Anaphora

CRAFT TERM

Nov 7

Anaphora refers to a poetic technique in which successive phrases or lines begin with the same words, often resembling a litany. The repetition can be as simple as a single word or as long as an entire phrase.

via Academy of American Poets

Example

Excerpt from “Did Rise” by Jessica Rae Bergamino shows how using one word “did” can be paired with another word or few words to still be fresh and powerful:

Did tear along.
Did carry the sour heave
of memory. Did fold my body
upon the pillow’s curve,
did teach myself to pray.
Did pray. Did sleep. Did choir
an echo to swell through time.

Prompt

Bergamino borrowed from Lucie Brock-Broido’s poem, “Did Not Come Back.” Time yourself for 5 minutes, and think of a time you didn’t think you could survive, or move forward, and make notes on what happened and how you did make it. Use the word “did” in front of every line, like Bergamino, to create your map of that time.

Resource written by:

Featured

Kris Kaila

is a Queer Punjabi Canadian poet, writer, book reviewer & blogger. Her poetry & nonfiction has been published in The Poetry Lab Resource Center, Harness Magazine, Usawa Literary Review, Salt & Citrus, in three anthologies by Beyond the Veil Press and in a forthcoming anthology by Read or Green Books. Kris volunteers with The Poetry Lab, Beyond the Veil Press and Crow Collective. You can find her on IG @krisesque_life and @my_novelesque_life (bookstagram). Kris uses she/her pronouns.

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