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In this form, credited to William Carlos Williams, each stanza equals one complete sentence. Each sentence/stanza breaks into 3 lines, with each line being a separate phrase in the sentence. There is no rhyme scheme, but Williams wanted each line to have a variable rhythm of 2-4 beats per line, and he wanted the poem to be 6 stanzas long, a total of 18 lines.
I tried out this form after attending a truly breathtaking flamenco performance by Lakshmi Basile and found the free verse style liberating after writing for over a year in strict rhyme and meter. I also enjoyed the challenge of describing various facets of an experience in six distinct, related, yet contained sentences.
Spanish Dancer
She dives
then hovers
raptor-sharp.
Her elbows fan
to garnet wings–
we stare.
Her hands are blades–
a portal opens
through her chest.
The scent
of orange
fills the room.
She pounds
a thousand heels–
the singer wails.
Her body
is a vessel
for the sound.