Sketchbook_6-3_MayJune_2011_Karin_Anderson,_AU:_Ekphrastic_Staccato_Poem:_Gone_With_The

Sketchbook

a journal for eastern and western forms

An Ekphrastic Staccato Poem*

Karin Anderson, AU

Karin Anderson, AU

Gone With The Wind

I want you now to turn away from me
this oscillating yearn you vainly see.
Whirr Not! Whirr Not! I don’t love you
you gloat your wicked games are new.
Romance me first or you’ll not have your way.
Whirr not! This fan struggles for us to sway~

Now our body heat floats in vacuum air
It slithers on throat’s chill and wind tossed hair.
Help Me! Help Me! Don’t let heat rise
Higher, higher you melt my eyes.
Now you’re humming lust’s love songs in my ear.
Help me! Your hottest breath is what I fear~

I’m a child on a see-saw up and down
don’t side-sweep and breeze me as cocotte’s clown.
Why me! Why me! I’m your sweetheart
romance wafts in the air to start
courtship games my husband we sometimes play.
Why me! You’re not gone with the wind, please stay~

Please read the poem before playing the video.

The Staccato Poem*, created by Jan Turner, consists of two or more 6-line stanzas.

Rhyme scheme: a,a,b,b,c,c
*Required internal rhyme scheme interplay between line #1 and line #2 (see below explanation and examples).

Meter: 10, 10, 8, 8, 10, 10

Repeats: This form requires a 2-syllable repeat in Lines #3 and #6 as specified below.

As in a musical notation, The Staccato poetry form uses short repeats which are abruptly disconnected
elements. The repeat words are read as rapid-fire speech, such as staccato music when played or sung.
This form lends itself to strong emotion or instruction (i.e. military poems: “Charge on! Charge on!” etc.),
a declaration (such as of an event: “We’re married! We’re married!” etc.), an instruction or emphasis of
human emotion (such as love, hate, longing: “Be mine! Be mine!” etc.), strong observation (such as
“Those eyes! Those eyes!” etc.) or any similar situation where a strong staccato repeat is desired.

The emphatic two-syllable repeat in this poetry form is written twice, consecutively, at the beginning of
Line #3 (each repeat in Line #3 is followed by an exclamation mark), and once again at the beginning of
Line #6 (with or without an exclamation mark in Line #6). Please see below poem examples.

Also, Line #2 requires an internal rhyme scheme that rhymes with a word within Line #1, usually falling on
the 6th syllable (see examples below), but can fall earlier in those two lines as long as the internal rhyme
matches the syllabic stress in both lines. Read additional examples at the Shadow Poetry link below.

Shadow Poetry

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