I decided this month to get back to my "poems written about places I grew up" theme. I'm also experimenting with the form again. This is an irregular ode. It's an ode because it's a praise poem and irregular because it has only one stanza, instead of three. It's roughly iambic pentameter, and it has an extra "D" rhyme line near the end, (so, 11 lines instead of the usual 10 for an English ode) like Keats' poem "To Autumn." I just didn't feel like coming up with three stanzas now, and said pretty much everything I wanted to in one, but I may play with additional stanzas later.
This poem is set back in the Glenwood location and era, as was my "...Three Foot Snow Storm" poem back in August, when I started this Third Tuesday project.
Kalliope
Means "beautiful voice" from Greek καλλος (kallos) "beauty" and οψ (ops) "voice". In Greek mythology she was a goddess of epic poetry and eloquence, one of the nine Muses.
Join us every Tuesday afternoon at the Daily Kos community political poetry club.
Your own poetry is always welcome in the comments.
Bongos, berets & turtle neck sweaters optional.
The keyboard is mightier than the sword.
Ponderosa Pine
How tall and strong, yet graceful, they seemed
The bark, jigsaw puzzle-like, easy to climb.
Once, so high I went, 'twas like sailing dreamed
Breeze-swayed thrill, past misted by time.
Long needles in threes begged to be braided
Fallen, gathered: house walls, or beds they made.
Pitch stains on clothes so annoyed my mother!
Yet fantasy's happy hours were aided.
Make-believe roles were my stock in trade:
Faery queen, settler, aboriginal maid...
Piny tang; for me, trees unlike any other.
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