I am carrying my duplex around in my head and will catch up with myself on Friday.
I have just written a poem which feels important to me so I may use that as a basis and see what happens when it emerges as a Duplex.
Two days later…
I know Jericho’s poem well. In case you don’t here is the man himself telling it because you have to hear it in his voice for the full read. I know I have posted it before on this site.
And I.S Jones‘ poem, Self-Portrait as Etioly is similarly powerful. You can listen to the poem on the link above.
I am a spell of six letters.
I have a name that begins and ends countries.
I set about working on my own Duplex.
- Like a typical sonnet, a duplex has fourteen lines.
- Seven, two-line stanzas.
- The second line of the first stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the second stanza.
- the second line of the second stanza is echoed by (but not identical to) the first line of the third stanza.
- The last line of the poem is the same as the first.
This description (from the Napo prompt) and the example poem from I.S Jones are different to other Duplex poems I have read in the variation on words in the repeated lines. So I will do the same today.
And as with all Duplex structures extracting a line or two doesn’t have the same affect. However. this poem has legs and I want to do something with it. So today I leave just one line which explains what the entire Duplex is about. A magical moment caught on camera. Written about in a class earlier this week when we were asked to think of an ordinary miracle moment.
the day he fell into a flower.
awritersfountain 