Day trip, along two roads of perpendicular straight lines,
cuts through endless fields, punctuated by bergs
and a prison. One way ends and then begins curves;
first anchored by a rectangle that serves as a dash between
a poetry of smooth golden-rodded turrets’ curves.
Inside, heavy, burnished oak of narrow staircases curl
ever upward; tree repurposed to vine. At last, portholes
peep on the Shiawassee. A swallow’s nest beholds a statue
of the author holding a pike; memory hooked of long ago,
where the river, with its gentle current, yet flows and curves.
Laura is today’s host for dVerse’ Meet the Bar. Laura says:
So today we shall write our poem using any style or meter as long as it contains:
1a. Epiphora (aka Epistrophe or Antistrophe ). The repeat lines should for the most part be consecutive although allowances are made for alternates as well as the use of the repeat word with variance. Employ repetitions with the maxim ‘ too often is too heavy’!
AND those who like an extra challenge might like add in some
1b. Symploce – the combined use of anaphora and epiphora. Here is an example from Eliot’s “Prufrock”:
“The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Your graceful repetition of ‘curves’ here mirrors the grace of this intriguing castle’s curves. I like how you change from noun to verb in the final line, varying the sense and adding to the flow of the poem.
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Ingrid thank you for the wonderful feedback 🙂
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I love the gentleness of the word curve, and I could really feel how it might feel with a surprise awaiting with every bend of the road…
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Thank you, Bjorn, I do too. The curved staircases were wonderful.
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your epiphoras are subtle and scattered and blend with matching rhymes, so the reader is drawn along by curves and curls 😉
“poetry of smooth golden-rodded turrets’ curves.
Inside, heavy burnished oak of narrow staircases curl
ever upward, tree repurposed to vine”
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Laura thank you very much and thank you for the poetry lesson on epiphoras 🙂
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The river, the road and the castle all echo the word, as does the castle title. This leaves us all waiting for more!
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Beverly it was only after I wrote the poem that I realized Curwood’s name fit into the epiphora! Funny how that worked out. Thank you for the kind comment.
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I like how you work in the shapes–the curls and curves and perpendicular lines.
It looks like an interesting place to visit.
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Thank you, Merril. It is a neat place, and the lady who works there has so much information about the author, I’d like to go back and talk with her some more. Right next door is an arts center that was closed by the time I left the castle so I will probably visit again.
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I had to look him up. 😀
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🙂
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How lovely to read the curls and curves of the place, with the flowing river at the side. It must be fascinating to visit and read history in those walls.
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Thank you, Grace. Curwood had this place built as his writing place. His desk sits near the windows, with the sound of the river at his back. It’s no wonder he was such a fabulous and prolific writer of great northern adventures.
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This is lovely, and it masks and mantles and cuddles the prompt in clever colorful lively geometry.
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Glenn, thank you. It was such a contrast, how straight the road was and how curvy the destination was…
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Glenn took my words, you cuddled the prompt! 😍 I would love to visit. 💝
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It’s a heavenly little peaceful niche just a block or so off of a busy traffic business area. What’s weird is you don’t hear anything but the river… Thank you, Tricia. I hope one day you can see it 🙂
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Yes! 💗
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Beautifully done Lisa. It flowed so smoothly that had to go back and read it again to find the repetition. Well done. Looks like an interesting place to visit!
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Thank you very much, Dwight. It truly is. I want to learn more about Curwood and definitely read one of his books.
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You are welcome! Sounds like a plan!
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I enjoyed your trips.
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🙂 Thank you, Sadje. I’m on a roll (pun intended.)
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You’re welcome!
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the “c” sounds repeated gave this poem such beautiful oral shape, Ms. Lisa. you took us there, with you.
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Rosemarie, thank you and glad you enjoyed the poem.
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I love the picture through the porthole Lisa…that place looks so cool.
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It’s a lovely place for sure. It reminds me of a library, a really cool library.
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I love the look of the place and it looks like it would have a cool atmosphere.
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I just posted the big article on it.
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Thank you! I will check it out
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What a wonderful building! and even the rhythm emphasizes the curves. (K)
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It is quite a place. You’ll love the rest of the pics also when I get them posted.
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The repeated u and ur sounds give this a ponderous (in a good), importuning immediacy that belies the lightness expected from the opening description of a “day trip”. (Plus I googled this and, fun rabbithole! It’s a part of Michigan I’ve never visited, and now I want to go!)
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Thank you for the feedback, Alexandra. I found this in a book I bought a year or two ago, called, “Lost in Michigan.” There are a bunch of neat-looking, though for the most part obscure places in it. This is the first place I’ve gone to from the book. The lady there was the one the author interviewed for the book. Being in Chicago, it probably wouldn’t take you all that long to get there!
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p.s. just checked. you’re about 4 hours from it.
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I know! I can’t believe we never went. We used to go to MI all the time!
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I just posted my big write-up on it.
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Exquisite … and I got to ride along!
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🙂
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Lisa,
Love how the road trip is one of curves and lines as if history parallels your way in and out of the present into the past. Beautifully written.
~🕊Dora
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Well said and great perspective, Dora, thank you. I posted a bigger article on the place an hour or so ago if you want to see what the place looks like inside.
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Your poem makes the trip and castle sound enchanting, sweeping the reader round with curves. I love the line ‘ tree repurposed to vine’
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Thank you, Marion 🙂
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Very nice story! While reading the story I was feeling I was there only.
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Thank you.
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Its a wonderful building.
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