Grateful Life: Uniform Poems

Freedom of ideas goes beyond any structure that tries to contain it, as is true in this book of structured poetry. This is perhaps a new form of poetry, which the author calls “uniform poetry.” These poems have a counted-letter structure. The poetic structure of this unique form of poetry calls for uniformity–the number of poetic lines, as well as the letters in each poetic line, always correspond to the poem’s number.

Poem number 18, for example, has 18 poetic lines, each containing 18 letters. However, uniformity is not to be mistaken for conformity. Although the number of letters in each poetic line is restricted by the rules of the form, the form celebrates freedom of verse. Other than the requirement that there be a certain number of lines with a certain number of letters per line, there are no rules for the poet who writes uniform poetry. Lines may be short or long; stanzas may vary; rhyming schemes and metrical patterns may change with each poem. The tone may be somber, contemplative, joyful, humorous, or fanciful. These poems explore such topics as chickens, childhood, loneliness, faith, death, afterlife, and flat-Earth. The poet’s only constraint is to keep to the number of letters and lines for each numbered poem. This structure can also be seen in the 37-line introduction, with each line having 37 letters. In fact, a structural balance can be found throughout the elements of this book of poetry.

About The Author

The author grew up in the small village of Middleville, New York. She went to college in Binghamton, New York, where she earned her dual major bachelor’s degree in psychology and history. She resided briefly in London, and lived in New Zealand, Washington state, and California. She married in 1985, raised two now-grown children, and has shared her many homes with many cats and dogs. She has held various jobs, including owning a secondhand book shop. Currently, she works as a book editor for a publishing company, and this is her first book of poetry.