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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The Fluted Charmer

With flute you played your charm
enticing each soul forth,
from the darkest of depth,
beneath the trees like roots,
winding to, fro, coming out
into light of day to hear.

Witnessing life's toll to hear
these words, lived without charm.
Secrets kept, none spoke out...
dig within pockets forth,
seek to plant seeded roots
of aid.  Reaching new depth

for those burdened, in-depth
help, from hearts... cries to hear
their pleas.  Long buried roots
hidden to the world's charm,
beckoning to us, forth-
coming need to be out

these lives untold.  Call out
to believe 'tales tell depth'
and lonely hearts bear forth
wisdom, sadness we hear.
This music plays of charm
and helping hands' treed roots,

of giving planted roots
to society.  Out-
numbered, yet your heart's charm
raises from pocket's depth
to change the song, to hear
and carry their hurts forth.

Into the light shine forth,
no longer lost like roots
searching beneath, now hear
this hand be given.  Out
of torment and dark depth,
bestow your tale, do charm!

Theirs brought forth, this your charm,
to share roots, both this depth,
lift and hear...  help them out!

Petrina Lesko
September 2011

inspired by this week's Magpie Tales.

This was also my first attempt at a new to me form - the Sestina.  It's end words repeat throughout each stanza in the following pattern:
     1. ABCDEF
     2. FAEBDC
     3. CFDABE
     4. ECBFAD
     5. DEACFB
     6. BDFECA
     7. ECA or ACE (envoi)
       sometimes including BDF within these 3 lines as well.

now also linked to dVerse Poets Pub... FormForAll

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've come full circle. Without the roots there can be no tree. Deep and beautiful write.

Helena said...

That was exceptional! I eventually followed the Sestina pattern (which was tricky as when I see capital letters follow each other I automatically think 'guitar chords'!) and it works well. Not quite ready to try my own one, but this was indeed, charming!

gautami tripathy said...

So powerful and deep poem..


while the instrument plays

Kay L. Davies said...

Uh-oh, I read the CFDABE part before I read the poem, and now I'm all confused. Sorry, Petrina. All I can say is congratulations on trying out a form as complicated as a Sestina appears to be.
I don't know if it's my eyes (they don't focus—cataract surgery on both) or my brain (no surgery yet, though might become necessary, LOL) but I keep looking for the pattern and can't find it.
A forest and the trees thing— I can't see the, for. Not your fault at all, entirely mine.
— K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Reflections said...

For those of you not familiar with the Sestina, it is the words at the end of each line that follow the patterns... There was a very good article on it over at dVerse a little while ago, the link is here: http://dversepoets.com/2011/08/25/formforall-sestina/

Isabel Doyle said...

I liked the way you tied your themes of root and flute and rhyme into the scheme of the form. I am far too lazy to try such complicated work!

Intelliblog said...

A challenging form brought forth a good poem with a good rhythm.
Thank you for your kind comments on my blog!

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

well done challenge on the poetry form.

fantastic magpie...

Claudia said...

now you are taking even two challenges in one go..enjoyed your fluted charmer petrina..

Beachanny said...

Wonderful, it is a great joy to pay it forward. Beautiful use of the form, moving and progressing stanza to stanza, the voice grows stronger, the subject probed and we hear your music throughout. Excellent. Thank you for writing and sharing!

Anonymous said...

I'd have never known this was your first sestina. It flows well... I especially like the sixth stanza.

~laurie

Anonymous said...

Your tornada works well to reinforce the theme and call us to ethical action. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Fabulous. I read this out loud and the voice was soft, reasoned with a very smooth flow. A difficult form to write without becoming redundant but you did it wonderfully.

Beth

Unknown said...

Really nice job, I enjoyed the write. Amazing how well you did on your first try. I've done a number of these over the years and have to say, never as good as what you've offered here:) Thanks for the read

Anonymous said...

Well done! I love helping hands' treed roots. K.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I'am still tiring to figure it out. You really have done a Awesome job.

Brian Miller said...

very nicely played to form...and i enjoyed the journey through your words and the overarching message...

ds said...

Brilliant use of this week's magpie image, and I love your sestina. "Long buried roots/hidden to the world's charm"--great line, and a powerful message overall. Thank you.

Cressida de Nova said...

Petrina, I have not done one of these before either. Your poem and format is so lucid that I will attempt one based on your format.
Thank you for sharing your charm and roots and helping us out:)Clever!

Brendan said...

Very soothing sestina, a charm in itself. The repititions take root in the ear and create in the ear such a flowering. Fine job. - Brendan

hedgewitch said...

Liked this a lot--you picked great keywords to build with here, and your tale of depth is told eloquently.

Thanks also for your very kind words at my place.