Note: I chose to write this poem with 17-syllable-long lines.
It’s dedicated to all couples, and all friendships.
Long Lives, Long Lines
©April 27th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram
You stand back to back, each facing the other direction, and winds howl
And your house begins to fall over slowly, oh so very slowly!
Your silence deafens, and your voices aren’t heard as both try to speak
And there is love, yes, and attraction, yes, and mutual resentment, yes.
Yes, there are years of patching and mending, and years of joyous laughter
Yes, so many years of misunderstanding, expectations unheard.
And one whispers to the other, Did you hear me when I said this thing?
And the other strains to hear what the one is saying as the words form.
The winds keep howling, and the house pauses in its slow-motion falling.
And the other cries out, I tried, I tried though I did not understand!
I was so full of dreams, so full of things I needed, wanted, to do.
The one whispers, And I would have gone to the ends of the earth with you!
I would have lifted you up if you fell down when your dreams bade you fly.
And the other cries, I doubted I could fly, that you would carry me!
The wind dies down, and the house still slants, listening to their words, not falling.
You turn to each other, faces drawn, but filled with growing hope, and sing:
Will you come with me on this long journey, will you listen, will you stay?
Will you forgive, will you forget, will you build this house with me again?
And the house listens, and straightens, and the wind becomes a breeze so sweet
And you find in each other’s unspoken thoughts the dream that wants to grow.
And yes, you love, and yes, you hear, and yes, you dream, and yes, you live.
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In response to the Day 27 prompt from NaPoWriMo:
Finally, our prompt (optional, as always!) Today’s prompt comes to us from Megan Pattie, who points us to the work of the Irish poet Ciaran Carson, who increasingly writes using very long lines. Carson has stated that his lines are (partly) based on the seventeen syllables of the haiku, and that he strives to achieve the clarity of the haiku in each line. So today, Megan and I collectively challenge you to write a poem with very long lines. You can aim for seventeen syllables, but that’s just a rough guide. If you’re having trouble buying into the concept of long lines, maybe this essay on Whitman’s infamously leggy verse will convince you of their merits. Happy writing!