DUET POEM CHALLENGE

POETRY DUET CHALLENGE: 1.) Find a partner – another member on this site. It can be someone you know or, if you’re particularly bold, someone you don’t! – and ask them if they’d be willing to do this Challenge with you. 2.) Together, choose a topic to write about 3.) Agree on a style of poetry, replete with number of lines you’ll each need to write 4.) Then decide – however you choose to do that (could be alphabetical order, could be eeny-meeny-miney-moe, could be heads-or-tails) – whose line goes first. 5.) Combine the poems by taking turns, one line at a time: the first writer’s first line, then the second writer’s first line, then the first writer’s second line, and the second writer’s second line, etc. I was introduced to this idea several years ago by my dear friend Sandy Nelms-Ludwig, who’s also a member on here. We chose as our title/topic “Fidelity,” and here’s our finished product: ************************************************************************* FIDELITY Far beyond the promise to be true, From the cradle some are fed unforgettable heartache Fidelity carries the promise of ferocity when the bond is challenged. Maturing with broken inner workings like an old clock. It’s the bodyguard for the union of two souls, Time after time faithfulness remains a foreign unshared feeling. With heartstrings so entwined, they become a solo vestment for two wearers, Its absence is a wound oozing and tainting most emotional interactions. The embodiment of a shared unity, However, others seek strength in counseling to learn how to suture the open scars And a lifetime suit of armor for the promise of trust inside. Warily accepting that freely giving love and devotion is necessary for healing. When we finished and combined our two poems and read them, we got hysterical at first, our initial question being, “HOW ARE WE FRIENDS WHEN WE ARE THIS DIFFERENT??????” But then, as we began to examine and discuss it further, we realized that, although our upbringings and life experiences have been extremely different, our creativity and writing prowess and ability to express ourselves is our tie that binds. It was such an eye-opening experience, really.