POEM: FATHER'S GREEN EYES

A crumbling Spanish castle

adorning the Mediterranean Sea

a kite in my small hands

my father on bended knee

“See the world, and the beauty in it?”

My youthful nod (his reply, odd)

“Compared to heaven, it’s a pile of shit”

Why did he need to spoil that sunny day?

Why were his lessons always imparted this way?

I already knew the world and the ugliness therein,

I already wore fear and sadness as a second skin

So I released the kite into sun-drenched skies

Admired God’s work, shunning illusory lies

I shifted my view, envisioned the castle anew

Saw the world askew

through my father’s green eyes

My father said this to me when were in Spain, admiring the sea and the Spanish castles.  It was an odd way for him to burst my bubble of joy, but it was a teachable moment from his perspective.  We had been raised to honor God and learn our true purpose for being born into this worldly realm.  I have been coping with writer's block lately, mostly due to life's pressures and struggling with health issues.  I've been kinder to myself lately, and after some needed bed rest my Muse and I are back on speaking terms.  Keep writing & keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

CATCHING A FEW "ZZ'S"

If you thought that we were going to discuss sleeping as an aid to better writing – well, that’s true but that’s not the type of zz’s we are going to catch.

What do these names have in common:

Eric Blair

Francois-Marie Arouet

Sam Clemens

Ah, you saw Sam Clemens and you caught on.  These are pen names.  Eric Blair wrote as George Orwell, Francois-Marie Arouet was Voltaire, and of course you know that Sam Clemens was Mark Twain.  Have you considered using a pen name?  If you use your given name but were given the option for a pen name, what name would you choose?

Cronin Detzz is my pen name.  I use it for two reasons.  First, my real name is very common and forgettable.  Second – and more importantly – my mother was a writer and she mentored me.  Cronin Detzz was her pen name.  Ironically, I am a junior so my mother and I not only share the same “real” name, we also have the same pen name.

Mom was killed by a drunk driver when I was 24.  She was only 45.  I thought it would be a fitting tribute to use her pen name.  I asked my sister if she minded, especially since she likes to write, too.  She was glad to let me use it.

My mom chose this name for very specific reason.  In her time, female writers were still trying to break barriers.  One of my favorite coming-of-age books, “The Outsiders,” was written by S.E. Hinton.  Suzy Hinton used her initials to hide the fact that she is female.  Similarly, Mary Ann Evans wrote as George Eliot.  So my mother chose Cronin because it can be a male or a female’s name.  Detzz was her own creation, and she liked it because of the double z’s.  She felt that the “zz” combo was catchy.

Maybe using a pen name isn’t a big deal.  A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.  But with a writer’s need to be memorable or to have a name that is easy to pronounce, some people really should use a pen name.

Now that you know my reasons, I again ask you:  If you use your given name but were given the option for a pen name, what name would you choose?  If you already use a pen name, what is it and why?

Look forward to your comments.  Keep writing & keep sharing!  Cronin Detzz

POEM: BE HERE NOW

In the now,
time drips like a leaky faucet
I'm pulling weeds
the sun warms my back
my family rests in the safety of inside
my mind rests in the safety of my skull

No poisoned darts of yesterday will find their mark
No future entanglements ensnare this precious moment
And when this moment slips into what was
another moment jumps in joy, blaring his trumpet of arrival

I go on pulling weeds
Thanking the sun, thanking Spring
Thanking the now for the safety it can bring
Thanking the weeds for pulling me outside
Thanking the illusion of time for pulling me aside
Grateful to grandfather clock
for showing me the why, the how,
The peaceful surrender
to be here now

-Cronin Detzz

When writing, we are often  not in the present.  We are thinking ahead to our next chapter or we are applying lessons and characters from our past.  Next time you encounter writer’s block, try living in that very moment.

Keep writing & keep sharing! – Cronin Detzz

15 BIZARRE TIPS - WRITER'S BLOCK

You attempted all the tried and true tricks to removing writer’s block, but did you soak your feet in ice water?  Did you soundproof your walls and ceiling with cork?  Hemingway is rumored to have written The Old Man and The Sea while standing up at his typewriter!  Here are some truly bizarre writing block tips according to an article at MentalFloss.com:

1. Voltaire skipped lunch. Instead of a mid-day meal, the French titan sustained himself with chocolate and up to 40 cups of coffee per day.

2. The dark, gruesome work of Edgar Allan Poe was written under the supervision of a cat. The tabby Catterina sat on the writer's lap or perched on his shoulder.

3. Sir Walter Scott preferred to write in motion, often while riding his horse.

4. Word counts work for some writers. Anthony Trollope set a goal of 250 words every 15 minutes.

5. Victor Hugo went on self-imposed house arrest to finish The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He even locked away all his clothes, so he wouldn't be tempted to get dressed and go out. But Hugo wasn't naked—he wore the same gray writing shawl for months.

6. Like many of us, Charles Dickens sometimes worked while traveling. But he couldn't do it without his five bronze animal statues, paper knife, green vase, desk calendar, blue ink, and quills. Good thing he didn't have to work at a coffee shop!

7. Dickens also insisted on writing in a specific blue ink. He wasn't attached to the color — it just dried faster, so he didn't have to waste time blotting.

8. Lewis Carroll literally wrote purple prose. He penned his manuscripts in the same violet ink required for grading his math students at Christ Church College in Oxford. This way, he could easily switch between tasks.

9. The three musketeers on Alexandre Dumas's desk were piles of color-coded paper: pink for articles, blue for fiction, and yellow for poetry. [Okay, this one isn’t too bizarre – actually a quite reasonable idea!]

10. When Herman Melville needed a break to revitalize his creative juices, he worked the fields of his 160-acre farm.

11. John Milton spent the last 20 years of his life blind, but not being able to see didn’t slow him down. He'd start writing poetry in his head around 5 a.m., and an aide would arrive at 7 a.m. to take dictation. Milton called the process "getting milked."

12. With his publisher’s deadline for The Gambler looming, Fyodor Dostoyevsky hired a stenographer named Anna Grigoryevna Snitkina in 1866. The two finished the novella within a month and married a year later. Dostoyevsky dictated his work to her for the rest of his life.

13. Proust turned his bedroom workspace into a cocoon, covering his windows with shutters and dark curtains and lining the walls and ceiling with soundproofing cork. Blotting out the sun and the noise was a necessity since he slept all day and wrote all night.

14. Nothing stimulated poet and playwright Friedrich Schiller's creatives juices like the smell of rotting apples. He kept a drawer full of them in his desk. That wasn’t his only writing quirk—Schiller also enjoyed soaking his feet in ice water to stay alert.

15. Scottish biographer James Boswell was a tremendous writer, but he wasn’t great at waking up in the morning. To solve this problem, he designed a bed that would physically lift him up and set him on the floor. He never got around to building it, so servants ended up doing the heavy lifting for him.

Source:  http://mentalfloss.com/article/55572/15-productivity-secrets-very-prolific-writers

Do you have any bizarre writing tips to share?  I’d love to hear from you.

Keep writing & keep sharing! – Cronin Detzz

POEM: WATER AVATAR'S DREAM

724,000 years ago, I stood near my lake

I longed to drink, but had no thirst to slake

I gazed at my reflection, shimmering back at me

Blue of skin, like the sky and sea

My dharma was water

My dharma was to sustain

My power: locked in the waves

My power: released in the rain

~~ Holding the cosmos together

through the gift of water ~~

In those peaceful, misty days

I grew restless in the watery haze

My dream of being human thus burst

to feel the damp!  to swim with fish!

to quench a thirst!  my only wish!

The Bringer of Light granted my desire

And I was born into a fire

A bucket of water dampened the blaze

My soul briefly few back to halcyon days

But again and again I was reborn

stuck in the wheel of earthly form

My water lords and my astral kin

dessicated the water that cleanses my sin

“I long to return to my sparkling cave,

and leave far behind earth’s watery grave”

the Lord of Lords heard my plea

threw me into a poet’s aching body

sent me away to distant, dry lands

tossed me onto Nevada’s scorching sands

Never again

will I stray from home

Always, amen

bathe in the wonderful waterfall of Om

-        Cronin Detzz

Inspiration:  during a meditation, I imagined regressing into a past life as an Avatar representing water.  I don't know where the era of 724,000 years came from, but it is best to trust your muse and write whatever surfaces without censoring thoughts too much.  One of the important tactics in overcoming writer's block is to honor the creative process and write the words that come to you.  Don't get stuck in edit mode for too long.  Keep writing & keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz 

WHY ARE YOU BLOGGING? WHAT IS DRIVING YOU?

Before I was inspired to blog, I had to ask myself WHY.  I work full time, I’m raising a family, and I squeeze writing into spare moments.  My life is already taxing, so why would I add on more work?

I especially have to use my energy wisely because I have fibromyalgia.  It is a terribly painful disease that saps precious energy.  One day, I had an epiphany: "Forget about the fibromyalgia.  Be the change that you seek." The "change" I seek is to be published by a strong publisher with wide appeal. So how could I "be" a publisher?

I self published, and it was a good educational experience. But being self published is not aligned with the axiom of "being" the change that I seek. How could I give back to an industry that has meant so much to me?

I realized that I could blog - but not with the intent to self promote. My goal is to mentor writers and support poets. In this small way, I hope to help others overcome writer's block and let writers know that they are not alone in their trials and tribulations. Someone mentored me. It only seems right that I should return the favor. If I've helped just one person through this minor contribution, then I am thrilled!

Why do YOU blog? Many of you blog in order to grow your audience. Don't stop! But what other goals do you have in conjunction with your blog? I'd love to hear from you.


Keep writing & keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

WHAT'S YOUR IDEA OF A "DREAM" WRITER'S HOUSE?

Dream big – what’s your idea of a dream home for a writer?

Here is my short list:

1. To recharge, we need to be able to connect with nature. Ideally, I’d love to conquer writer’s block by taking a walk in the woods. Other writers might prefer a walk on the beach, a hike in the mountains, or apartment patio gardening.
2. A large tub with whirlpool jets to soak our aching backs would be great. Doesn’t that sound great after a writing marathon?
3. A room or a “suite” that is separate from the rest of the house would help us write with more focus. This could be a large den on the second floor with windows so that the writer can gaze at the setting sun on tree tops. High above the world, he can hone his craft.
4. Sell us a house with interesting designs, provenance, or ghosts. We will incorporate the house into our writing. Haunted house, anyone? What a fun writing prompt that would be!
5. Writers tend to go into hibernation at times, so if the house had a good security system, we could keep solicitors and mothers-in-law from intruding.
6. One room has to be a library, or at least one wall should be earmarked for shelves. Writers are readers.
Writers, what features would your dream house have? Does the right environment help you overcome writer’s block?  I’d love to hear your ideas.
Keep writing & keep sharing! – Cronin Detzz

POEM FOR WRITER'S BLOCK: THE GOLDEN DOOR OF DREAMS

At this time of year, my thoughts drift strongly to my dearly departed mother’s birthday, November 12.  She was taken away from us by a drunk driver when she was only 46.  Last year, I started to write a poem for her but writer’s block prevented me from finishing it.

Do you have some poems that, for some indeterminable reason, you were unable to finish?  I have a folder of half-written poems.  This year, I completed,“The Golden Door of Dreams” in time for my mother’s birthday.

In honor of overcoming writer’s block, I offer the following poem:

THE GOLDEN DOOR OF DREAMS

 

As she opens the secret door

Beautiful light rippled across the floor

“Wake up,” cried Ma, “open your eyes and see

I open the Golden Door of what is and will always be”

 

“Mother, please come in and speak to me,

Quickly now, before it is too late

Reveal the secrets before you cross

beyond the reach of heaven’s gate”

 

The golden light glitters

tiny flecks of honey swirling

Ma beckons me to follow

The bedroom is whirling

 

I stood at the threshold

And slowly opened the door

The whole world disappeared

And the sky became my floor

 

“Time is an illusion,” she said

“Your life is but a dream

Wake up, my child, to reality

and listen to life’s audible stream”

 

I reached out, grasping at thin air

hoping to catch an angels’ wing

“She does not see,” a voice boomed

And I could no longer see anything

 

Once again, I was back in my room

saddened at the end of the angelic show

I wanted to hug my Ma one last time

to hold her tight and never let go

 

I lay back down and closed my eyes,

imagining that she was there

She swept away the monsters under the bed

kissed my forehead and patted my hair

 

Now I know that life is a dream within a dream

that time is an illusory focus, a painting that’s brittle

Ma goes downstairs to make coffee and pancakes

and leaves the door open, just a little

 

Happy birthday, Ma. I miss you – Cronin Detzz 2013

3 TIPS FOR FRAGMENTED WRITING: I’M BATMAN

This teenage boy I know says, "I have a great idea for story: Batman goes into this virtual reality game in a contest against Ra's al Ghul, only Batman doesn’t know that the game actually creates real events. At the end of my story, Batman must be the one who goes back in time to kill his own parents."

So this boy writes the best parts of his juicy, action-packed story but get's writer's block when it comes to storyline rules, such as writing a compelling first page, creating masterful segues and crafting spine-tingling page-turners.

This type of writer's block is okay, and very normal! Don't let it stop you!

Go ahead and write all your favorite parts. You can fill in the gaps later. Your favorite portions are the heart and soul of your masterpiece. If you find that you are lamenting over fragmentation (how to string the pieces together), just have some trust in yourself and give it time.

Three key tips on fragmentation that I have found to be useful in overcoming writer's block include:

1. Before you go to sleep, write down your problem on a piece of paper. You can phrase it in the form of a question, such as: "How do I get Batman to accept a challenge from Ra's al Ghul?" This allows your subconscious to contemplate the issue.

2. Many writers have fragments of other stories in their treasure chests. Why not incorporate elements of your other stories into your current endeavor?

3. Use real events. Although we have never played a virtual reality game against a villain, we have had to deal with bullies at some point in our lives. How did you meet that bully? How did he make you feel? What elements in the bully's life formed him into such a tyrant?

I don’t normally create an outline until the primary sequence of events are clear. You may find that writing an outline is helpful at some stage, and I'd love to hear from you on this topic.

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

WHICH 3 BOOKS CHANGED YOUR LIFE? HOW DID THEY FIND YOU?

What are 3 books that changed your life? Why? How did these books "find" you?

Some books are highly entertaining and memorable. This question, however, asks you to dig deeper into the epiphanies and revelations of particular stories that have inspired you.

My three books are:
1. "Mans Search for Meaning" by Dr. Victor Frankl
2. "Wizard of Oz" by Frank L. Baum
3. "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

"Mans Search for Meaning" was given to me by my boss at a time when I was extremely disheartened and ill. Dr. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, explores which mental fortitudes enabled prisoners to survive. This book reminds me of my favorite quote, which is taped to my fridge. "In the absence of certainty, there is always hope."

"Wizard of Oz" is my favorite fairy tale because it reminds us that there's no place like home, that we already possess all the gifts we need to craft an amazing life, and that women will do anything for ruby slippers!

"Flowers for Algernon" was required reading in 7th grade. The writer uses a masterful style of compiling a diary that shows the progression of a scientific experiment conducted on a man of very limited intellectual capacity. The experiment is a success, raising his I.Q. from drastic lows to astronomical heights. The subject grows his mind all the way to a state of nirvana. This book gives me hope that God reaches from His omnipotent realm down to our low state of being. The story begs us to question how much knowledge is truly necessary in order to reach Him.

There are many other books that have inspired our writing style, entertained us, and helped inspire us to remove our writer's blocks. On your list of top three books, do you notice that not only have they influenced the direction of your core values, they have also given you direction in your writing style?

As writers, we must remember to treasure those unique tomes that moved our spirits. If you need motivation to get past a writer's block, re-read your top three books.

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

Pushing the Envelope – New Challenge to Remove Writer’s Block

Sometimes we see poets complaining via social media that they want to write but they feel wrung dry.  This is what we refer to as writer’s block.  We feel an irrepressible need to write, and when our muses are silent, we get aggravated.

Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, would be proud of this blog.  Chuck Yeager pushed the envelope of supersonic flight and “pushing the envelope” steadily grew into popular phraseology.  Pushing the envelope does not have anything to do with the postal service, rather, it means pushing a mathematical envelope of normal possibilities.

One way that writers tackle writer’s block is through poetry writing prompts.  Personally, many writers will agree that the best poetry writing prompts are the ones that push the envelope of the traditional iambic pentameter.

Using an alchemy of mathematical structures and writing, you can create a fun poetic masterpiece. Remember back in school when you were given a writing assignment with forced structure?  (Yeah, most of us hated that.)  The type of structure we suggest here is akin to cryptology.  Could you write a poem where the first word of each line rhymes?  Could you write a poem of homonyms?

Check out this fun ABC poem, shared with the permission of poet, Eric Musse:

Crazed Word Smithery

Another banished boy
Courageously creatively
Displaying every facetious facet
Gregariously hilariously
Interpreting indiscriminate implemented juxtaposed jurisdictions

Killing lusty lascivious laminated Mesopotamian mentalities
Neutralizing obvious overt possibilities
Quarantining ridiculous responding superficial Sumerian scleras
Seeking torturous time travel tendencies
Underlying viciously vacuous violent wizard-line youthful Zohar zealots.
-          Eric Musse (c) 2013

Thank you, Eric Musse and Chuck Yeager, for reminding us to continue pushing the envelope.

Keep writing and keep sharing!
Cronin Detzz

EMANCIPATED FROM RHYMES-WRITER'S BLOCK

EMANCIPATED FROM RHYMES

Here is a great tip for removing writer’s block – try writing a short poem!  When writing short poetry, writers often focus on Haikus or Tankas.  Another fun writing concept is to write in quatrains.  Quatrains, quite simply, are four lines of verse.  A quatrain normally has a rhyming scheme.   Below is an example of AABB, from one of my poems entitled "Red on the Inside."

Bend like the willow trees

Quiet as the summer breeze

Laugh like a gentle stream

Joyful as a baby’s dream

-        Cronin Detzz

A quatrain can also have a rhyming scheme like this familiar verse, where lines 2 and 4 rhyme:

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Sugar is sweet,

And so are you

A fantastic writing challenge is to write an impactful quatrain that does not rhyme.  Fellow poet, Teresa E. Gallion, is masterful in this style:

I stared down a wolf

Claiming the edge of the forest

This is not the first time

Courage has dominated my life

Teresa E. Gallion

From these four lines, we can imagine ourselves encountering a wolf in a forest.  A great aspect of this poem is that it can also be looked at in a more metaphorical sense; for instance, staring down “a wolf” could be thought of as staring down a fear.  If someone is afraid of heights, the wolf becomes a symbol of that fear.

Short poems can offer a snapshot of emotion. In this next quatrain, consider the abundant feelings when gazing upon a sleeping loved one:

I lay a prayer on your chest

To soothe your burning sleep

It is selfish to hold back

When love flows in my river

Teresa E. Gallion

A quatrain can also provide a chuckle of irony:

A thought of you so powerful

It breaks my wine glass

I cannot afford such thoughts

Crystal is too expensive

Teresa E. Gallion

Now that you have been emancipated from rhyming schemes, try to remove your writer’s block by penning four lines of poetry.  You can do this!

A special thanks goes out to Teresa E. Gallion for sharing her beautiful quatrains.  Her work can be found at the links below:

http://teresagallion.yolasite.com/my-new-book.php

Note:  Also available at Amazon Kindle store:

http://www.amazon.com/Contemplation-High-Desert-ebook/dp/B007SO8CYC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1336355015&sr=8-2

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

SECRETS MAKE YOU SICK

Want to know a secret?  Secrets can make you sick, and you can use your writing skills for better health.

It’s no secret that the body and mind are knotted together in a symbiotic dance.  For instance, if you have a headache, chances are you’ll not be  in a good mood.  Conversely, feeling drained or stressed can give you a headache.  Our moods influence our eating choices, disrupt our sleep, raise our blood pressure, and create digestive problems.  When a deep secret haunts your life, your moods and health will both be affected.  Therapists often uncover secrets because they easily see the signs, such as  anorexia, drug addictions, or anxiety.

Most people have some secrets that are kept tucked away.  Some secrets are generally benign, such as:  “I tell my friends I’m happy being single, but I secretly wish I were married.”  Some secrets are dark and deep and emotionally draining.  Your secrets have helped shape who you have become.

Writing is a cathartic outlet.  Writers often put a piece of themselves into their characters, and in the process, evolve through self-exploration.  As you craft your stories, remember that it can be very helpful to drag those secrets out of the closet and write about the experience.  To help remove your writer’s block, ask yourself the following questions:

·        If the secret is a result of a traumatic event, how did you feel at the time? 

·        What beliefs have encouraged you to keep the secret? 

·        Do you feel judged?   If so, by whom?

·        What is it like to carry around a suitcase full of shame? 

·        Are you trying to numb your mind by forgetting about the secret, or by alcohol or drugs?

·        If you have revealed your secret to a loved one, how did it feel?  What did your loved one say to you?

Recently, I was driving in a run-down part of Chicago with Sandy, an old pal.  As she and as I passed by an alley, a deep-seated memory flashed before my eyes.  I had been raped in that alley when I was a teenager, and I had completely forgotten about the incident.  I had a boyfriend at that time, and because the boyfriend beat the rapist to a bloody pulp, I felt vindicated.  I told Sandy about this, and she was shocked.  She encouraged me to write about the experience in my next book.  I told her that I never thought about the incident, stating that it doesn’t bother me.  She objected, telling me that this is a significant, life-altering event that deserves my attention.  Having her support was a huge relief.  I will be adding the incident to my next book.

I wish sound health to you all, and hope that you find strength and peace through writing.

Keep writing and keep sharing! – Cronin Detzz

MY NAME IS SUE. MARY SUE.

Writer’s Block implies that our creative well has dried up.  When creating an epic hero, be certain to dip into your creative well and create a hero that is relatable.  If main characters have depth and fallacies, readers will more easily connect.  How can we create depth?

Ensure that your hero has fallacies and makes mistakes.  Norwegian author, Jo Nesbo, created an award-winning series of crime fiction novels revolving around a detective named Harry Hole.  Harry Hole asks probing questions, notices clues that others miss, and contains all the desired aspects of a great investigator.  However, Hole is an alcoholic.  He sabotages his own romantic relationships.  He smokes, he makes mistakes, he struggles with depressive thoughts – in short, he is human.  He is a hero, but he has depth. 

Nesbo does not spend a lot of time describing Hole’s physical attributes, other than to say that he is tall and has blue eyes which are frequently bloodshot.  If a writer spends too much time describing a character, the writer will be accused of self-insertion.  Let the reader fill in some of the gaps of physical details, and the reader will subconsciously insert himself and get hooked.

 A “Mary Sue” is a character that is simply too good to be true.  Roger Moore’s portrayal of James Bond is certainly a “Mary Sue.”  He gets the girl, kills the villain, saves the day, and still has fantastic-looking hair.  (He had fantastic hair in the television series “The Saint” as well!)  I am an admitted Bondophile, and own all of the Bond books.  The books are much better than the movies because the author, Ian Flemming, created a hero who often made mistakes.  In the novel Casino Royale, Bond questions whether he himself is the bad guy, realizing that a Russian spy would perceive Bond as an arch enemy.  Bond is unsure of his mission in life and considers leaving the service.  He doesn’t have perfect Roger Moore hair.  His hair is described as dark, forming a “cruel comma” above his brow.  He often gets captured and is a victim of incredible torture, and the author takes us to the dark shadows in Bond’s mind.  It is an interesting journey and a great study into character development.

In short, don’t make characters too perfect, too brilliant, or invincible, unless you’re Roger Moore, who is successful despite his perfect hair.

Keep writing and keep sharing! – Cronin Detzz

FIBONACCI POETRY

FIBONACCI – not your father’s haiku

General Motors tried to inspire a younger demographic with the catchy tagline of “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.”  I’d like to think that a Fibonacci poem is not your father’s haiku!  A Haiku has a mathematically metered number of syllables in three lines, using a count of 5, 7, 5.  Similarly, a Tanka uses the measure of 5-7-5-7-7.  Below is an example, written when I was about sixteen years old:

LONELY TANKA

the wound is so Deep

it will scar your Memory

alone and Empty.

even after she leaves You

her unwanted stench Lingers

The Fibonacci sequence adds each subsequent number as the sum of the previous two numbers: 0 + 1 =1, 1 + 1=2, 1 + 2 = 3, 2 + 3 = 5, and so on.  This mathematical sequence occurs in nature, music, science, geometry, and art, and has also been applied to poetry.  The Fibonacci poem uses the following number of syllables per line:  1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, etc.

Below is a great example, used with permission by poet Narendra Rai:

Morn

As

It’s born

Brings with

Itself your aroma

That gives me hope

To hold you in my arms one day

Another mathematical approach to poetry can be found in an etheree, which contains lines of syllables in numerical sequence from 1 to 10.  I tried my hand at a reverse etheree:

BLACK DREAMS

1  In

2  my dream,

3  I reach out

4  Wailing, weeping,

5  the darkness creeping

6  heart beating and bleeding

7  growing numb as senses pale

8  Blackened by burning betrayal,

9  You enjoy my screaming as I drown

10 You even help the demons hold me down

9   But wait, here is the craziest twist

8   you let me live to make it last

7   pulling me into your past

6   you laugh as my blood drips

5   licking fingertips

4   luminous scream

3  ruinous,

2  haunting

1  dream

Writing in this style is more difficult than it looks!  Many poems typically have four to eight syllables per line, and in poetry, each line stands alone to allow the reader to pause.  Challenge yourself and try this art form.  You can share your poetry on this blog or you can share on my Facebook wall, just search “Cronin Detzz.”

Keep writing and keep sharing!  - Cronin Detzz