Family
Not for the Likes
It began with a grin. A sun-kissed selfie taken at a precise angle with the caption, "Monday blues, but make it fashion." In seven seconds, the first like was received. Then fifty. Next, 300. She felt noticed. confirmed. Nearly... deserving. But the girl who had hardly slept was hiding behind that flawless pout and meticulously manicured glow. who wondered why she wasn't enough after spending hours looking through other people's highlight reels. who, fearing that bloating would ruin her figure for the next bikini photo, hadn't eaten a full meal in two days. This was no longer for amusement. The purpose of this was not to connect. This was not a creative exercise. This was war, a battleground of approval on the internet. Every post was a weapon, every post was like life support, and she was fighting. -- These days, being visible is valuable. where your value is frequently determined by the hearts on your picture, the number of people who view your reel, and the remarks you receive from strangers who will judge your smile, skin, and soul. People advise you to "just be yourself." But when the algorithm doesn't like you being yourself, how do you "be yourself"? Raw cannot be sold. Tears are not in style. No one shares stretch marks. Sponsorships don't come from authenticity.
By Tousif Arafat8 months ago in Poets
The Ghazal
Ghazals are love poems. Must be written in couplets, or stanzas of 2 lines. It has no less than 5, and no more than 15, couplets. Each couplet typically ends in a period. Each couplet should be able to stand on its own, while also being interlinked with the other couplets. Some ghazal poets argue that each couplet is its own poem. Each line must have the same number of syllables. Every ghazal has a radeef. A radeef is a refrain repeated at the end of certain lines. This refrain often titles the poem as well. The refrain appears at the end of lines 1 and 2, and then at the end of lines 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, etc. In other words, every even-numbered line, plus the first line. Every ghazal has a kafiya. The kafiya is a rhyming phrase that precedes every radeef. The poem cannot repeat any kafiyas, so every radeef has its own unique kafiya. The final couplet can have a self-reference. In other words, the poet can (and usually does) refer to themselves in the final couplet. Some contemporary ghazal examples eschew this rule, but most poems have the self-reference.
By Denise E Lindquist8 months ago in Poets
