Vijaya Sundaram

Poet, Musician, Teacher, and Amateur Visual Artist

Down-River

Down-River
©April 26th, 2016

By Vijaya Sundaram

Float down-river, see me shiver.
I see you from afar, O Friend.

Come, draw me clear away from here
Why should I heed you when you plead?

Oh, take me where no one will stare
But if I do, you’ll see me true.

Oh come, dear friend, from out your dream,
And why should I, O voice who calls?

Come float me down this silver stream.
But it will end in a waterfall!

I cannot wait, the hour’s late
I’ll hold a place for you, O friend.

I’ll jump in now, come through somehow.
Then, you will see me at the end.

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NaPoWriMo banner copy

My second response to today’s NaPoWriMo prompt (Day 26 )

And last, but not least, our prompt (optional, as always). Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that incorporates a call and response. Calls-and-responses are used in many sermons and hymns (and also in sea chanties!), in which the preacher or singer asks a question or makes an exclamation, and the audience responds with a specific, pre-determined response. (Think: Can I get an amen?, to which the response is AMEN!.). You might think of the response as a sort of refrain or chorus that comes up repeatedly, while the call can vary slightly each time it is used …

… The call can be longer than the response, or vice versa. But think of your poem as an interactive exchange between one main speaker and an audience. Happy writing!

 

Hear Not the Call; Do Not Respond

Hear Not the Call; Do Not Respond
©April 26th, 2016

By Vijaya Sundaram

Come, fly the skies with roaring cries!
We shan’t, we won’t, O Thunderbolt!

Oh come, release the tops of trees!
But you’ll not win, O Typhoon winds!

Let’s burn the shade from all these glades!
Oh, that’s not done, O blazing sun.

Let’s churn the seas into boiling tea
We shall refrain, O Hurricane!

Let’s split the heaven with flashes seven
We’ll all revolt, O Lightning bolt!

We’ll come in peace, make tumult cease
We’ll take a stand, and save this land.

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NaPoWriMo banner copy

My first response to today’s NaPoWriMo prompt (Day 26 )

And last, but not least, our prompt (optional, as always). Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem that incorporates a call and response. Calls-and-responses are used in many sermons and hymns (and also in sea chanties!), in which the preacher or singer asks a question or makes an exclamation, and the audience responds with a specific, pre-determined response. (Think: Can I get an amen?, to which the response is AMEN!.). You might think of the response as a sort of refrain or chorus that comes up repeatedly, while the call can vary slightly each time it is used …

… The call can be longer than the response, or vice versa. But think of your poem as an interactive exchange between one main speaker and an audience. Happy writing!