Elaine Patricia Morris who writes at Watermelonseeds introduced me a couple of days ago to a form called ‘Naani’. This is a four line poem containing 20-25 syllables invented by an Indian poet, Dr. N. Gopi, who writes in the Telugu language. I did some hunting and found parts of an English translation of the book he wrote called Naneelu (The Little Ones).
So with a hat tip to Elaine and Celestine Nudanu, here’s my first shot at this new form!
Share your micropoem (of any size, shape or form) through the comments section or Mister Linky!
(1)
Nothing is random,
not even thoughts.
Last night I imagined we were talking,
now this.
(2)
Aren’t we little gods
with our little universes,
our secrets imploding
like stars within us.
(3)
The smell of new rain
on old parched earth,
stirring all that we
forgot to remember.
(4)
Everything we don’t know
fills the sky above,
I feel your fingers
tighten around mine.
(5)
It’s a race to the finish
between climate and war,
who will tell the girl
poised on the hopscotch square?
Beautifully done, my dear. Trying the Naani out today. 🙂
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Thank you …waiting to read your poem 🙂
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This is my first time to join you with Naani. Thanks for the challenge. https://onetahayes.com/2017/11/06/seek-me-rsvp/
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Thanks for sharing. Much appreciated.
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Naani there is a poetic form
I have dwelt on for quite a while
Not one to shirk a challenge
This is my first effort.
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Glad you liked the form!! Thanks for sharing your first effort!! 🙂
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Well, I went buggers and linked you to yourself. Lol! Then I did it right…I’m having a day : )
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Here is mine for today: https://charmedchaos.com/2017/11/04/storm/
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Thank you for sharing 🙂
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Such a lovely form and your post is so moving and yet, flows so beautifully, I enjoyed reading a few times. I find this form really fun…reminds me a bit of a tanka (relationships) with less rules. I must try this in French too. Love the naani!
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Yes the only rule appears to be that there is separation of sorts between the first two lines and the next two. The second half providing the twist ! Thanks for sharing Cheryl Lynn!
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Congratulations, again. Each day I come here and read what you have written, all these forms, and patterns. How gracefully you move through them. And I feel like a bit of a cheat for doing my own thing. But, it’s gotten me writing again, and thanks to the internet, I can always come back later and try all of them. There is a fragility in each of your pieces today, that reaches out and touches me. Thank you,
Elizabeth
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Thank you… I for one am always glad to read your poems!
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Thank you. Every child, no matter her age, needs to know that she has been heard.
Elizabeth
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Beautiful Raja night! I love this form . Will definitely try next time. Mine today is an ElfJe Poem. Have a good weekend!
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Rajani – sorry typo!😂
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🙂
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Thanks so much for sharing Vivian.
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My pleasure 😊
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That’s such a neat Elfje Vivian… I’ve tried it once before, quite a challenge, you’ve executed it so well.
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Here’s what I looked up in response to part (3), the last 7 lines of Seamus Heaney’s “Digging” (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47555/digging):
The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I’ve no spade to follow men like them.
Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests.
I’ll dig with it.
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My little poem took you all the way back to the big potato famine?!!! It’s incredible how that works!! Reminds me of a poem called The Hungry Grass by Donagh MacDonagh that was put up in the Strokestown Potato Famine museum…
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Just some parallels on the task of the poet and her relation to earth and memory.
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Each one a gem Rajani.
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Thank you… it’s a form with possibilities I think for some fine thoughts to come through.
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Wow! That last one makes me cry. This is a beautiful form, Rajani.
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Thank you.. I think one can do a lot with the form.. There’s room enough for a postulation and a twist!!
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