Themed Collections, Part 2 (cont.)

Even when she uses perfect rhyme, she arranges the lines so that the rhyme is not immediately obvious. The emphasis lies with the verbs—always a strong point of Dotlich’s, but particularly so here. A metered rhyming poem of the kind that Dotlich is so well-known for would be out of place here. If there were 20 metered poems and only 3 of these slightly more sophisticated free verse poems, then the free verse poems would feel out of place. It’s not a matter of one style of poetry being better. The point is that in a collection, the poetry has to feel like a whole.

Wind Chimes

Clanging
sea secrets
to the wind,
tin ballerinas
on a tangle
of string
sing
their bittersweet
songs;
sweet voices
of chattering ghosts.