Please note: for optimal viewing, this poem is best read on a laptop, desktop, or tablet screen. Feel free to read here why I sometimes prioritize a poem’s form over its mobile screen compatibility.
Hi everyone! I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve had two (!) poems published this week, in two different publications :).
The first poem, “Sharing Charlotte,” is about the aging process. “Sharing Charlotte” was first published in the Tipton Poetry Journal, and you can view the entire Summer 2021 issue here.
The second poem, “The Kingdom of God, at Hand” is a contrapuntal poem about hitting our limits, as well as finding God in those in-between spaces.” Contrapuntal poems are meant to be read at least two different ways on the page. For example, “The Kingdom of God, at Hand” is meant to be read vertically as well as horizontally. Famous examples of contrapuntal poems include “Aubade Ending with the Death of a Mosquito” by Tarfia Faizullah, and many of the poems in the poetry collection Olio by Tyehimba Jess.
The Kingdom of God, at Hand” was first published in Earth & Altar, and you can view it here.
Photo credit: Infomastern on Visualhunt
This page includes affiliate links that support independent bookstores as well as my own calling to curate enriching literature, at no additional cost to you.
Melanie, I particularly liked the second poem about the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed. You used such powerful images and the formatting was genius. Well done.
Thank you, Jody. And thank you for the encouragement about the formatting. Apparently there’s a particular name for the form of reading a poem horizontally as well as vertically, but I forgot what the name is! Is there a particular formatting/form you like to write in?