by Ashley Lister
Our lives are complex as a Rubik’s cube
I give advice to prove I’m not a rube
And say, “Please don’t use chilli sauce as lube.”
It’s true I do not have a lot of class
With words of wisdom, I don’t have a mass
But I don’t stick spicy sauce up my ass.
Let me beat my message loud, with a drum
Let me warn you the results are not fun
Let me say: keep spices out of your rectum.
The poetic form of the Urdu masnavi were originally religious
in content. Additionally, they were written
in couplets. Over the years the form of
the masnavi has been appropriated and modified until we’re left with today’s
form: the muzdawidj.
As you will have noted from the example above, the muzdawidj
uses triplets (a a a / b b b / c c c…)
We’ve known each other for a while,
I’d give so much to make you smile.
So, shall we do it doggy-style?
I think true love should know no bounds
I want to hear those special sounds
You make when we’re like rutting hounds.
They tell me that true love is blind.
I love your body and your mind.
Get on all fours. I’ll go behind
The muzdawidj is a straightforward poetic form that works
best (like most rhyming forms) when each line has a similar metrical
value. As a writing exercise to start
your creative juices flowing before you get down to your daily writing routine,
the muzdawidj is accessible, easy to remember, and surprisingly
challenging. I look forward to reading
your poems in the comments box below.
He goes to her in the darkness found
midwinter; slips between the down-
filled duvet and her body, warm
and bare, abandoned to empty sleep.
He is ice rigid, frozen by the beat
of wind from the winter Kush. Her sweet
breath is butterfly wings.
She stirs, trembles from the sting
of chill he brought to their bed. She leans
against him, her hips shift along
his thigh. Her fragrance rises strong,
her pleasure brings his winter to grief.
Gorgeous imagery, Nettie. But does it follow the rules? (As if poets should…!)
Nettie,
The rhythm of this one is enchanting. You've got so much intense imagery that I almost overlooked the fact that you've stepped away from the rhyme scheme slightly with the final line of each tercet.
As Lisabet says, poets don't have to follow rules, and I think that's one of the things that makes this so striking.
Thank you for sharing.
Ash
Thanks, Lisabet & Ashley. I'm glad you found the piece appealing in its own right. I think a lot about rhyme, but don't seem to have the facility a writer like Rhina Espaillat with perfect rhyme and form.
I found the exercise demanding in the use of the tercet and so my play with near rhyme gave me that little off-key moment I seem to need.