Free Verse: #AtoZChallenge

Free verse has been described as ‘spaced prose’, a mosaic of verse and prose experience. Although free verse requires no meter, rhyme, or other traditional poetic techniques, a poet can still use them to create some sense of structure. So, while free verse might not have the sing-song rhyme and rhythm of other poems you’ve read, it’s still poetry! Due to of a lack of predetermined form; free verse poems have the potential to take truly unique shapes. I, for myself love the rhyme and rhythm of poetry. In fact this is what attracted me towards poetry but free verse has a charm of its own. Because of its hidden discipline, free verse often surprises those who expect a verbal free fall. While syllables and rhyme schemes may seem random, the beat of the poem is not; it’s a variation of natural speech patterns.

Whitman, one of the most influential American poet, is often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality. He believed there was a vital, symbiotic relationship between the poet and society. Whitman wrote in the preface to the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass,

“The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it.”

I also reached 1000 likes on my blog yesterday and here is a free verse as a toast to that…

Celebrating 1,000 likes

I celebrate myself, and express myself,

And what I etch you shall imbibe,

For every word I write belongs to you.

I scribble and forage my soul,

Sometimes I lose often I score.

My pen, every neuron of my wandering mind, sworn to write, fiddle with words,

Living in a virtual world, and looking for something I don’t know yet,

I, blog to celebrate myself, to enunciate, to profess,

Hoping to meet myself on the way.

Here’s another one in Hindi…

उम्र ने तलाशी ली,

तो जेबों से लम्हे बरामद हुए,

कुछ ग़म के…कुछ नम थे,

कुछ टूटे…कुछ सही सलामत,

के शिकायत तो बहुत हैं तुझसे…

ए ज़िंदगी…पर चुप इसलिये हूँ कि…

के जो दिया तूने…

वो भी कहाँ पूरा जिया हमने!!

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‘Firaq’ Gorakhpuri

He was born on 28 August 1896,  with the name Raghupati Sahay. Better known under his pen name, he was one of the most noted contemporary Urdu poets from India. Here’s what he did best-

आने वाली नस्लें तुम पर फक्र करेंगी हम- आसरो,

जब भी उनको ध्यान आएगा, तुमने ‘फिराक़’ को देखा है

Another one…

यूँ माना ज़ि‍न्दगी है चार दिन की 
बहुत होते हैं यारो चार दिन भी

ख़ुदा को पा गया वायज़ मगर है 
ज़रूरत आदमी को आदमी की 

बसा-औक्रात(कभी-कभी)  दिल से कह गयी है 
बहुत कुछ वो निगाहे-मुख़्तसर भी 

मिला हूँ मुस्कुरा कर उससे हर बार 
मगर आँखों में भी थी कुछ नमी-सी 

महब्बत में करें क्या हाल दिल का 
ख़ुशी ही काम आती है न ग़म की 

भरी महफ़ि‍ल में हर इक से बचा कर 
तेरी आँखों ने मुझसे बात कर ली 

लड़कपन की अदा है जानलेवा 
गज़ब ये छोकरी है हाथ-भर की

है कितनी शोख़, तेज़ अय्यामे-गुल(बहार के दिन)  पर 
चमन में मुस्कुहराहट कर कली की 

रक़ीबे-ग़मज़दा (दुखी प्रतिद्वन्द्वी) अब सब्र कर ले 
कभी इससे मेरी भी दोस्ती थी 

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Fable

A narrative poem telling a fictional tale (using animals as characters) which ends with a moral.

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Hope you are having fun with me. If you are reading this, thank you for stopping by. This post is sixth in a series of 26 posts that I will be writing as part of the A to Z challenge for April 2016. My theme for the challenge would be A to Z of poetry. Feel free to leave your feedback and visit again:-)