Learning & writing prompts about the Ode form in its evolutions
In a writing workshop with the lovely Kaveh Akbar during In Surreal Life, we were asked about the materials we collect - the intangible & tangible breadcrumbs that stick to our existence, creep into our verbiage, question our ideology and shape our expression.
The question stuck with me. I found myself wanting to capture & structure these comings-upon & to have a place to return to when I need some fodder for experimentation.
I was particularly interested in classic poetic forms that had their rules broken.
With that, Welcome to the Modern Ode.
If like me (from a week ago) you are picturing an old-timey poem filled with hyperbolic metaphors to celebrate wars and victories, or inflate an Ancient Greek man’s ego, I’m here to tell you, thankfully, the form recognized there was more in this world that deserved gentle recognition - the act of acknowledgement, just so much waiting to be noticed.
Fun fact: Attributed to the Ancient Greeks, the Ode saw a revival in the Enlightenment age. Here’s a 2x speed highlight reel on how it evolved:
- Pindaric Ode
- Horatian Ode
- Irregular Ode
A strict structure poem with 3 parts: the strophe (the praise), the antistrophe (the debate), and the epode (the after-song). No particular meter or rhyme scheme, the goal was for these to be sung in chorus with a jubilant and celebratory tone
A less structured form often written as couplets (2 lines stanzas), no particular meter, the goal being to share a message with the audience, the tone of these odes were calmer and more contemplative
The least structured (as the name suggests) often written in quatrains (4 line stanzas) or an octave (8 lines), the poet has the freedom to write stanzas without immediate correlation between them, the tone is often reflective, posing more questions than providing conclusions or positive judgement
My Takeaway: Over time, odes shifted from captures of shared, significant events of a people (ex. kings, wars, victories), to give shape to universal constructs we all share (ex. life, death, desire) to eventually include acknowledgement of the everyday: the inanimate object, moment, experience or symbol of personal significance to the poet that they wanted to bring to life for the reader (ex. my dog’s snore, the grey couch, the barista at the corner cafe).
I seem to love the magic of 3s, so I picked 3 poems that embody the Irregular Ode. For each, I have captured the following:
❣️ Lines that reverbed, words that stuck with me for days
📝 Insight that was reinforced about the form
💭 Reflection or a musing it left me with
❣️ Ode to Lois - Angel Nafis”If you never found us. If his lonely hadn’t made you beautiful. If his lonely hadn’t made him animal. If you were Black. Or sober. Or honest. Or lovely.”
📝 Odes don’t have to be complimentary, they can sing by shining light on dull details
💭 Is there an inherent sense of triumph in an ode?
❣️ Ode to Lithium #600 -Shira Erlichman ”The side effect of it is bad is crossing your legs in the psychiatrist’s office, talking about side effects. The side effect of side effects is living your life. The side effect of living your life is dying. The side effect of dying is being remembered.”
📝 Using repetition to explore layers of a construct
💭 Does an Ode demand closure for the reader?
❣️Ode to Gossips -”some of them to children some to old names
phantom girls acting out a life only half
a life away instead copper kitchenware
bangles pushed up the arm fingernails rusted”
📝 Odes can make a personal experience & context feel shared
💭 Is an Ode a processed experience for the poet and thus usually in past tense?
Prompt for you to be on your way:
If you’ve stuck with me this far through these six hundred odd words, thanks a bunch. As a return gift, I’d like to share a writing prompt for the Modern Ode:
Write an Ode to the first thing your senses notice in your surroundings after you read this. Why did it catch your eye today? What senses does it trigger? What does it reveal about you? What are questions you have for it?
Ex. a person or thing in your peripheral vision, a tree, an uncapped pen, the sound of something unfixed in your apartment, a reflection of you in the mirror, the dress you’re saving for a special day, your favorite night shirt…
Community Plug: Dilruba Ahmed’s workshop & material on Elevating the Everyday.
See you next time, until then - stay playing with the miscellaneous.
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