Tag: poetry

Summer Outing: A Pantoum

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The summer before I started university, I did a few creative writing workshops. Once, we tried some verse poems (I wrote a villanelle). I liked following a template. It gave me a guide in the otherwise limitless and daunting realm of poetry. So I thought I would try it again for this week’s post. This time, I tried a pantoum. I followed the format of Another Lullaby for Insomniacs by A. E. Stallings as a reference point.

summer outing

the icy water’s sweet
as I wade in the river
pebbles scratch my feet
it sets my limbs aquiver

as I wade in the river
the fish begin to scatter
it sets my limbs aquiver
to think, to them I matter

the fish begin to scatter
their skin glints in the sun
to think, to them I matter
to others, I am no one

their skin glints in the sun
they think they’re in my thrall
to others, I am no one
to them, I rule them all

they think they’re in my thrall
the icy water’s sweet
to them, I rule them all
but pebbles scratch my feet.

© Sohini Kumar
Photo by John Salvino from Unsplash

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For I Will Consider My Bus Driver

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In an old creative writing class, we wrote poems modelled on a section of the poem ‘Jubilate Agno’ by Christopher Smart, known as ‘For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry’. I chose, during this time, to consider my bus driver.

Since I wrote this poem, my home has changed and the bus drivers have changed, but most of this still applies…

My Bus Driver

For I will consider my bus driver
For he sees me running almost every morning to catch the bus
For who changes everyday but always drives too slow
For he is sometimes grumpy and sometimes happy
For he scrutinises my bus pass one day and ignores it the next
For he drives me to school from home, and back again
For he asks people to move to the back of the bus when it gets too crowded
(For it always gets too crowded)
For he honks suddenly and scares the living daylights out of car drivers
For he doesn’t stop long enough and old ladies yell at him
For he is almost always late and almost always makes me late
For he is why I usually just walk.

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Note: currently revising for exams. Be back soon!

Thanks for reading, and until next time!

Photo by Josh Wilburne, licensed under Creative Commons Zero

Daffodils: A Villanelle

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Where do the daffodils all go
When winter months are almost here
Amidst the vicious, stinging snow.

Their fragile skin is frozen slow,
Their stems are paralysed with fear.
Where can the daffodils all go?

The icy, cruel winds do blow
And pierce the flowers like a spear
Amidst the vicious, stinging snow.

Above their heads the inky crow’s
Raw tune marks the end of the year.
Where can the daffodils all go?

They did not have the chance to grow.
Their petals break, tumble like tears
Amidst the vicious, stinging snow.

They will return in springtime, though,
‘Til then the gardens will be bare
Where could the daffodils all go
Amidst the vicious, stinging snow.

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Copyright Sohini Kumar

Thank you for reading!

A little update: I had planned to have a longer post or a weekly photo challenge up soon, but my laptop broke yesterday. 😦 I can still upload from my phone but until I get the laptop fixed, longer posts will be difficult.

Hopefully you will still see me here a lot, though. And if not, I’ve recently gotten an account on fanfiction.net. I’ve got mixed feelings about fan-fiction, but ever since I read The Hunger Games years ago, I’ve wanted to know Peeta’s side of the story. Since all my telepathic pleas to Suzanne Collins don’t seem to have worked, I thought I’d try my own hand at it. If nothing else, at least it will get me writing. So if you’re a fan of Suzanne Collins’ books, take a look if you’d like! You can find the story here. 

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope to see you around! If you decide to check out my first attempt at fan-fiction, let me know what you think. 🙂