I made myself take wing,
My hollow bones too light to fall
Without the weight of stone.
I made my heart a stone,
A pebble to be tossed. No wing,
No chute to slow my fall.
I made a choice to fall,
To break upon your bed of stone:
A bird–a broken wing.
If you had stooped to catch me on the wing–if you had checked my fall–I might have flown for you. But love, I am not made of stone.
One of the things I love about yeah write is that it gives me room to push my own boundaries. A couple of us have been on a poetry kick lately, which is fun and terrifying at the same time. This week, Rowan G. threw down the gauntlet and challenged a few of the editors to try their hands at writing a tritina. She gave me the words “wing, fall, stone.” I gave her “stone, wine, grace.” A couple others may be playing along, and I’ll list them here if/when they post.
Christine Hanolsy 
All hail the tritina! My favorite line: I made my heart a stone, a pebble to be tossed.
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That was the line I started with! The whole thing grew out of that one line. 🙂
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Your poem is wonderful. But the thing I like best is in the comments section where you said, “It might have been easier if I hadn’t found myself writing in iambs.” I love that.
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So when Rowan suggested last week that I try a sestina, I started looking at tritinas. I’m halfway through the construction of a sestina but this, and hers, makes me want to give up! Then again, it also spurs me on.
This works so so well, is so beautiful and is constructed so pristinely. The images are exquisite and the rhythm perfect – you ARE the Queen of Iambs 🙂 *sigh* You make it seem so effortless and yet so impossible. I think I can stop gushing now.
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I really like the way the three words shifted from stanza to stanza to mean something slightly different in each.
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The use of ‘stone’ was well played. I like how you defied the notion of ‘falling’ in love.
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This is simply great, Christine! Read it a few times 🙂
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You make this look so effortless. I don’t think I could be a bigger fan. ❤
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NOT EFFORTLESS! It might have been easier if I hadn’t found myself writing in iambs. Once I started, though, I had to stick with them, otherwise I would have had to start over.
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I read this through a few times, because the way that the words flow put music behind your poetry, like a jaggedy violin. Just lovely.
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Beautiful! That last line got me: “But love, I am not made of stone.” Very well done.
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Love the tritina, and the way you’ve used the words.
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Brilliant!
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The rhythm of the lines and the dashes in this reminded me of Emily Dickinson, the way she’d write her poems, her style. A very Emily Dickinson-esque poem for me.
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Beautifully written.
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Says the woman whose poem knocked me speechless this mirning… Thank you!
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Awww, well thank you! Good luck to us both! There have been some amazing entries this round.
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I love that you are pushing your boundaries. Can it be that you have none? Meaning, you are also good at poetry!
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