IN A MIDWEST MINUTE

Just Joan

Ready for a new and intriguing form?

The EINTOU SEPTET is an African-American poetry form with seven lines adhering to the following syllable count:  2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 6 / 4 / 2.

One recent afternoon, it began to rain.  The air, chilled by a brisk north wind, dropped from just above freezing to just below in less than sixty seconds as the plummeting droplets shimmied in the chaotic current.  The result?

PRESTI-DIGI-PRECIPITATION

With the
deftness of a
magician, the wind waves
a sheet of sparkling sleet over
the rain; when he whisks it
away, ta-daaaa!
Snowflakes!

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12 thoughts on “IN A MIDWEST MINUTE”

  1. joyroses13 March 10, 2019 / 12:31 am

    The picture is magical and I enjoyed the poetry too. Magic in your words. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Just Joan March 10, 2019 / 9:29 am

      Thanks, JR. You get all kinds of poetry (and precipitation) forms here. The combination of wind and rain always intrigues me, how a shower can move almost horizontally, or undulate like it’s doing the hula-hoop. 🙂

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  2. Tippy Gnu March 10, 2019 / 9:53 am

    I like this poem pattern. One thing I’ve learned from you is that when poems don’t rhyme, their art follows different rules, such as a 2/4/6/8/6/4/2 pattern. Each pattern seems to have its own way of mesmerizing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Just Joan March 10, 2019 / 10:37 am

      Thanks, Tippy. All forms are combinations of rhyme, repetition, syllable count, and/or meter/flow. The variations are infinite. Eintou is very smooth and balanced. An odd number of lines, an even number of syllables. The lines advance and recede in a very measured way, like the motion of a wave. Mesmerizing indeed. 🙂

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      Reply
    • Just Joan March 11, 2019 / 11:33 am

      Thanks, Snoozin! I’ll be sure to fall on the ice twice so I can sport nice symmetrical ass bruises. 🙂

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  4. L. T. Garvin, Author March 13, 2019 / 8:46 pm

    Joan, you make winter sound so nice. It’s my least favorite season of the year. I keep whining about it, haha. It has actually left us, but now we have high winds making walking the dog or riding a bike impossible! The Eintou Septet is a lovely form, my gifted friend.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Just Joan March 14, 2019 / 4:58 pm

      Thanks, Lana. It’s all in how you spin it, I guess. Winter can be beautiful and magical, or a real pain. Today is warmer, but the wind keeps trying to rip the storm door off its hinges. Hope your winter is over and Ol’ Hobo Sleet is on the next train out of town. 🙂

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      Reply
      • L. T. Garvin, Author March 15, 2019 / 11:48 pm

        That is quite true, Joan. We are particularly plagued by wind here, so I dislike that too whether it is a brisk, cold wind or a hot, furnace wind. I think the Ol’ Hobo made his train 😀

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Quirky Girl April 5, 2019 / 6:54 pm

    There is magic in snowflakes. There is also magic in painting an image with just the perfect medley of words. Nicely done!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Just Joan April 6, 2019 / 3:31 pm

      Thanks, Quirky. It was a cool storm to watch, the precipitation changing as the temperature dropped into the freezing range. I worked in an office without windows for 16 years, so watching the weather minute-by-minute fascinates me. 🙂

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