UNCOMMON POETIC FORMS
Down Life’s River
A Dizain
I don’t think I remember that first stream
Where raindrops fell upon this barren land
And dripped from fern draped ledge of ancient dream,
Once gathered up, this journey home was planned.
The river’s grown so quick it can’t be scanned.
Can’t see my way across, depth can’t be gauged.
Look out, sharp rocks, steep drops, the current raged.
Life’s pleasant beaches turned to granite wall,
With fewer handholds, yet my fear’s assuaged.
A glimpse of sunlight shines before the fall.
This poem is an example of a Dizain, a ten line single stanza poem, ten syllables per line, form originating in 15th century France, written with the rhyme sequence, ababbccdcd.
Thank you, Somsubhra Banerjee, Elisabeth Khan, Priyanka Srivastava, and Nachi Keta for making Literary Impulse the publication it has become. If any of my fellow poets would like to try their pen with one or more of these more uncommon poetic forms, the prompt instructions are in Somsubhra’s following piece.
Tagging some of my fellow friends and poets. If you would no longer wish to be tagged, please respond in the comments. jenine bsharah baines, Viraji Ogodapola, Dr. Fatima Imam, Dr. Preeti Singh, Carolyn Hastings, James G Brennan, Dr. Amy Pierovich and anyone else too numerous to mention.
