Can You Write a 10-Line Poem?

When it comes to creating a poem, whether it's a concise 10-line piece or a longer composition, often the journey begins with a simple act of counting—counting to three, to be precise. This numerical constraint serves as a useful starting point, resembling how quantified tasks like line counts can guide the structure of a poem.

The Process of Creating a Poem

I often begin by writing freely, letting the words spill out one after another, guided by the task at hand. This is a playful yet focused process, where memories of lost friends, missed opportunities, and the fatigue of aging can infiltrate the composition, adding layers of complexity and emotional depth.

Breaking the Prose into Form

Once the initial prose is laid down, it's time to break the piece into a distinct form. This transformation is often abrupt, and I usually turn to metrics like syllable count or word count to streamline the structure. Each line, as it evolves, becomes a pearl, symbolizing both beauty and a vulnerability point, strung together into the necklace of a poem.

Each poem is a dual experience for both the reader and the writer, a gateway to an escape where the mundane world is momentarily left behind. In the process, words fight for their voices, while the imagery of dragons and fires pulsates through the veins of the written word, symbolizing the struggles and triumphs of the human spirit.

Embracing the Poetry

Ultimately, the act of writing a poem involves giving in to the words' voices, without over-analyzing them. It's a delicate dance where the fire of the words is embraced, allowing the poem to breathe and take shape. In this process, the poem earns its title, and the reader is left with a profound and often auto-antonymic reflection, a dual meaning that leaves an indelible mark.

The ending lines of the poem often serve as a reminder of the dual nature of beauty and struggle, encapsulating the essence of the human experience:

Their final lines whisper, 'beauty that chokes while bringing fire,' a statement that leaves a lasting impact on the poem's viewer.

In summary, whether one starts with computational line counts or a free-flowing narrative, the journey of crafting a poem is a vital and enriching process, reflecting the complexity of human expression and the beauty of language in all its forms.

Keywords

poetry, escape, prose