Last Friday as I read different Poetry Friday posts, I noticed the trinet form. Rose Cappelli wrote one about peonies. I have not tried this form yet, so I decided to offer it today. The form is 7 lines, 2 words in lines 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7, 6 words in lines 3 & 4.
I went on a swamp tour yesterday and dragonflies were flitting all around. Then I saw Julie Burchstead’s beautiful Facebook photo of this one, perfectly posed for a picture. Dragonflies are common insects. I found this on a dragonfly website:
“Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but adults hold their wings away from, and perpendicular to the body when at rest. Their two sets of wings work independently, allowing dragonflies to maneuver through the air effortlessly. Their huge eyes give them incredible vision in almost every directions except directly behind them.” If you want to use some facts in your own poem, go here.
Dragonfly wings
Margaret Simon, draft
aerial lift
flittering over stillness in sacred swamp
summer days echoing of cicada song
daring us
to reflect
light–shine!
Please leave your own poems in the comments and respond to other writers with encouragement. Happy Summer!
I can absolutely imagine the beautiful image you created, Margaret. Here in Skokie (IL) the cicadas are screaming, rather than singing…But I found my way to celebrate someone else in this interesting form, which I’m glad I had the time to explore!
Cardinal alarm
always wakes,
decades long song every four a.m.
whichever home, whichever tree lives outside
the call
and repeat
signals coffee-time!
That cardinal call is unmistakable. I remember having one out my window when I was in high school. I could count on it every day to wake me up.
Love that alarm clock! For me, it’s a wren. Love “the call and repeat signals coffee-time.”
Thanks, Rose! I was trying for a few seconds to come up with something more “poetic” when the cardinal wakes me, but truth told, it’s always coffee first. : )
Nice work, Carol CG. The cardinal’s morning call may be early but coffee awaits!
Thanks for the shout-out, Margaret. I like the way your final lines read like a sentence – “daring us to reflect light-shine.” I see Carol did the same in hers. For mine, I don’t know if this is a cheat, but I used the same phrase for the beginning and end:
winged wonder
flight ready
to catch that juicy mosquito, but
watch out for the hungry birds!
ancient flier
swamp queen
winged wonder
The repetition is effective. Certainly a queen of the swamp. Although the gators may argue about that.
Rose, the dragonfly is indeed a winged warrior. I also like that you added in the word ancient. As I was writing my response this morning, I kept thinking about how long the dragonfly has been evolving.
Oh, Rose, I love what you did! The sentence mid-poem is a perfect transition and introduction to “ancient flier/swamp queen/winged wonder”—fabulous images!
I enjoyed researching the dragonfly and writing a trinet poem.
aerial flight
finds speed
among earth’s catalog of long-lasting, test-of-time insects
dragonflies evolved about 300 million years ago
today’s species
symbolize transformation
and change
Nice nonfiction elements, Carol.
Rose, thank you.