Naani Naani November’s Here!

Entranced

“Are you all right?” he asked, and I
stared down the dim-lit tunnel of the past
entranced by ghosts who flickered into view
and one by one began to drift, themselves 
entranced and drawn into a halo-snare
of amber light. So deep within my reverie was I,
I did not feel the cold as he removed
his warm hand from my arm. I did not feel
him drift away despite the chill, the gooseflesh
cold and damp along my spine. Long-buried 
specters stealthily crept near, replacing him 
with all they had to offer me—
cold cowardice and death.

The prompt for this poem appears at November PAD Chapbook Challenge Archives – Writer’s Digest – Day 1. I’m not even pretending to play catch-up at this point, but credit for inspiration where credit’s due, eh?

Naani Naani Boo Boo

Schoolyard taunts—
defiant defense
against a bully
whose battle cry
stings like sticks and stones.

The form used for the poem, “Naani Naani Boo Boo,” above, is called a “naani.” It is a Telugu form – each line having 3-5 syllables and no more than 20-25 syllables, in total. It is a syllabic form ported from a language unlike English which, in my opinion, makes it less suited to English poetry than many other forms. I feel this way about most syllabic verse, including the ever-popular haiku. But I was introduced to it by Barbara Ehrentreu, and challenged to write one, so here we are. I chose the title to amuse our friend Stephen Bagley, who said we’d never be able to hear the name of the form and not think “Naani Naani Boo Boo.” That led to the subject of the poem.

Poetry in Texas and Other States

Poets:

Are you aware of your state’s poetry society and what it has to offer? That members are also members of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies?

Texas poets: Are you a member of the Poetry Society of Texas? If not, why not? It’s easy to join – just visit https://poetrysocietyoftexas.org/join/. You can email a photocopy of the form and pay dues online.