“Poetry, though we associate it with “I,” is rather fond of “we,” and not only the intimate “we” of private I/Thou relations. But the best poets are also aware that it’s a shifty and treacherous pronoun.” Bonnie Costello ~ The Plural of Us
“If ever two were one, then We” writes Anne Bradstreet in a poem to her husband and having just celebrated my daughter’s wedding, I’m conscious yet again of how in bonding with ‘other’, the first person plural comes to the fore. ‘Me’ becomes ‘We’ and arguably, the success of any union lies in the compromise between the wants/requirements of ‘I’ and ‘We’.
And given that today we celebrate ‘National Friendship Day’, it is fitting to consider the bonds bound up in the first person plural, beginning with this extract of Ella Wheeler Wilcox’s “Friendship after Love”
“… So after Love has led us, till he tires
Of his own throes, and torments, and desires,
Comes large-eyed friendship: with a restful gaze,
He beckons us to follow, and across
Cool verdant vales we wander free from care.
Is it a touch of frost lies in the air?
Why are we haunted with a sense of loss?
We do not wish the pain back, or the heat;
And yet, and yet, these days are incomplete.”
We grow friendship bonds with very different significant others – lovers, relatives, our favourite pet and this feeling of the coupled ‘us’ can remain through the alterations that time brings and even after separation. Just listen to the I/Thou in this extract of David Ignatow’s “We”
So for today’s prompt we are writing a poem about:-
- We as a pair, a couple (not a group)
- It can be any real or imaginary friendship
- It might be a significant other, a relative or a pet
- But the poem’s stanzas MUST BE WRITTEN AS COUPLETS
- A MINIMUM OF THREE stanzas (preferably more)
- There are several types of couplets to choose from (see here for definitions)
And here are many examples of Couplet poems if you want some inspiration as to how to write your poem
And once you have posted your poem according to the above guidelines, do add it to Mr Linky below then go visiting others as that is half the fun of our dVerse gatherings.
kim881 said:
Good evening barflies and thank you Laura for a prompt that was easier to write than I first thought. I’m excited about the poems that will be written for this prompt.
Laura Bloomsbury said:
glad you found it so Kim – I opted to make the couplets rhyme even though I find such hard to manage –
Laura Bloomsbury said:
Hello Poets – the bar is open for couples and friends tonight – choose your tipple and I will be along to read
Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
I loved to couple with couplets… and 7 couplets make a sonnet me think.
Laura Bloomsbury said:
methinks you maybe right – couplets are not just two-lined stanzas
Grace said:
I love writing in couplets Laura. Thank you for the prompt.
Laura Bloomsbury said:
good to hear Grace – I look forward to reading yours
Jane Dougherty said:
My first link doesn’t work. WP glitches…
Helen said:
Well this was fun! How about a glass of champagne this evening, feeling frisky.
Laura Bloomsbury said:
your poem has some of those frisky bubbles too
Frewin55 said:
Being as its the next day, you might think I am here for a hair of the dog, but no just late to the table, again…
Laura Bloomsbury said:
fashionably late come the best of us!
Laura Bloomsbury said:
please would you add your post again as the link seems to be going to your WP dashboard?
Frewin55 said:
Done!
Rob Kistner said:
Thank you for hosting Laura. I whipped up a bit of strange magic. 🙂✌🏼🫶🏼
Laura Bloomsbury said:
the prompt a real catalyst then
pvcann said:
I love the prompt Laura.
Laura Bloomsbury said:
it shows in your love poem ❤
pvcann said:
Many thanks 🙂
poetisatinta said:
Very interesting challenge Laura ❤️
Laura Bloomsbury said:
and thank you for joining in