Anthropocene Cadralor #poetry #dVerse

Izola at sunset with clouds
  1. The wind sweeps over the Gulf of Trieste
    they say it will be storm force by morning
    clouds scud with anticipation
    rains fail to fall.
  2. When I was in school, during heavy rains
    we spent ‘wet playtime’ reading comic books
    cross-legged on the parquet floor
    of the school hall.
  3. Will we be home for Christmas?
    I wonder, then I laugh at myself remembering
    being home for Christmas
    assumes a notion of where home is.
  4. Dinnertime is like a tolling bell
    it’s more a duty than a joy to me
    places to set, plates to clear but still
    I want you to eat well.
  5. Anthropocene signalling:
    the fires, the floods, the gales
    internal screaming, external calm
    I want you to live.

    © 2021 experimentsinfiction.com. All Rights Reserved.

A Cadralor for dVerse

Tonight, Björn hosts Meeting the Bar, and has asked us to write a Cadralor: a new poetry form invented in 2020 by the editors of Gleam Magazine, and introduced to dVerse by Jane Dougherty.

The bar opens at 3pm EST. Join us to try your hand at writing one!

Also linking to earthweal’s Open Link Weekend #87.

106 thoughts on “Anthropocene Cadralor #poetry #dVerse”

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  1. Oh what a powerful ending. We want the children to live as well… and Anthropocene will include humans as well (probably already does)… you really let this sneak in through the way you described the rainless storm and the domestic life of putting food on the table.

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    1. Thank you Laura: I don’t think imagery is my strong point as I tend to describe what’s going on internally , but I suppose that is imagery in its own way!

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  3. I felt like this was really you talking to me, if that makes sense. Like your side of a conversation telling me about your memories, the mundane task, and the hopes and fears for your children.

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  4. I agree, this is incredibly potent, Ingrid! I resonate with; “Anthropocene signalling: the fires, the floods, the gales
    internal screaming, external calm I want you to live.” The world as we know it is in a dire state and begs for much needed care and attention. 💝💝

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      4. Well traditionally it was fishing, and there are still a lot of fishermen but I think mostly from tourism nowadays. There’s also a huge commercial port just up the road. Lots of people work there!

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  8. I think you rocked the form.
    I myself however, am absolutely gob smacked by these words:
    “being home for Christmas
    assumes a notion of where home is.”
    There is SO much truth in these words. For some, Christmas is a painful season.

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  13. what a wonderful poem Dear Ingrid and I love your always weaving your biggest passion and purpose of the Anthropocene into it.. fiery and fierce … now i could only say the word.. hahah💖

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  14. Love this, Ingrid! <3 Beautiful photo of your hometown. Like all of your writing, one thing I appreciate so much is the forthrightness and authenticity. Nothing seems sugar-coated or guarded. I feel I am hearing your true voice when you talk about not particularly enjoying preparing supper, and though I usually enjoy cooking, I feel the same way sometimes.

    The last verse especially touched me. I will probably not live to see very much of the results of the destruction of our environment by deforestation, fossil fuels, pollution and all the rest, but I feel very sad for those who will inherit this mess!

    I heard on the news yesterday that the extensive dead zones in the oceans today are from fossil fuels burned in the 1970s. Emissions have since doubled, and the effects will be felt for the next fifty years. Scientists are finding ways to help mitigate these effects, but we cannot afford to wait to transition to green energy!

    Have a great day! :)

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, Cheryl.

      I don’t like cooking when I have to do it, if that makes sense. But I love baking!

      Frightening news about the oceans. I keep hearing headlines about an impending energy crisis, but no one seems to be discussing the need to limit our energy use.

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  18. I think the five unrelated stanzas represent life, meaning much of our day, life, or thoughts may seem unrelated, but somehow one experience or idea merges with another. Your poem is a beautiful example of this. To end this meandering with what we yearn for is a powerful way to end. A creative write with an interesting form. 👏🏼

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    1. I think it’s a really interesting form to play around with. I really wasn’t sure what would come out when I started, but these were the images which came to me ❤️

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  22. I noted that you thought perhaps you haven’t quite pulled enough of a “film like” descriptive quality to this form/piece, and in some ways, this might be “true” – if you approach it quite literally, BUT I think, and FEEL, that your word choices, the line breaks, the way you’ve pieced this together IS very effective – because sometimes, the spaces between the lines create and complete, and there is a haunting energy here – it really sings, or moans, like the winds or rain. I really like this – I think you’ve taken images, ideas and thoughts, and stripped them back, offering us just the barest of what we need, and yet you touch on the existential angst, the push-pull, of the mundane, the necessary – and the bigger issues too …. I think you’ve succeeded well enough Ingrid! This is definitely an interesting poem, rich and evocative. :)

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      1. I think the best aspect is the deeper introduction to the form, and then, as you’ve noted, letting it inspire and lead …. and ultimately, whether we label something as “true to form” or not, the end results, the creative process and what we have IS what counts. :)

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  23. A beautifully composed poem, a difficult form. Your mention of ‘wet playtime’ reminded me of Girl Scout camp on rainy afternoons we spent in the hayloft of a barn telling stories and singing. Cheers, Ingrid.

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  24. Ingrid,
    Astonishing to me how you drive home the impending threat to life and love, duty and desire (e.g., home), as gale winds close in! Powerfully rendered by your images, so show mastery of this new form. Well done.
    pax,
    dora

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  31. The thing I notice after reading this form all morning and the various ways people have used it, is that by compacting your visual element–not neglecting it–you make the reader focus on the concepts and conditions you are wanting them to see rather than on a string of adjectives. It’s very effective, as is the sparse, directed nature of the line work. I really appreciate the skill with which you present your ideas, and the emotion and authenticity behind them as well.

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  32. Wow, lots of comments. This is an intriguing form. I really enjoyed it and relate to the inner scream, the outer calm…….and the wanting the loved one to eat well and live. Awesome.

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  34. It is an interesting form – a piling of elements, building into a storm. It wrings an emotional tenor that fits your theme well. The hugeness and the dailiness both.

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  35. This is lovely, Ingrid. I identify with the second stanza :-D I remember those play times to from school! I particularly liked the third stanza for it almost sardonic irony but also truth :-)

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