Vijaya Sundaram

Poet, Musician, Teacher, and Amateur Visual Artist

Haunted by Solitude

In response to The Daily Post’s Daily Prompt:  Solitude

Haunted by Solitude
©April 28th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram

And where I go, she goes
And everything she knows.

And when I sing, she sings
The song of beginnings

And when I play, she plays
She never goes away

And when I smile, she smiles
(Please leave me for a while!)

And when I cry, she cries
She’ll be silent when I die.

She’s always by my side
She stamps out all my pride

My muscles knot and twist
And dreams I can’t resist.

And she, my shadow-self
Stares from her shadow-shelf

Wills me to stay awake
Bids me my thirst to slake

Somewhere within, she lurks
And I, her puppet, jerk.

So, why am I alone
Holding sadness like a stone?

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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!