Write Your Life!: In Praise of the Rictameter

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

In Praise of the Rictameter

In Praise of the Rictameter

This form,
Rictameter.
Is it crazy to write

Such poems, to count out two, four, six,

Eight, ten syllables, back again, no rhyme?

But try it! Experiment, say

Many things, few words; great

Thoughts or small fit

This form.

1 comment:

Lisa Nanette Allender said...: I'm a Haiku nut! Love it. Currently working on a few Pantoums. Want to write a good Villanelle, too! Keep up the great work. I commented at your most recent post(above this one), and am scrolling through, to learn more about your writing background.....Thanks!; August 5, 2008 at 2:35 AM

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About Me

I live on the thirty-fifth floor of a senior highrise on Chicago's Gold Coast. I retired in 1999 after 40 years in the English Department of Wilbur Wright College, on Chicago's Northwest Side, where I was department chair for 7 years and Wright's Distinguished Service Professor for 1995-96.

In late 2005, I found myself retired, widowed, 73, and depressed, so I set out to find contentment through reflection and writing. My first published book, Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor (2006), is a series of personal essays recounting that quest and some of the experiences that came before it. My second is Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide for Seniors Who Want to Write (2007). My third is poetry, Elder Expectations: My Life in Rictameters (2008). My writing also includes a column for eGenerations.com.

I advocate writing for everyone, and hope to encourage my fellow senior citizens to write. I am a member of the Illinois Woman's Press Association, The Story Circle Network, The Authors Marketing Group, and the Chicago Writers Associaion and a volunteer at the Chicago Cultural Center. Please comment on my posts!

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