We are not turnstones

It is on such days as these
that I love to be beside the sea,

watching rollers hit the shore,
Nature’s power, nothing more

than waves and wind, and turnstones
tripping and skipping among fishbones,

seaweed and shells, not unlike Sisyphus,
pushing, shoving, turning – showing us

not how our lives must be, but how
tenacity can get us from then to now.

Kim M. Russell, 2nd January 2023

Image by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash

On the second day of the New Year, Sanaa is our host for the dVerse Poets Pub Poetics, exploring the litotes of yesterday.

She has given us a definition of litotes as ‘a rhetorical device used to make an understatement by negating the opposite of the intended message. A double negative is frequently used, leading to a positive declaration. However, this method is used to make a vague, indirect, or modest claim instead of a clear, positive statement.’

Sanaa also discusses why litotes is used when we can say things directly: for effect, to add emphasis, to soften a blunt statement, to evoke a conversational style or add humour. And she has given plenty of examples.

Sanaa would like us to choose one of three options:

  1. Write a narrative poem using litotes where the main character or antagonist stands out.
  2. Write a poem using litotes and follow the example of Homer or Shakespeare. Give us something classic.
  3. Write a poem by employing litotes as a part of everyday speech.

40 thoughts on “We are not turnstones”

  1. This is gorgeous, gorgeous writing, Kim! Sigh .. I especially admire “seaweed and shells, not unlike Sisyphus, pushing, shoving, turning – showing us not how our lives must be, but how
    tenacity can get us from then to now.”

    Thank you so much for writing to the prompt ❤️❤️❤️

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  7. Kim, your poem is a beautiful celebration of the sea’s power and the tenacity reflected in nature’s cycles. The simplicity of your language belies the depth of meaning, and the use of litotes adds a subtle layer of nuance. Well done!

    ~David

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  11. I would not have liked to have lived in Ephra under Sisyphus. Somehow I know that he wouldn’t have liked me. And the pleasure of the place is lost on worrying about trying to learn a lesson when pleasures around turn to be monsters.
    ..

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  19. Yes, Sisyphus, such a great line, and tripping and skipping, which for me evokes the sense that life can be planned but the reality is somewhat different. Such a great poem KIm. Full of feeling that resonates.

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