Fussy Little Forms: Puente

Good weekend, Toads! Let’s play with PUENTE. 

Puente is a rewarding form created by James Rasmusson. The word puente means bridge in Spanish, and--naturally--this lovely form features a bridge. It is a simple idea: 

• Three stanzas 
• First and third stanzas have equal number of lines (your choice how many) 
• Middle bridge stanza is one line, encloses in dashes or tildes 
• Middle bridge stanza serves as last line for first stanza and first line for last stanza 

Kerry first introduced the puente in the garden back in 2011: BRIDGING THE GAP 

Here is another helpful article from Folded Word: PUENTE 

Here is an example I wrote in response to Kerry’s prompt, called “Quabbin Dream,” about my grandmother:

Woods like fiery calico 
patchwork across the lake-- 
another season arrives with its bluster, 
its demands stitched in crimson, 
brittle-hearted like dry leaves. 

-- you are still gone -- 

Picture my children greeting you-- 
smiles preserved in a weathered frame, 
dancing like leaves in an autumn wind, 
but all I have is your words 
stitched in crimson into a fiery heart. 

                               (c) Marian Kent

Quabbin Reservoir

Ready? Let’s try it! And have a wonderful weekend, friends.