Sestina Art

Ooo! This one is like ... nested eggs, or a seashell almost.

Yes, the structure of these poems is deliberate. I didn't invent these forms. I have made some, and I love interlocking forms; I could hunt for those. Did I give you a pantoum? I don't think I gave you a rondeau, and those are cool; there's a half-line that repeats.

When I make a poem, it lives and moves in the space between my mind's eye and my mind's ear, the way a computer can show the shadow of a tesseract on a screen. It exists in more dimensions than are easily shown, but what you're doing with this art form is illuminating certain of the connections exquisitely. On one level, I'm perceiving the links between repeated words. But I'm also mindful of repeated sounds -- rhyme, alliteration, assonance -- and the rhythm of stresses in syllables. So if you wanted to play around some more, you could connect rhymes, or repetitions of initial letters; or even several things each mapped in a different color.

Every new way of perceiving poetry gives me ideas for new poems. Now I'm trying to find ways to make specific shapes with this line-program. Last time it was watching a video of judifilksign filksigning, and wondering how to write poetic lyrics that would render beautifully in sign language.

Thank you so much for sharing this. I'll happily take it as far as you want to go.

*ponder* I wonder if we could sell these things ... print the poem, and the art alongside or underneath it, depending on the shape.

Oooooo ... now I'm thinking about pulling out my protractor. That would be so pretty! If you try some physical media, I'd love to see scans.

For looking at rhyme or consonance, you're talking to the right poet. *wink* Most people these days are into free verse. There are some good historical examples, though.