dance away. the imp smiles. weaving words.

Okay, a brief note on the 261 format...people who've read my book "from an unexpetced quarter" ask me about it, and I just smile and make low growling noises...not too social, I know, but I get away with it because I am a poet.

Slight digression: Why does everyone always expect greater eccentricity from a creative soul?

Any the way...here's the magic formula for a 261 form (I sometimes call them the "Alishan" form, as they were developed as tribute to Alisha, my muse.

Three stanzas. Don't count meter...count syllables.

Each stanza has fives lines with this many syllables per line: 15/18/21/18/15. (this makes 261 syllables, total, hence the name)

Each stanza's first line begins with a three-syllable phrase word that sets the tone for the stanza. I present an example below.

261: Dance away. The Imp Smiles. Weaving words.

Dance away. Spin the web and set traps for the soul, romantic
and riddled with passion, ripe to fall ito hands eagerly awaiting fate,
forced like sweet cider, pressed so hard from a fruit forbidden by a zealous, jealous God.
Delighting in the dark, surrender once hidden now held to consecrate,
consummate, liberate a sense of self esteem didatic.

The imp smiles. Knowing well the web spread will hold in cold carnage
the soul that would predate upon soft, innocent, essential will-o-wisp
that faux flirts with essence both heady and naive, ready to receive a nectar odd
and strange to senses spared the bitter ravishment of desire, charcoaled crisp
in ancient furnaces awakened by lover's new couer rage.

Weaving words. Can my web make you fall into arms that have dared
to embrace the windswept worlds of pale goddesses far less the worthy to
take comfort in the dance of the Amomancer? I would uncover, arouse and prod
your noble heart to wake and to take of me my focused heat and to undo
the lessons of lessers, healing in our sealing fears, unscared.


William F. DeVault. all rights reserved.

Note also the title is a recitation of the three stanza theme phrases/words.

Why don't I use it more? 1: Alisha is not in my life at this time. 2: The lines get so long they are cumbersome for publication. The one published set of them in the aforementioned book got butchered by editing and line wraps. I don't forgive easily.

That's it for today, campers. Later!