To Those I Follow

Summary

Jenine Bsharah Baines shares a personal reflection through a new poetic form called a "twittle," expressing her desire to engage with the writings of those she follows on Medium despite the fatigue of her body.

Abstract

Jenine Bsharah Baines introduces a poetic piece titled "To Those I Follow," which is her first attempt at a "twittle"—a poem with four lines and exactly one hundred letters. She contrasts her physical need for rest with her spirit's yearning to be nourished by the words of her peers on Medium. The article includes two of her original twittles, reflecting on the challenge of adhering to the strict letter count and the joy of creation, despite the difficulty. Baines acknowledges the struggle of breaking away from traditional haiku syllable counting and embraces the new form. She expresses gratitude to Suntonu Bhadra and the Paper Poetry team for providing a platform for her work and thanks her readers for engaging with her poetry, hinting at the possibility of writing a twittle for the U.S. president, a known Twitter enthusiast.

Opinions

Jenine Bsharah Baines finds the constraints of the twittle form challenging yet rewarding, comparing the process to ice skating or a bicycle race where balance is key and spills are part of the experience.
She admits that the exacting nature of counting letters in her twittles was a difficult task, revealing her vulnerability and the learning curve involved in mastering a new poetic style.
Baines values the interaction with her audience and the Medium community, showing appreciation for both the creators of the platform she publishes on and the readers who engage with her content.
She expresses a playful intent to possibly compose a twittle for the U.S. president, suggesting a lighthearted view of the president's prolific Twitter usage and the potential for poetry within social media.

A twittle

My body needs a nap. My spirit needs to bathe in your words — to learn, be inspired, laugh, weep with others… and quaff an espresso.

©Jenine Bsharah Baines 2020

In real life, my body bullied my spirit. We collapsed for a two-hour nap. How I wish my spirit could have mustered the moxie to quaff the coffee and catch up on my Medium reading. I am SO BEHIND!

This is my first attempt at a poem called a “twittle.” You may know it as a “dribble,” although Carolyn Hastings aims to change this. Four lines, one hundred letters. (Exactly one hundred, letters not characters, if I understand the rules correctly.) Perfect for Twitter. Haiku lovers may especially resonate to the challenge. (E. Scott Alighieri) I sure did, except I’d slip into haiku-habits and find myself counting syllables. The photo below says it all.

In other words, the letter-counting part damn near killed me. If I goofed, please don’t tell me!

It is like ice skating or a bicycle race, balancing lines and letters — spills do occur. Still, the Muse covets her gold medals.

Since these compositions were birthed the old fashioned way, it seems only fitting that they find a home on Paper Poetry. Thank you, Suntonu Bhadra and team, for providing a place to play.

Thank YOU, dearest reader, for giving these twittles a shot. I just may write one for our president the Twitter fanatic next.

To Those I Follow

A twittle

About Me — Jenine Bsharah Baines

Take a walk with me…