This prompt from NaPoWriMo.net resonated with me. Here’s what was suggested:“Calls-and-responses are used in many sermons and hymns, in which the preacher or singer asks a question or makes an exclamation, and the audience responds with a specific, pre-determined response….as a sort of refrain or chorus that comes up repeatedly, while the call can vary slightly each time it is used….Think of your poem as an interactive exchange between one main speaker and an audience.”
For once, I allowed myself to have a good time trying something new without setting expectations that were too high. I wrote two poems as a result.
Psalm for Hestia
Let him persuade you, let him cajole you!
I’ll not listen, I’ll not heed.
He has love to offer, let him show you!
I’ll not listen, I’ll not heed.
He will want you always, let him please you!
I’ll not listen, I’ll not heed.
He will hope and hope, let him win you!
I’ll not listen, I’ll not heed.
Let him persuade you he has love to offer.
He will want you always. He will hope and hope.
I’ll not listen, I’ll not heed.
Let him cajole you. Let him show you.
Let him please you. Let him win you.
I’ll not listen. I’ll not heed.
Imaginary numbers: A song
How many rings on the tree, on the tree?
How many rings will there be, will there be?
Too many, too many, too many to count.
Too many, too many for me.
How many birds on the wing, on the wing?
How many birds will there be, will there be?
Too many, too many, too many to count.
Too many, too many for me.
How many drops in the rain, in the rain?
How many drops will there be, will there be?
Too many, too many, too many to count.
Too many, too many for me.
How many moments in a life, in a life?
How many will there be, will there be?
Too many, too many, too many to count.
Too many, too many for me.
JC Sulzenko’s poem “Scales” awarded Honourable Mention and will be published in the TOPS “Loves Lies Bleeding” anthology
JC is delighted “Scales” received an Honorable Mention and will appear in the upcoming “Loves Lies Bleeding” anthology from The Ontario Poetry Society (TOPS).
“I have found it difficult to sustain my equilibrium and my writing practice during the pandemic years and the upheavals in Canada and elsewhere. Although the poem begins with a dream, it moves on from that experience to my everyday reality: how current events weigh upon me in a debilitating way and force me to create a refuge of sorts,” JC explained.
“I thank the judges and TOPS for including “Scales” in the anthology and for giving the poem this award.”
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