Today’s http://www.NaPoWriMo.net prompt is to write a landay. This 22 syllable couplet poetry form is a secret, underground women’s poetry in Afghanistan. I was fascinated by this article about collecting landays in the war-torn land. This secret voice tells us about the real undercurrents, the real experience, of life for these women.
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When the woman is Afghani,
The power of her voice is found in hidden poetry.
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I am profoundly touched to read these secret treasures that vividly paint a reality we know so little of. This is the hidden power of poetry, to condense so much into a few lines. I like that they’re meant to morph as the lines are seized by others, and the message is intensified or modernized .
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When the woman is Afghani,
The fire in her voice is found in flames of poetry.
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The form is supposed to be 9 syllables on the first line, 13 on the second, but my first lines all kept turning out as 8 syllables, so I just made 14 in the second, to reach 22. (as per my Poetic Licence).
