Thursday, June 13, 2013

And Now, Before Kneeling

Rondelet. A cute, wistful little poetic form, introduced by Tony Maude for dVerse FormForAll. The repetition made me think of the monotony of life, which made me think of growing older, which led me to write this cute, wistful, somewhat religious, strangely humorous piece about getting old. The knees go first! Took some slight liberties with the form--didn't worry much about syllable count, and used slant rhymes. And left out a word in the last refrain. Tony said I could! 

And Now, Before Kneeling

And now, before kneeling
I think about the strain.
And now, before kneeling
I get that old-time feeling;
I’m not as young as I have been.
What will it take to rise again,
Now before kneeling?

31 comments:

  1. Wonderful.. you better think before kneeling.. consequences can cost you dearly, It was a fun poetry.

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    1. I can still get up, but I have to actually set my mind to it nowadays!

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  2. There's enough of the rondelet left here to recognise the form. I love the sentiment in the poem.

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    1. Thanks Tony, it's good to know I did't butcher it too much!

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  3. smiles...depends on how bad your knees are...on weathery days it might take me a second....the old time feeling reminds me of the church i went to as a child....smiles...cool use of the form man...

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    1. Thanks Brian--I'm glad you caught the old-time church reference. There is a deeper reading of this poem beyond just the physical decline, but I didn't want to make too much of it. You know, how faith sometimes declines, it takes more to kneel, more to rise, that kind of thing.

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  4. Gotta think ahead every time :-)
    and crawl to the nearest upright.

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    1. Thanks Aprille--I see my young kids drop down on their knees, bounce back up, like it's nothing, and I think--One day, you'll regret it!

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  5. Oh I know how you're feeling. Great use of the form.

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    1. Thanks Marya--as I get older I have to think a little more about what I'm doing. Sports and work have leveled a toll on me!

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  6. I prefer to squat than kneel, but not sure it makes anything any easier!

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    1. Thanks Rowan--no, probably not. Squatting or kneeling, we still have to get up!

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  7. I can feel the strain on my knees ~ I think you were very creative with your form and refrain ~ Love it ~

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    1. Thanks Grace--I still have some good years left in me!

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  8. Ha, I hear you on this, Nico. Rising isn't as easy as it used to be.

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    1. Thanks Mary, it's good to know I'm not alone down here.

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  9. yes, to the point. I love how you've incorporated the day into your form or the form into your day.... the question becomes more pertinent by the hour. : ) an enjoyable read.

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  10. Creak Groaaan LOL!Don't believe a word of it:)

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    1. Thanks R.--no matter what I believe, the knees have a way of convincing me otherwise!

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  11. oh yes! these feelings creep in! well put

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    1. Thanks Akila, I'm delighted that you liked it.

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  12. 'cute, wistful, somewhat religious, strangely humorous ' - so it is! I love it.

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    1. Thanks Rosemary--I tried to let the form determine my direction here, so I'm glad you thought it worked out ok!

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  13. Ah, yes, I am getting there. And the harder it gets the more I notice how often I was called to do it! Thank you for visiting my Rondolet too.

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  14. heh, what a great approach on the 'age'-subject. it's so cute!

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  15. ah that made me think of my mom..she has big problems with her knees...and surely thinks twice about both, the kneeling and what it takes to rise again..

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  16. ...before kneeling has such a sad undertone of surrendering before our Lord's behest... aging is one stage in life i wish i can escape through... but we are aging everyday so def the wish is non sense... ha... smiles... your almost rondelet is really entertaining & full of insights... loved it! smiles...

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  17. Very humorous because it's so very true.

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  18. I enjoyed your little intro—the trail that led to writing this piece. it definitely was a cute little number; made me smile.

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  19. very nice rondelet, and sentiments are universal to us who are over the age of 20...

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