Have you heard of the Zeno form? It’s one of my favorites that I’d forgotten about until I made a “Poetry on the Bayou” episode on my YouTube channel. I’ve been recording myself sitting outside on the back deck overlooking the Bayou Teche. I’m reading poems from my book Bayou Song.
This week I read a Zeno about cypress knees, a strange phenomenon for the bald cypress trees which are prolific around the shores of the bayou. Some people cut the cypress knees and use them to carve decorations or paint on. There is no solid research on how or why the cypress trees make their knees. And my husband, aka the yard man, curses how they interrupt his mowing flow.
A zeno follows a mathematical sequence for a syllable count of 8,4,2,1,4,2,1,4,2,1. J. Patrick Lewis originated the form and added that the 1 syllable lines should rhyme.
With students, I enjoyed adding the element of a “zine” to create a “Zeno-Zine.” You can see a previous posts about making Zeno-Zines for Dot Day and in Summer Poetry Swap.
Today I released a monarch butterfly that I had sheltered in a habitat for two weeks. The caterpillar came as “lagniappe” on a milkweed plant I bought nearly three weeks ago. The caterpillar made its chrysalis on a leaf. I wanted to plant the milkweed in the garden, so I taped the leaf to the top of the butterfly net, only to have the tape release, and the chrysalis end up falling to the floor. I had luckily taken precaution and placed bubble wrap on the floor. Once it fell, I realized that the tape was sticking too well to the bubble wrap, so I just decided to leave it alone. I really wasn’t sure if it would develop. Call it the miracle of nature or the resilience of monarchs, but the butterfly emerged yesterday, full and complete. This calls for celebration in a Zeno poem.
Reflections on the Teche 
Oh, I’m glad you are enjoying sun and warm. It’s cold here..frost this morning. I have two shirts on and have been sipping tea all day. Brrrrrrr. The wind chimes and your soothing voice are beautiful. A lovely addition to Poetry Friday. And, a really nice xeno lesson.
I love both your poem and the backstory, Margaret. Your videos are so well done. You really are a natural–so relaxed and inviting. I can’t tell you how much I agonize over making videos for remote learning. I wish I had a bit of your sangfroid! Also,I keep meaning to tell you how much I adore the word “lagniappe.” I think it deserves a poem, too–maybe a definito?
You are probably being too hard on yourself about the videos. This one took a few takes. The outside noises can be a bother. Thanks for the nudge to definito lagniappe. It’s a common word in South Louisiana. We even once had a restaurant downtown with the name.
I hadn’t heard of a zeno or a zine. What a great idea with three rhymes! Thank you for this post and past posts about the zeno and zine. I loved watching your students and you recite on video! You all did an excellent job! Thank you for all the back story, too. I made my zine, now I just have to write a zeno. Thank you for the inspiration!
A beautiful poem and butterfly, Margaret! And thanks for teaching me about the zeno. I will have to try one out.
I love listening to you read your poems from the bayou. And I am so jealous of your weather. The pictures that you have shared of your “lagniappe” have been the perfect accompaniment to “silent quest”. I love watching the monarch metamorphosis.
This is wonderful, Margaret, & I’ve loved seeing the few parts you posted about the butterfly’s journey, now finished with a zeno. Thanks for the reminder about that form, too! Enjoy making those videos! I love the sounds even though you say they are distracting!
You’ve always been good at writing zenos, Margaret. I remember that even from 2014 when Pat Lewis introduced the form on TLD. As I recall, your students at the time wrote some good ones too. For some reason I have trouble with this form. Thanks for teaching me about cypress knees today.
Has it really been that long? 2014? I love teaching the form to kids because it adds the challenge of rhyme. I write the first 4 lines to get my first rhyme, then brainstorm other words that rhyme to plug in the other two and write around them. Seems to work most of the time. Thanks!
Of course I am in raptures over the cypress knees. Once heard they “breathe” through their knees and likened myself to these trees as an asthmatic child, curled up in a ball on my knees trying to breathe in my bed at night. May have to turn that into a poem … the zeno seems challenging although I am someone who appreciates spareness! How perfectly you capture the metamorphosis from that caterpillar curling into a “J” into the monarch in that stunning photo.
Lovely! Jan also has a monarch poem this week!
Yea for butterflies that survive and fly despite a few bumps along the way. Lovely zeno–and having tried a few, I know they can be tricky.
Love this! I love zenos and am loving all the monarch poems I am seeing this weekend. No monarchs up here yet, but the poems are a lovely stand-in!
Thank you for reminding me how much I like the Zeno. I wish we had monarchs where I live.
Love your bubbling over-nature-filled post Margaret! I enjoyed both kenos and especially your “Monarch Quest,” and the happy-ever-after backstory, thanks Margaret.
Thanks for reminding me of the zeno… I’ve only tried writing one and would like to try more. You zeno zine is lovely, the monarch a treasure too. thanks!