I think Tanita was kidding when she suggested "dizzying" as a requirement for our March dizain challenge. But maybe not. Writing in a form with several rules can be head-spinning. That said, I quite like this form, having written two in the past few years (Squaring up the Dizain and If Digitopolis Had a Chapel.) The line count (ten) equals the syllable count (ten per line) which makes it compact and sturdy. As does the core of double couples in the middle of a solid rhyme scheme (ababbccdcd.)
So I thought it safe, in such a well-built poem, to play with the dizzying wanderings of life. And even though the completely square form of a dizain is counter to the lovely curves of a labyrinth, I find exploring them both to bring a sense of peace. Exploration within boundaries, life both circular and purposeful.
Labyrinth
If everything adds up, days fairly squared,
if I mark my hours, no circling around,
even then, I am undone, unprepared
for the arcs of my years, how I am bound,
bent, broken to the curve of old ground;
battle lines not straight but a swelling spin;
what I leave behind circles, floods back in;
seeking center, even math undulates:
all was once, all will be, all will have been;
what is life but the path our dance creates?
----Sara Lewis Holmes (all rights reserved)
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Poetry Friday is hosted today by Soul Blossom Living.
