untonuggan | Poetree Challenge #11: Wheel of the Year

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poetree Challenge #11 was to write a sacred poem. I know I'm a bit stuck on etherees at the moment, but here's another one. (I just like the form, okay?)

wheel of the year

birth
the first
ewe of spring
a fertile rite
of Brigid's warm hearth
the wheel has turned again
rejoice in Imbolc's promise
not long til the crocus bursts forth
not long til we dance round the maypole
not long til Midsummer, and nights grow long

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From:

lynnoconnacht

Oooooh, that's lovely. I think the etheree is a great form for this poem. <3 Since it's all about spring and (re)birth the fact that the lines keep on growing is a great way to capture that aspect of the season as well. ^-^

It does make me wish that the other seasons also had a stanza to themselves, though, so the poem would be as circular as the title suggests. But even without that it's a beautiful piece. Soft and quiet and filled with hope and anticipation of the new season. ^-^

From:

untonuggan

Thank you! That's an excellent idea to add more stanzas, perhaps I will do that at some point. You can also structure an etheree to start at 10 syllables and go down to one, so maybe another stanza would start long and go short. If you know what I mean. I might split it into the dark and light half of the year instead of one per holiday or something. *plots*

Thanks for the feedback!

From:

lynnoconnacht

I do know what you mean! That's exactly the same idea I had when I thought of how nice it'd be to have a second stanza/companion poem. ^-^

From:

ashestosnow

I had never heard of this form before; I might have to play with it.

I do like the way that the poem ends with "nights grow long". The overall structure of the poem makes me imagine lengthening shadows, the possibilities of the turning seasons stretched out before us. It's a very comforting thing to rest one's eyes and mind upon.

I do think that a dark and light pair, expanding and contracting as you said, would be quite perfect. It would definitely give the poem a nice circular structure, as well as mimicking the lengthening and shortening of the days and nights.