POETRY SERIES
Loving Farewell to ‘Elysian’ And Welcoming ‘Gunnen’
Come, enjoy another beautiful series with us!
Dear Paper Poetry Patrons,
Hello, Bonjour, Olá, Salaam, Hola, Nǐn hǎo, Konnichiwa, Guten Tag, Namastay, LOVE.
Hope you are all enjoying the LET’S GO MUSICAL triathlon at Paper Poetry on Week 16, Week 17, and Week 18. We are dancing to the tune too.
And now is the time to talk about Poetry Series.
Paper Poetry started the Poetry Series in early 2021. And we are overwhelmed with love showered upon this endeavor.
Do you know that there are more than 7100 languages 😮 spoken in the world today? Can you imagine the words in each language? What a treasure trove of words our world possesses.
The poetry series was started with the idea to tap the power of these beautiful, mesmerizing words worldwide 🌏, across cultures.
Every month, we are in pursuit of a novel, lesser-known gem from some hidden corner of our beautiful planet to serve your poetic senses. And then, one of you embellishes it with your craft 🎨 🎭.
About Poetry Series
The Poetry Series is a Paper Poetry project wherein we invite a contributing poet to write theme-based poems in a series over one month. These themes are from any and every corner of the world.
Poetry Series is a platform to —
👉Explore a theme in depth while showcasing your work.
👉Claim a special spot in Paper Poetry publication.
👉Have mention in the newsletter with your photograph.
👉Enjoy increased visibility.
👉Receive an e-certificate from Paper Poetry to use for your branding and endeavors.
👉Cherish an experience of a lifetime; trust me, the journey of carving a series on a theme will be worth your time, effort, and a loving legacy.
Elysian — Poetry Series #8
Our Poetry Series #8 was penned by Jim Dutton. Jim has an aesthetic sense of articulating words, sprinkling emotions and deep thoughts. Then he casts and forms them to render a reader’s delight. I encourage you to relive his Elysian sojourn here.
He chose the theme Elysian, meaning beautiful or creative; divinely inspired; peaceful and perfect.
It was as if this theme was waiting for Jim to get explored. He wrote all four poems during a five-week holiday trip through seven countries in Central and Eastern Europe — in the Elysian plains.
The legend has it that Alexander himself once marched through some of those. And it all connected with Jim being in Europe, in the Elysian plains, in Alexander’s land. And therefore, he wrote the whole series From Paradise to Paradise in four parts, about the life of Alexander the Great.
He chose the poetry form to be galleggiante. He has explained this form as a footnote in his series. Kindly check.
He opens Part 1 with the birth of Alexander the Great and the events which led him to find his life’s purpose.
In Part 2, Jim tells the story of the 18-year-old Alexander and his first battle, his encounter with the Army of lovers, and King Philip’s reaction to the saga, a heart-touching story you cannot miss!
In The last Persian sunset, the story continues when Alexander meets the King of Persia. How the King’s mother encouraged him to take on the Elysian path. For what happened next, you have to read part 3.
Part 4 witnesses Alexander’s death after a colloquial conquest. Jim beautifully weaves the story of his honor, wealth, scars, and pride and what happens to his vast empire after Alexander’s death at a young age.
Jim Dutton’s storytelling in a poetic way is showcased below and will forever grace the Poetry Series homepage.
Below is Jim’s certificate of merit.
Thank you loads, Jim Dutton! We are honored to share your incredible Elysian series with our readers.
Upcoming Poetry Series: ‘Gunnen’
Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise!! We are presenting our next Poetry Series writer to you. Drumrolls!!
He works in many forms, but lately, in free verse, he also writes in metered verse and even the sonnet. He has a Master’s degree in English and Rhetoric and has been an instructor at University and Secondary school levels for 23 years. On Medium, his poetry has been published on Lit Up, PS I Love You, MuddyUm (parody and satire), Poetry in Form, The Lark, and others.
He also writes criticism on literature for a variety of publications. In addition, this poet-angel-hipster dude from Jersey writes satire, humor, fiction, poetry, essays on music, travel, gardening, and so on.
Dear friends, let’s welcome Walter Bowne.
Walter picked up the theme Gunnen, a word of Dutch origin meaning finding happiness in someone’s happiness because you love them so much.
In his words, “This is a big one with the romantic poets, and even Shakespeare, and many others.”
In his first poem, Ode to a Catbird, Walter finds and expresses his happiness in the felicitous moments cherishing the one he loves so very much.
PS: Walter patiently waited to capture his beloved catbird for the poem 🙂
O! how you squawk for the bird bath refilled! O! how like that of, then, my young daughter!
But then I think of you — your happiness — And I recall jumping from the Crow’s Nest —
From The Archives
So far, we have explored eight themes, and we are enchanted with the vivacity and verve that these amazing writers have epitomized the eloquence of words in the fabric of the Poetry Series themes.
They are adorning Paper Poetry’s Hall of Fame.
Their craft is permanently on display on the Paper Series tab on the Paper Poetry homepage.
For a glance, the themes explored so far are:
- Ubuntu: South African proverb for ‘I am because we are’ ~ James
- Mizpah: Hebrew for a deep emotional bond between people separated by distance or death. ~Penofgold
- WabiSabi: Japanese for beauty in imperfection.~Chloe
- Daou: Arabic for light & illumination. ~Jenine
5. Alpas: Filipino, meaning to break free ~ Viraji
6. Tacenda: Spanish, things better left unsaid ~ Margie
7. Fika: Swedish, meaning taking a moment to slow down and appreciate good things in life. ~ William
8. Elysian: Greek, beautiful or creative; divinely inspired; peaceful and perfect. ~ Jim
We invite you to become our next poetry series writer
If interested in gracing our hall of fame, please feel free to:
- Write an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Poetry Series writer request” OR
- Drop a private note to this story with your email to connect OR
- Mention it in the response below.
We will reach out to you. Our word!
Thank you! Rise and Shine. 🌞 Indubala
