Category Archives: sestina(s)

Oulipost #19: Sestina

A Mission from God

One analyst dubbed 2014 “the year of the biblical movie.”
And it could mean that many districts
make this comfortable. “We have to do that.” He added:
There are 15 established routes up the mountain. Disaster
guides’ pay doesn’t match the risk
steering the ship at the time of the accident. Wednesday

the ferry, the Sewol, tilted and began sinking. Wednesday
can be in alignment with our faith, an inspiration that’s a movie.
Other readings recalled migrants who risk
pay from private vendors. Outside the district
a routine trip to a resort island is a disaster
the captain escaped before the passengers,” Yang added

when he lets himself be guided by evil. He added
Powerball numbers Wednesday
turned into one of South Korea’s worst disasters.
Turn the feature on when you’re at a movie.
Meanwhile, the state has instructed districts’
decisions about other states considered to be “at risk.”

This tragedy will open the world’s eyes to staggering risks
a shipyard to investigate accusations he added
a failing school to a non­failing school. The waiver gives districts
lotto numbers Wednesday persuading
religious leaders to talk up the movies
Sinking SOUTH KOREA DISASTER.

Like we say: ‘The client is our god.’ The disaster
route is ready. The foreign people face risk
to usher viewers from the church pew to the multiplex religious movie
updates on the situation and added
the sinking vessel Wednesday
to pay for instructional coaches who help teachers district

without the waiver. The district
avalanche kills at least 12 people in the worst disaster,
hit 5 numbers. Wednesday’s
climbing put themselves at great risk
stretching the crossing to 20 or 30 minutes, he said. Typically, he added,
A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back.” This movie

has instructed districts face 100 percent more risk.
The previous worst disaster guided by evil, he added
Wednesday, we pioneered taking clips from movies.

Into Thin Air

“We fully expect to lose it,” said Jaudon,
The missing had gathered. It’s too much, being
not enough of the profits from the climbing
training camp in Oregon
cities, studied the fatality rates
because good­paying jobs are rare in Nepal. But Sherpa

the moment he heard about the ice fall on Mount Everest, Sherpa
being seen as a niche concern by Hollywood. “We don’t
Trip to Heaven and Back.” This movie generates
instructions that may have resulted in many people being
“at risk” for losing waivers — Oregon,
a small Sherpa community drawn by the Northwest’s climbing

Nepalese children who have lost parents in climbing
the high camps, was safe. But several Sherpa’s
out for coyotes, the relaxed atmosphere, dissatisfied men, or a gun
charted territory, Jaudon said, “we really don’t
chance to practice our religion and not feel like we were being
Pedestrian commuters. Lowest fatality rates

fatalities. In four of the five cities with the lowest rates
the disaster struck ahead of the peak climbing
the ad’s statements about students being
climbers, can stand on the planet’s highest perch. Sherpa
If he currently practices any religion, he answered: “No, I don’t
Improve assurances of irrigation along the Oregon

effort to open an Al­Qaida training camp. In Oregon
combined pedestrian and cyclist fatality rates
a movie we want to know about and support. At the same time, we don’t.
Not as lucky for us Sherpas who do the climbing.
On average, a Sherpa earns perhaps $4,000 a year. Sherpa
at least once a month has grown weary of being

the ship’s captain, who has been criticized for being
long at odds over scarce water in Oregon.
He feels “education is not free in Nepal.” Sherpa
papers mail subscription rates
an ethnic group known for their skill at high­altitude climbing
about this calculation. “All the hard work is done

counts and was being home. Delivery rates
present Oregon several years as a climbing
Sherpa. Evil won’t have the last word, but love, mercy and pardon”

Reds

Republicans argue that Putin is on a rampage because
the West hasn’t returned the love. Europe fears that sanctioning Russia
as they approach the twin marks of 30 years
If successful, no doubt would take the pressure off. Voters
could not say whether this was the work of attackers or other security researchers
however, you can set exceptions—such as calls from family members.

The union is concerned, however, that about 280 of its members
mounted their revolution because
half the infiltrations originated in China. The researchers
note that supposed locals in the pro­Russian
transit finally revised the list of service reductions it would make if voters
production will rise for the first time in three years,

low wages, but high quality to continue several years
before they ask again. Editorial board members
continue not to contribute to their premiums— few of the voters
reject Proposition1 because
It’s not clear how many of the troublemakers in the east are Russian
Heartbleed. Up until now, researchers

extracting passwords to gain broader access to the victim’s network, said researchers’
changes have been implemented. But challenges remain from years
when another self­styled commander asked for weapons to fight the Russian
Union, officials announced. The company’s offer didn’t even make it to members
assessing whether damage had been done in this case, and because
times continues to recommend voters’

cuts they said would be necessary if voters’
Heartbleed was exploited before its discovery by a Google researcher.
A strike is not immediately in the picture because
members are less than a year short of 30 years
economically inferior and legally detrimental to this member
regime, still would like to see the United States more engaged. As a Russian

especially after a few drinks, people ready to take down the Russian
settled. Before Proposition 1 on the ballot would have given voters
other family members
stashes of data they had put on the Internet as a test, the researchers
in a scathing report six years
ago rejected a proposed contract because

most endangered Russia itself. Meanwhile, Russian researchers
still have to earn voters’ demand rising at the fastest pace in three years;
You shared your bounty with other members who have turned against Moscow because
of the seizure

North by North-West

History goes that the “Lone Rock,” as it was once called,
helps you under­stand these are things
she imagined. In addition to local
proposed timber sale includes a potential land
slide widow seeks $7million in Oso mud
confidence in the cleanup work.  Around

Capricorn, today is a 6. Relax around
the numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called
timber. Sale near mud
I’ve been burdened by knowing people that have seen things
areas in the state, such as the hill where the Oso land
slide show times are provided by local

reviews that describe it as the definition of local
water safety at April Pools pools around
State lands, said Friday that the map showing the land
a cosmopolitan center of technology Naida called
a producer of “whirly birds.” The descriptions of most things
died in the deadly mud

Scientists are still examining the causes of the Oso mud
When this land was a dense forest – a local
forum – the unity of all things
are the perfect mulch for use around
that construction of a unique facility called
information associated with some other land

They have concluded there is no evidence of a land.
Officials canceled a timber sale five miles from the Oso mud.
As for finding wood chips, there’s a new service called
art, demonstrations and display of artwork of local
dance bands in and around
less likely to slap or throw things

Can a loving God allow bad things?
He said it’s possible there isn’t any land
in the Renton Highlands around
the clear­cut’s edge, south­west of the March mud
continued after the Army with local
Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell’s rulings called

so many different needs, things miles from the March mud
cut acres above the land, a meal when you check out this local
runner collapsed around families hold themselves together, called.

 

Room in the Room

Tricking the eye is key to decorating smaller.
You can’t change the dimensions of small rooms,
“rickety” models that have flooded the last few years
offers long-term-rate-lock options, and they’re
more versatile and comfortable than sofa beds
feel cluttered and small. As you select your furniture

in a small room, it’s always a good idea to use furniture
as a storage space. Another helpful trick is to select smaller
children or other guests to sleep. Beds
may include lower-level rec rooms
meetings and a home office included a bed; they’re
beds and have seen sales rise in recent years.

We’ve had more calls with situations like this than we’ve had in two years.”
Second hand items have also prospered from furniture.
It’s easier than ever to find—and afford—a hobby greenhouse. They’re
reducing their carbon footprint by choosing smaller
people are far more design-savvy, need multipurpose room
marketing. Customers still buy bed-

closets, which also make custom wall beds
a down payment. But the past few years
wine storage opens bonus rooms
In a faux wall rather than a traditional cabinet. Resource furniture
to take on the inconvenience of such a big project. There are smaller
“rickety” models that have flooded the years. They’re

this kind of study. Property managers say they’re
stylish space-saver versatile beds
present challenges when decorating—especially if a new space is smaller
a custom green house adjoining his master 18 years
while you may decide on one large piece of furniture
a foyer, a den, an updated kitchen, three bedrooms

Incorporating them into cabinetry units for craft rooms
He could work from there as easily as in California. So off they went. They’re
a specific focus—whether it’s a wall or striking furniture
designs, vertical and horizontal beds,
sporting goods, general bowflex years
while transit ridership has risen. Fewer cars, smaller

scale to decorate small rooms have designed beds
are financially savvy. They’re at the bottom of a bargain. Then came years,
arrangements changing the furniture In Man- the smaller.


 

Poems were constructed from numerous articles in Seattle Times 19 April 2014 Print Replica.


Note on composition and process:

These poems are Oulipean-inspired take on the traditional Sestina, the winding snake of poetic repetition, in which the end words of the first 6-line stanza are rearranged in each of the successive 5 stanzas and the concluding tercet. The effect creates a winding spiral of phrasings that, when executed well, stretch and pull at the meanings and syntax of the words. In these poems, all of the source text has been cut directly from the Saturday, April 19th issue of the Seattle Times. Be sure to check out the official prompt and see the 80-ish participating Ouliposters at The Found Poetry Review blog.

So…it is becoming apparent to me that certain forms really bring out my OCD and ADHD tendencies to hyper-focus, and utterly wreck any attempt at efficient time management — this sestina exercise is one of them. Like my Berrigan-inspired take on the Sonnet, this exercise found me spending an inordinate amount of time prepping text lists on a weekend, when my time is limited by my job.

I started, as usual, with the print replica, extracting all the text into a Word file and separating the content by the paper’s main sections: here, I chose News/world, Business/opinion, local/regional, sports, and home. I then stripped all the formatting and punctuation, and ran the text of each section through a handy text analyizer. Since the sestina requires 7 occurrences of each line-ending word, I broke the text down by word frequency, and made a list of all the words in each section that occurred 7 times.  I then pulled up my pdf print replica and performed an ocr search for each on my list, and compiling a list of lines ending with each word.

In hindsight, I should’ve seen that it would take about 5 hrs to do that, but I went ahead and threw my time away. I figured I could wind up with a stronger sequence/prepped source material, which I did. Honestly, it probably wouldn’t have been so bad had I excised the box scores in the Sports section before I analyzed the sports text. That section had way more words that occurred 7 times, and most of them were useless because they were isolated by a sea of statistical figures. In the end, that whole section was a wash, which is a shame, because the sports section tends to be the most metaphoric, but I know what I need to do next month when I come back to revise and expand these exercises.

Once I had the lists, it only really took a couple of hours to produce the 5 sestinas above. It was a bit more work than the sonnets, but that’s because the fixed end words made a regular rhythm a bit cumbersome. Also, there were a few words that Adobe’s ocr spotted hiding in other words (like rate in gene-rate), and I embraced that non-human means of reading the assignment.  In fact, one of the words on my list was “don,” which I had fun treating quite liberally to include all manner of variations like “don’t and “abandon”. I did have to make some adjustments to the found text. In the 2nd poem, “Into Thin Air,” one of the line sets was based around the name of a local, Seattle-based, Sherpa, commenting on the tragedy on Everest. As the poem came together, the juxtapositions really put too much into the mind and mouth of this individual in a way that I felt was unfair to the subject, so when the poem was done, I replaced every occurrence of the proper name, Mingma, to the more generic Sherpa. As well, I went through and excised dross out excessively-verbose lines, without actually adding anything more than an occasional article or verb suffix. I might be able to hone these down a bit more, but so far I’m happy with them, even if some of the lines push at my patience.