Breathe - A Tritina Poem

I plant my feet and take a deep breath

I tell my brain to be quiet

Raising my arms, I salute the sun

I lift my heart to the sun

Filling my lungs with breath

In and out, my mind quiets

I am centered in the quiet

Inhaling and exhaling, I reach to the sun

Hearing only the sound of my breath

Breath slow and quiet, I give thanks to the sun.

With just 10 lines, the tritina is a less complicated version of the more well-known and challenging sestina. For those new to poetry and seeking to experiment with different forms, the tritina provides a simple yet elegant structure for a creative exercise.

The tritina consists of three tercets (three-line stanzas) and a concluding line. Each tercet uses the same three end words, one for each line. The end words are used in a different order in each tercet following a recurrent pattern. The closing line contains all three words.

The pattern, known as a lexical repetition, is as follows (the numbers represent the three end words):

1

2

3

3

1

2

2

3

1

1 2 3

There is no rhyming scheme and the lines may be of any length, as long as they follow the lexical pattern. The end words may be varied slightly, as in changing the tense of a verb or making a noun plural.

To write a trintina, choose the three end words first. Concrete nouns and active verbs work best. Then write out the end words for each of the three stanzas, following the pattern set out above. Build out each line and tercet as you tell the story your chosen words evoke. Finally, capture each end word in the concluding line.

For another example of the tritina form and a truly beautiful poem, you will enjoy reading Embracing the creative wonder of solitude:an inspirational tritina poem by midget38.