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Vardhaku: Winter

A poem inspired by the concept of loss

By Cendrine MarrouatPublished 2 years ago Updated 9 months ago 2 min read
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Photo credit: Cendrine Marrouat - https://creativeramblings.com

A few months ago, I started participating in regular writing challenges on Medium. My favorites come from the Promptly Written publication, which was created and is run by artist extraordinaire Ravyne Hawke.

The whole team behind Promptly Written is lovely and very supportive of writers. You should definitely check out this publication!

In December 2021, Ravyne asked us to answer the following question: "How do you handle ‘loss’ during the holidays?" I contributed with a vardhaku.

Winter

The unknown

the beats of days

caught between whispers and deep snow,

filled with last kisses and New Year’s Day —

your wide smile in a fifteen-year-old collage.

©2021 Cendrine Marrouat

What Is the Vardhaku?

The Vardhaku is a poetry form I co-invented with linguist and short story writer Justin Smith in 2021, as an invitation to reflect on one’s personal growth.

The Vardhaku is a portmanteau word consisting of the following elements:

  • - “vardha”, a Sanskrit word meaning ‘the act of increasing, giving increase or prosperity; augmenting; gladdening’ or ‘cutting, dividing’ (Source: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary)
  • - “ku”, as in ‘haiku’

The Vardhaku is an expanding five-line poem divided into two parts: The first four lines describe a problem or situation, with the fifth line offering a positive / inspirational resolution. Title and punctuation are optional.

Using a combination of syllables and words, the Vardhaku mainly focuses on conciseness to deliver an impactful message to the reader. It must be composed in one of the following formats:

  • 1, 3, 5, 7 words (lines 1–4) / 10 syllables (line 5)
  • 1, 3, 5, 7 syllables (lines 1–4) / 10 words (line 5)
  • 2, 4, 6, 8 words (lines 1–4) / 11 syllables (line 5)
  • 2, 4, 6, 8 syllables (lines 1–4) / 11 words (line 5)

That's it for today! Thank you for reading!

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Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.

inspirational
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About the Creator

Cendrine Marrouat

Writer & Author⎜Photographer⎜Artist⎜Co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms / A Warm Mug of Cozy⎜(Co-)creator of literary forms

"The Train: A Short Story" is out!

Website: https://creativeramblings.com

Donations: https://ko-fi.com/cendrineartist

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insight

  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

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Comments (3)

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  • Tiffany Gordon 6 months ago

    Wonderful work!

  • Babs Iverson6 months ago

    Fabulous!!! Outstanding and inspirational!!!💕❤️❤️

  • Cathy holmes6 months ago

    Very nicely done.

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