So this is a really interesting form that I had a lot of fun with. It’s based on a stanza of an existing poem, an writes six line verses that start an end with the sequential line of the original stanza.
As with the others, this is from the perspective of a fictional character. In this case, to draw the relationship with the previous character, this character is a veteran of a future conflict. There is a story that this all comes from, in which another conflict has broken out and the veteran faces the very real risk of becoming a refugee – of once again having war determine her fate. Yeats’ poem is one of my favourites among the limited poems of which I am aware, and I hope I’ve done it at least a bit of justice.
The Atlasian Fate – a Glosa on William Butler Yeats’ ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’
I know that I shall meet my fate,
Somewhere among the clouds above
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;
– William Butler Yeats
I know that I shall meet my fate,
Though it leaves a rotten, pungent bait
It’s stranglehold I have long fought
But pull is strong, the leash it taut
And so knowingly I bear the weight
And I know that I shall meet my fate.
Somewhere among the clouds above
The thrum, screech, burn of push and shove
Vying to sit on a higher throne
Than all other they can look down on
The subjects to whom they show no love
Somewhere among the clouds above
Those that I fight I do not hate
Reserved for those that faux debate
To justify their violent intent
Their moral compass, broken, bent
Send us out, then sit back and wait
Those that I fight I do not hate
Those that I guard I do not love;
Not the values, the families thereof
If guarding can be what it’s called
For those I love would be appalled
The acts conducted for those above
Those that I guard I do not love.
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