If you could choose . . .

lillian

anxiety
panicky, out-of-control
debilitating, all-consuming, frightening
nervous, sleepless / composed, content
empowering, stimulating, calming
mindful, cognizant
serenity

Written for Tuesday Poetics at dVerse. Lisa is our host and asks us to consider “opposite poems” …… giving us several options for our creative process today. One is to follow this form:
Line 1: a noun/subject
Line 2: two adjectives that describe the noun/subject
Line 3: three ‘ing words about the noun/subject
Line 4: four words: two about the noun/subject and two about its antonym (opposite)
Line 5: three ‘ing words about the antonym
Line 6: two adjectives that describe the antonym
Line 7: an antonym (opposite word) for the noun/subject
The noun and its antonym I chose: anxiety and serenity
Also posted for NaPoWriMo Day 6. Illustration: some wierd photoshopped photo of me done years ago.

20 thoughts on “If you could choose . . .”

  1. Lisa or Li's avatar msjadeli April 6, 2021 / 3:58 pm

    Like night and day! When you write it out and compare them there is no other choice, is there.

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  2. Laura Bloomsbury's avatar Laura Bloomsbury April 6, 2021 / 4:08 pm

    you did wonders with this Lillian – its also interesting reading from the other end though it does not give the same relief!

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  3. sanaarizvi's avatar sanaarizvi April 6, 2021 / 4:18 pm

    My goodness this is absolutely outstanding, Lillian! 💝 Anxiety is no doubt all-consuming.

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    • lillian's avatar lillian April 8, 2021 / 2:55 pm

      Serenity is sometimes hard to achieve….but it seems to me to always be worth trying for!

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  4. Ergo, the Ogre's avatar The Abject Muse April 6, 2021 / 4:46 pm

    You certainly nailed this one, Lillian. Your word choices are perfect, crisp and precise. Well done!

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  5. Glenn A. Buttkus's avatar Glenn A. Buttkus April 6, 2021 / 5:04 pm

    Good on you, Lil. I, too, choose to write a diamante. It was so much fun, I wrote four of them. The form feels so free and existential.

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    • lillian's avatar lillian April 8, 2021 / 2:56 pm

      I agree….I really enjoyed the form. I was surprised how much time it took to just get the right words for one of them. Good for you to do four!

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  6. Ron.'s avatar Ron. April 6, 2021 / 5:49 pm

    I almost chose the diamante, too, Lillian. I’m glad I didn’t. Nothing I could have written could compare favorably to this fine work. Salute!

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    • lillian's avatar lillian April 8, 2021 / 2:57 pm

      You are too kind, Ron. I found it took quite a bit of time for this short of a form….just to come up with the right words against each other!

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  7. Grace's avatar Grace April 6, 2021 / 8:07 pm

    I would choose serenity over anxiety at any day Lillian.

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  8. Raivenne's avatar Raivenne April 7, 2021 / 12:20 am

    You’ve nailed these opposites justly. I felt the calm of reading it forwards, and felt the tension of reading it inverse. I prefer the path to end in serenity, Bravo.

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    • lillian's avatar lillian April 8, 2021 / 2:58 pm

      Exactly. That’s why, in the natural reading of it, the words take you to serenity!

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  9. Ingrid's avatar Ingrid April 7, 2021 / 1:10 am

    I would certainly choose serenity, Lillian, and I try to reinforce this every day!

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    • lillian's avatar lillian April 8, 2021 / 2:59 pm

      Me too! Sometimes it’s hard….but just a few minutes of meditation can sometimes center me for the rest of the day. 🙂

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  10. kim881's avatar kim881 April 7, 2021 / 7:22 am

    I like the way your diamante can be read both ways, Lill, and have a completely different effect. I too choose serenity.

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