Lets make Poetry together !

While I was wondering what to write for this week , I thought to ask from my friends on Facebook to help me with a topic.  Anup , the guy who started a wonderful Poetry Group / Club for all poets of my city [ called PACH : Check the link to know more ] suggested me to write on duel poetry.

This reminded me of the few times I have unknowingly written along a friend and result has been a beautiful poem with alternate ideas and styles.

Little did I know this style of poetry has a name and structure since long time. Collaborative or collective Poetry [ wikipedia page linked ] is an alternative technique of writing poetry by more than one person. What I love about this style is the fact that two people can communicate and emote , linked by a similar thought. The voice can be of taking the story further or that of an opposing idea , but the fact that two people chose to communicate , in a poetic way is something that rejoices my heart to no end.

Its been a long time I was active on twitter , but I still remember replying to random tweets and watching so many others do the same with their own idea. This trigger of one thought and many poets adding to it or opposing it in their own fashion was what and how spontaneous poetry writing can be some times.

Historically , collaborative Poetry's origin lies in Japanese Poetry styles. Renga is the most popular poetry style which has been in practice from over seven hundred years. Also called as "Linked Poetry" , Renga is a syllable based poem form that opens with a 3 line poetry [ 5,7,5 haiku ] and others keep adding to it. Modern collaborative poets though are more flexible when it comes to form of every couplet.


With this mind , I searched the few posts , which I knowingly or unknowingly wrote in collaboration with other poets from blog / twitter. This is my favorite :

Some days
just some
I let go of
I think so
My regrets

In a moment
So many
I could forget
I think so
Those days

I think of
not just you
where I parted
of days gone
spent so alone

It happens
Always to me
Let it unfold
Soon I pray
As it will be.

The lines are blue are by another poet.

More such posts on my blog are here . 

[ If only I had an english duel poetry written by the two most amazing  poets I met in the poetry group PACH , I would have shared that instead of mine ] 

Although not really related , I also remember poems that inspire other poems , often as replies to the original voice. On another group blog , we use to refer these poems as "Reply Poetry" . Here is one such poem that I wrote as a reply to a friend's post on her blog. You will find links of all the poems that others wrote for this very poem. 

For me , any art form that inspires one to create another art form ( whether in words or image or music ) , has earned its worth and compliments. 

So some day , when you are out of ideas to write , pick your favorite poem and try to write a reply to it , in same voice or that of a stranger.

Or better, ask a friend to join in with you and maybe you both ( or more ) people can create a wonderful collaborative poem.

Any one of you willing to try that , can email me : nimuegal@gmail.com

~ Nimue