Window Dressing

Udit Bhatia invented cascade poetry in 2007. This relatively new style of poetry got its name because it should flow down the page in a waterfall effect. The poem’s structure is simple and relies on the refrain to create the cascading rhythm. The magic of these poems centers around the refrain. The unmetered poems vary in theme depending on the poet’s desire. The only rule used when writing a cascade is that all the lines in the first paragraph are repeated at the ends of every stanza that follows. I will call this cascade poem Window Dressing.

Structure of a cascade poem and Window Dressing

1. The first stanza has three lines.
2. The lines are represented as ABC.
3. The first line ends with line A.
4. The second line ends with Line B.
5. The third line ends with line C.

I had written this form of poetry before and had fun with it. I plan to start the month of March using this style. The length of the stanza can vary. There is no rule about sticking to three lines. The thing to remember is that the longer the stanza, the more complicated the poem.

Window Dressing

Poets are famous for living in poverty.
As long as I have a roof over my head,
And my stomach is well-fed
All the rest is window dressing.

Somehow it doesn’t seem right to  me
That words are sold so cheap.
I guess there isn’t much of a market
Poets are famous for living in poverty.

Forgettable fickle fame silently fled,
And doesn’t linger around my door.
The wind and cold don’t bother me.
As long as I have a roof over my head.

A wise man once said
Fortunes come and go.
There is more to life than toil.
And my stomach is well-fed.

I am not above confessing,
The words don’t seem to creep,
Into my mind as fast these days
All the rest is window dressing.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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