Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Slip Away Like Air


It can slip away like air

as you find yourself alone

once a part of an inseparable pair

you’re abandoned, cold as stone


As you find yourself alone

Wonder where you’ll go to next

you’re abandoned, cold as stone

how you got here, too perplexed


Wonder where you’ll go next

the heartbreak is so unbearable

how you got here, too perplexed

after this pain will I be repairable


The heartbreak is so unbearable

It was there, you gave yourself away

After this pain will I be repairable

trusting anyone won’t return another day


It was there, you gave yourself away

So different, it seemed, the love we had

Trusting anyone won’t return another day

reminiscing on the love that went bad


So different it seemed, the love that we had

It simply slipped in and wrapped around me

Reminiscing on the love that went bad

here alone, an inadvertent escapee


It simply slipped in and wrapped around me

Now it’s gone and I’m left behind to rot

Here alone, an inadvertent escapee

Slipping into the world’s blind spot.


I chose to write my poem in the pantoum form, mainly because this form caught my attention the most. Usually, I feel like repetition and rhyme make my poems take on a childish feel, but I think that in the specific form it actually helped. I think the repetition enforced a lot of the points that I wanted to make, and I like the way it slips into a rhythm due to this repetition. I thought the rhyme scheme of ABAB for every line was at times difficult, because the meaning of the line didn't always end up matching what I originally meant in my head. However, after working with the rhyme sceme a little bit (and, admittedly, the use of a rhyming dictionary) I managed to make most of the lines have a similar meaning to what I originally meant. I think the pantoum form complements the dark feeling of the poem, since the point of the poem was to talk about how easy it is to lose someone's trust. The repetition helps to reiterate lines with specific meanings, and the rhyming actually helps it to flow. I think the Pantoum style is definitely good for serious poems.

1 comment:

  1. Jenna:

    I think the pantoum form suits your topic well and the repetition of specific lines is effective for reiterating the ways in which we can get stuck on specific feelings or thoughts as we suffer loss. I particularly liked the repetition of the cold stone image.

    Generally, I'd recommend looking for more specific and precise language to build concrete images that are less vague and generic. Try to avoid using "it" and give us a more visceral object in its place. Don't tell us that the heart hurts (generic and trite), but try and put the feeling of that ache into words full of sensory description and detail.

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