Poet, Audrey Austin

Poet, Audrey Austin
This site is to honour my mother, poet, Eva Ruby Austin.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Three Baja Poems by John Brooke ........

Hola Audrey,

Three of my Baja Poems that may be worthy for inclusion in your publication.


AFTER THE HURRICANE — A GHAZAL
by John Brooke
Yield to the hurricane, you must, Arroyo,
lie wanton with wet desert lust, Arroyo.
 
Parade your charismatic writhing snake dance,
uncoil earth passions, come combust, Arroyo.
 
Mountains of rain thunder into your being,
rocking and rolling with each thrust, Arroyo.
 
Brutally filling your scorched sandy bed,
dirty rocks rollick in disgust, Arroyo.
 
Weeping waters cascade rushing out to sea,
flooded with tears, a breach of trust, Arroyo.
 
Juiced with rain you're rapidly over the falls,
by us humans you are cussed, Arroyo.
 
Until next season I babble dry and parched,
Brooke now a dribble, once robust, Arroyo.
 
 
The Ghazal Form
SHER: An odd number of independent couplets (shers), five or more, each of which is complete by itself and autonomous. This is the most consistently (often the only) rule followed in modern English-language ghazals.
BEHER: Metric consistency, or counted syllabics. There are 19 beher in Urdu, but they can be classified as long, medium and short. The lines of each sher should be of equal beher or length.
RADIF: The second end word of each sher should repeat according to the scheme: aa, ba, ca, da, ea, etc.
KHAAFIYAA: Internal rhyme in each line of the first couplet, and in the last line of each couplet In Urdu, this is the most rigid rule, yet is usually ignored in English.
MAHKTA: An optional mahkta or signature final couplet, where the poet's name is used in the second or third person. This is often used rhetorically, as if the poet was talking to him/herself. Many traditional ghazaL poets (shayar) used pen names
Syllables per line: 11
Rhyme scheme: aa, ba, ca, da, ea, fa, ga

La Paz Carnaval
Pantoum by John Brooke, first published Everyday Poets 2010

 Unembarrassed affections fill curb-to-curb en La Paz del Malecón
Shuffling jostling swaying hip hipping in opposite musical flows
Tight bumping padres-madres-niños-gringos cheerfully dance on
Many have traveled from distant arroyo mountain rocky ranchos

Shuffling jostling swaying hip hipping in opposite musical flows
Flotillas awash in glittering jovens moving as one sexy dancer
Many have traveled from distant arroyo mountain rocky ranchos
To flow in this cacophonous flashing corridor on tropic-of-cancer

Floats each awash in glittering jovens moving as one sexy dancer
Ten individual sets volley out musical souls in hi-tech reverberations
To flow in this cacophonous flashy corridor on the tropic-of-cancer
Brass-oompah-pahs-strings-winds-accordions musical celebrations

Ten individual sets hurling out musical souls in hi-tech reverberations
Hundred meters between groups of eager, musicians in black tuxedos
Horns-strings-windy-oompah-pahs-rapping-out musical celebrations
Pumping volumes of brightly colorful Mex-rap-mariachi-romaticos

Hundred meters between groups of eager musicians in black tuxedos
Necklaces of concessions rugs-T-shirts-dolls-ring-tossing ¡oles!
Pumping volumes of brightly colorful Mex-rap-mariachi-romaticos
Mexican foods from pozoles-moles-tacos-sopes-ubiquitous frijoles

Necklaces of concessions corn-candy-cervesa-fresca-hotdog ¡oles!
Tightly bumping padres-madres-niños-gringos en la calla dance on
Mexican foods from pozoles-moles-tacos-sopes-ubiquitous frijoles
Unembarrassed Carnaval affections overflow La Paz del Malecón  


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PANTOUM
The “pantun” is a Malaysian poetic form that was introduced to the West by the French novelist, essayist, and poet, Victor Hugo (1802-1885), hence the French spelling, “pantoum.”
Written in quatrains (four-line stanzas) the pantoum repeats the second and forth lines of each stanza as the first and third lines of the following stanza, respectively. This pattern is continued for as many stanzas as wanted. At the end repeat the first and third lines of the first stanza as the fourth and second lines of the last stanza. The pantoum begins and ends with the same line. The pantoum does not require rhyming end words.


What is the meaning of life?
By John Brooke
 
The trees, plants and all the animals know.
Every creature of the seas, lakes, rivers and creeks knows.
Shit, even stinking cockroaches, insects, and basic bacteria know.
 
And while we're busy killing every living thing, we ask ourselves,
What is the meaning of life?
 
First published Poems Niederngasse, Switzerland 2005
 
12/11/04 © Brooke 19 Lines

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