Spirits In Peace Blog

The final variation of the etheree to be dealt with in this series is the reverse double. I will leave triples and quadruples to the individual to pursue, as these are fairly rare and take a good deal of practice.

A reverse double has twenty lines, of course, beginning and ending with a ten-syllable line. Lines 10 and 11 each have one syllable. The complete produce will resemble and hourglass is properly configured. Like all the other forms, it may be punctuated or not, as suits the poem and the poet, and may be left or right-aligned, or centered.

The syllable pattern is as follows:

Line 1: 10 syllables

Line 2: 9 syllables

Line 3: 8 syllables

Line 4: 7 syllables

Line 5: 6 syllables

Line 6: 5 syllables

Line 7: 4 syllables

Line 8: 3 syllables

Line 9: 2 syllables

Line 10: 1 syllable

Line 11: 1 syllable

Line 12: 2 syllables

Line 13: 3 syllables

Line 14: 4 syllables

Line 15: 5 syllables

Line 16: 6 syllables

Line 17: 7 syllables

Line 18: 8 syllables

Line 19: 9 syllables

Line 20: 20 syllables

Here is a reverse double, let-aligned and without punctuation:

Saturday Recycler Thoughts: A Reverse Double Etherée

On Saturdays papers boxboard tins and
plastics build up at recyclers whilst
people divest themselves of a
great jumble of packaging
leading one to ponder
if companies which
blithely produce
such sundry
garbage
may
be
held to
a standard
in such issues
and if the shoppers
caring about this earth
must make a clear assertion
by rejecting merchandise which
is over-packaged and bring back the
old era of bottles used more than once

And a punctuated, centered one, in a much lighter vein:

Strike Up The Band

As Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
throbbed loudly on those record players,
I had not the slightest thought that
those aged sixty-four might still
be needed though far too
well-fed for their own
waistlines! Always
prepared and
prone to
be
a
willing
bridge over
troubled waters
at times, most truly
struggle to endure with
a little help from their friends,
while spending hours in Strawberry
Fields of wonder and accomplishment,
yet in due time to join the Grateful Dead!

Have fun with the different variations on the etheree theme. Try all the forms, and try some singles as series. When one finally looks perfect and packs a meaningful message, you have mastered the art.

Series © Carol Knepper 2009

Now that you have written a few single etherées and practiced the various permutations and combinations thereof, it is now time to tackle a double. This has twenty lines and forms a diamond shape when well executed.

The configuration is as follows:

Line 1: 1 syllable

Line 2: 2 syllables

Line 3: 3 syllables

Line 4: 4 syllables

Line 5: 5 syllables

Line 6: 6 syllables

Line 7: 7 syllables

Line 8: 8 syllables

Line 9: 9 syllables

Line 10: 10 syllables

Line 11: 10 syllables

Line 12: 9 syllables

Line 13: 8 syllables

Line 14: 7 syllables

Line 15: 6 syllables

Line 16: 5 syllables

Line 17: 4 syllables

Line 18: 3 syllables

Line 19: 2 syllables

Line 20: 1 syllable

Tips And Tricks

1. If line 1 has three letters in its monosyllable, try to use 2 -4 letters in line 20. If line 1 were to be 3 letters and line 20, 6 letters, then the desired diamond shape is not achieved.

2. The same applies, roughly, to lines 2 and 19, 3 and 18, 4 and 17, etc.

3. Keep lines 10 and 11, the two 10 syllable lines, as close to the same length as possible.

The following is a double that I think turned out fairly well, and, as is often the case, it is a nature poem:

Creatures Of Fantasies: A Double Etherée

Sky
of pure
azure with
delicate clouds
may create wonder
and awe as one’s spirit
becomes aware of beauty
as contained in the formations
resembling creatures of fantasies
ever altering as the summer breeze
or crisp October wind makes infinite
changes in a scene as each ripple
and shadow rapidly transforms
their enchanting abundance
the most inspiring source
of living dreams and
visions to each
astonished
amazed
soul

If I had opted to begin the poem with the word “on,” I would not have ended with soul, but with a shorter word, such as “sky.” One letter can make such a difference.

Now, double your toil and trouble -  and tackle one!

In this lesson, we will focus on the reverse form of the single etheree. Like the original version, it may be centered, left-aligned, or right-aligned, and punctuated or unpunctuated.

One works exactly in reverse order of the single form, starting with a ten syllable line and ending with a one-syllable line. Thus, the format is as follows, and remember each line should be two or three letters shorter than the previous one:

Line 1 - 10 syllables

Line 2 - 9 syllables

Line 3 - 8 syllables

Line 4 - 7 syllables

Line 5 - 6 syllables

Line 6 - 5 syllables

Line 7 - 4 syllables

Line 8 - 3 syllables

Line 9 - 2 syllables

Line 10 - 1 syllable

Here is an example of an unpunctuated single reverse etheree, which was actually part of a pair:

Artistic Dreams

Hear
whispers
in your soul
of dreams telling
of untraveled roads
since your secret vision
is a bright enchanted path
leading to fantasies that may
open artwork’s portals releasing
the joy residing in the human heart

And here is a punctuated one, which was part of a series:

Variations On The Seasons

I love the varied tints of summer’s clime,
the gentle pinks of phlox and the clear
blues of fescue, sage, and catmint.
The mauves of foxgloves and tall
larkspur thrill my soul, while
bright crimson Maltese
cross form piercing
cries of sheer
August
joy.

Now, using the skills taught in the previous lessons, try your own single reverse form.

You now understand the basics of writing a single etheree, whether it be a nature poem one on any other topic or theme. Many variations are possible, and in this lesson I will focus on this concept.

An etheree is commonly centered, but may also quite correctly be left or right aligned. It is interesting to note the difference this makes in appearance. Sometimes glitches in line length that are not apparent in one format will show up quite glaringly in another. I often try mine in different formats to make sure they are satisfactory.

Try the etheree you wrote for lesson one in these different alignments and see how it looks. The best of etherees look fine in any format.

Often etherees are left unpunctuated, and this is the easiest way to start. I also like to leave them without punctuation for the flow of thought that occurs without the pauses. But some etherees almost demand punctuation, and this is a bit of a skill. Here is an example of one that I chose to punctuate:

On The Edge

The
skater,
speeding on
rapid back edge,
reaches far with her
right leg and jabs in that
toe-pick with due precision,
taking care not to change to an
inside edge, perfect timing needed
lest she open in a huge miscued pop.

Note that punctuation can be used at mid-line as necessary.

One tip is to punctuate as you write. Do not write the poem and then attempt to insert the punctuation marks, as they affect line length by two spaces - one for the mark and another for the space that must follow it. Using a capital letter to begin a new sentence will also affect line length.

Here is an unpunctuated etheree, actually part of a pair, which I will later punctuate so you can see what happens:

Love And Knowledge

Know
what you
need to know
but book learning
cannot grant wisdom
so know what you read is
mere knowledge and no equal
to wisdom derived from gleaning
words scripted in the sacred book of
souls where light is written in divine code

Now let’s try inserting the grammatically correct punctuation:

Love And Knowledge

Know
what you
need to know,
but book learning
cannot grant wisdom.
So know what you read is
mere knowledge, and no equal
to wisdom derived from gleaning
words scripted in the sacred book of
souls, where light is written in divine code.

You can see the negative effect on the general configuration. Note that in line 6 the capital letter S occupies more space than did the lower case one in the original. Lines 7 and 8 are too close in length with the comma  and following space added to line 7, and the final line is also too long with the addition of the comma and space.

Never attempt to lengthen a line by hitting the space bar twice. The end result looks horrible, is an obvious cheat, and comes up on any spelling and grammar check.

Some of these fine details may seem trivial or picky, but the etheree is a precise and finely tuned form, and minute adjustments make all the difference between a mediocre piece and one perhaps worthy of publication.