A Cherita Poem

Auditioning Cats for Edgar Allen Poe Movie 1961

standing in a long line

.

black cats everywhere

their meows are dissonant

.

feline scratches on every back

fur flying all around

their hollers mixed with sneezes

~~

© Carol Campbell

https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com

https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2016/01/30/bps-shadorma-beyond-january-30-2016/

Today Georgia teaches us about the Cherita form of poetry. I’ll let her explain.

“Today I thought we’d look at a “Cherita”.  Cherita (pronounced CHAIR-rita) is a linked poetry form of one-, two-, and three-line stanzas.  Cherita is Malay for story in fact:

A cherita consists of a one-line stanza, followed by a two-line stanza, and then finishing with a three-line stanza. It can either be written solo or by up to three partners.

The Cherita tells a story. It was created by ai li (A UK poet and artist) on June 22, 1997 in memory of her grandparents who were raconteur extraordinaire. It was also inspired by Larry Kimmel’s sensitive recognition of a shorter form contained within the opening three-verse stanza of ai li’s LUNENGA, which was created May 27, 1997.

The Cherita arose out of the English-language haiku and tanka tradition, but is more anecdotal, or nano-narrative, in nature than are the “momentary” haiku and the more lyrical tanka, though it is easily adaptable to lyrical expression. It is imagistic and depends on conciseness and suggestion for its effect.

Pasted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherita

And here’s a sample:

after seeing you off

taking the path along
the canal

a rustle of
leaves
underfoot

© Larry Kimmel

and

his bedtime story

the never-ending tales
of enchantment

now you see them
now you don’t
night fairies

© ai li

So, restated:

A 6 line poem in three separate stanzas, a single line, a couplet, then a tercet.
Each stanza is a complete strophe
The line lengths are at the poets’ discretion
The poem should be presented, centered and untitled.
It should be imagistic and concise.”

❤ ❤ ❤