The
nonce
is all
that I know,
though chance may tell you
that all these things are intended.
I
come
to you
with these hands
full of tracks and trails
now winding upon your softness.
Small
birds
alight
upon green
branches with green leaves–
browns, turning to black in the dusk.
…puttin’ the Po in NaPoWriMo…
A Prayer Like Gravity 
The “nonce” … such a peculiar little word. Yes…I had to look it up. It’s either a hip hop group, a word made up for the moment, or something intended just for the moment.
All in all…. a sweetness nonce for taking. Thank you kind Sir…
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It is a fun word, isn’t it? Sounds somehow very 19th century, doesn’t it?
In this case, I was thinking of its use in poetics, in describing “nonce stanzas”. In other words, stanzas that are “made up” (i.e. for the moment/occasion) but still establish a pattern that is repeated. Marianne Moore was the master of this, and I’ve been re-discovering her again, and realizing how much she influences me. I kind of cut my modern-poetry teeth by reading a lot of her work. The Fish is a prime example of nonce stanza form that also incorporates rhyme and her incredible sense of rhythm:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/21070
Thank you for your kind words.
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You got me with a new word as well “nonce”. I didn’t have to look it up b/c it was already done for me.
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That’s called working smart….
😉
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Not cheating, eh? 😉
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Cross between a nonsense and a nuance? No not all all just going with the n theme 🙂
Now winding up your softness – delicious JCC
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Thank you Jen. Kind of sounds like what I am sometimes. A nuanced, nonsensical nonce (and possibly ponce…).
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I LOVE this. The second stanza all tucked in there romantic and soft – I don’t know why that hit me – kind of like a big, tough biker cuddling a baby and making baby talk. And especially the play with the title. 😉 maybe I’ll come up with a sequence as well 😉
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Oh, Please do Mims! It’s a fun form. And these are all True, I swear. 😉
You made me think with the biker bit of something my wife once said about me….hmmm….perhaps my piece for today, if I can make it happen…
Thanks–
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