Enlightenment

One of the poetic forms I really enjoyed experimenting with recently was the Kyrielle. I decided to focus on the toxic emotion that is shame when exploring this form and it felt good to play it at its own game! For those of you that don’t yet know this form, here’s a brief description:

French. Syllabic. A poem written in quatrain stanzas. Each line has a count of eight syllables. The last line of the first quatrain is the refrain, and it reappears as the last line of each quatrain. Usually it is rhymed. The poem can have any number of stanzas.

Shame-shaming Kyrielle

It bullies and it follows you

It urges you to hide away

Diminishes and hollows you

Let’s shed some light on it today!

It doesn’t serve you, this you know

It twists your guts in harmful ways

You wish the bloody thing would go!

Let’s shed some light on it today!

For you are not the threats it makes

although it sends your mind astray

The naming of it courage takes

Let’s shed some light on it today!

Its voice dramatic and unfair

Its accusations over-played

It’s getting smaller over there

Now you’ve shed light on it today!

It cowers now that you’ve reclaimed

Your higher-self is not afraid

For love’s more powerful than shame

and you’ve stepped into Light today!