Poetry Friday.
Before you read my poem “Araminta,”
I must tell you the amazing story of my characters’ names . . .
I needed a name.
In fact, I needed two names.
Not just any names.
One had to begin with the sound /n/ and have three syllables.
The other had to begin with a vowel sound and have four syllables.
And at least one had to be African.
You see, I was writing a poem for a writing challenge in response to visual art (see below). I had chosen to write a narrative poem. And I had chosen to try my hand at using trochaic tetrameter, the pattern Longfellow used for Hiawatha: DUM-da DUM-da DUM-da DUM-da.
When I began writing the story, I didn’t have names for the characters. The story was flowing in my head, so I wrote the lines of the poem by putting da-DUM-da in for the first character and DUM-da-DUM-da in for the second character — holding their places.
Well, that worked for a time, but I got to a point where I had to know their names. Without their names, I couldn’t hear their voices. Without their names, I couldn’t find the end of their story.
First, I searched for three-syllable names beginning with “n.” A list came up. One by one, I read the names. That was where I found Nehanda. It was perfect — a three-syllable Zimbabwean name beginning with /n/. It fit da-DUM-da. And as a bonus, Nehanda means “the beautiful one has arrived,” matching the description I already had in my draft — “beautiful da-DUM-da.”
Then, I searched for the second name, looking for four-syllable names beginning with “a,” the first vowel in the alphabet. It wasn’t long before I saw Araminta. I tested it in my mouth. I said it out loud, listening to the sound of it. Then I slipped it into the lines of the poem, replacing DUM-da-DUM-da, and read. The rhythm was right, and the roundness of sounds was exactly what I wanted. I was really excited about how well it worked!
But before I finalized my choice, I searched for its meaning and to see if it had a history. Well, I was ecstatic with what I learned! Araminta is a rare name, fused from Arabella and Aminta which mean prayer and protection respectively. And Araminta Ross is Harriet Tubman’s birth name. Perfect! Just perfect!
With their names found, I heard their voices, and they told me their story. I call it “Araminta.”
Araminta
In an age we all have heard of,
In a time that’s not forgotten,
In her home in quiet freedom,
Lived the beautiful Nehanda,
Daughter of the stars, Nehanda.
In the night of dreadful horror
Came the slavers with their evil.
Evil chased her, evil took her,
Chained the beautiful Nehanda,
Daughter of the stars, Nehanda.
In a land she’d never heard of,
Under bonds of brutal anguish,
Degradation, ceaseless labor,
Grieved the beautiful Nehanda,
Daughter of the stars, Nehanda.
Numb her heart was, lost and hopeless,
‘Til the stars in heaven found her.
Then Nehanda bore a daughter
And she called her Araminta,
Loved her daughter, Araminta.
Telling stories of her childhood,
Speaking words in native language,
Whisp’ring dreams she’d not forgotten
In the evenings, bold Nehanda
Rocked her daughter, Araminta.
Sharing secrets of her people,
Singing joyous songs of freedom,
Naming stars to guide their pathway
In the nighttimes, brave Nehanda
Held her daughter, Araminta.
Summers, winters, time passed darkly
Endless hardships, trouble, sorrows
Slowly sank the strong Nehanda
Death came softly, took her gently
In the arms of Araminta.
Skies were changed by summer breezes
Taking flight in wooden vessel
On the waves of Alshehoptfore*,
Thus departed Araminta,
Daughter of the brave Nehanda.
Found the stars to guide her pathway,
Sang the songs Nehanda taught her,
Whispered words she’d rarely spoken
Fled the young one, Araminta,
Daughter of the strong Nehanda.
Far behind her lay sad mem’ries,
Lay all fierce and evil dangers.
Bright before her rose a new land.
Freedom welcomed Araminta,
Daughter of the bold Nehanda.
© 2018 Alice Nine. All rights reserved.
*Alshehoptfore – “all she hoped for”
* * * *
The writing challenge
During February 2018, I participated in a daily poetry writing challenge extended to a FB community by Laura Shovan, her Annual February Poetry Project. This year we wrote ekphrastic poetry — poems in response to art.
On Day 26, Ann Haman shared this batik art piece, “Moon Song” by Lisa Kattenbraker. It was the seed inspiration for “Araminta.”
When I shared a draft of “Araminta” in February, it was rough! I hadn’t given it a title and I needed to work on the sequence of thoughts in the last three stanzas. I also had a number of lines that needed work in order to achieve trochaic tetrameter. They were lines with an unstressed/stressed rhythm (iambic) which sounds more like regular speech. Since February, I’ve given it a title and I revised the sequence of thoughts and I achieved the rhythm.
Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
is hosting the week’s #PoetryFriday Round-Up
Thank you, Tabatha!
#PoetryFriday Schedule
January – June 2018
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Beautiful tale you wove, I appreciate the journey you took in finding just the right names–it adds a richness to your story! Your rhythm flows throughout the lines. And what fun to see the poem here again and how it’s transformed from February, thanks Alice!
Alice, I am mesmerized by this tale of yours that is finely crafted into a poem. Your process of finding the characters’ names is also fascinating. These lines stand out: Numb her heart was, lost and hopeless,
‘Til the stars in heaven found her.
Perhaps, the second line here describes what happened to you – the stars in heaven found you and faith allowed you to move toward your refinement of your poem. Wonderful work today!
WOW!! What a poem! What a process! I am in love with the fifth lines and how they weave the two characters together. Bravo!! This needs to be a picture book!!
Wow! This is wonderful, Alice! I loved that piece of art when it appeared in February and am thrilled you returned to your poem to revise it. The rhythm and your masterly use of repetition create a timeless feel to it–the weight of history or legend. Your name selection process was fascinating, too. Thanks so much for sharing!
Beautiful, and I love the way it makes me think of Hiawatha. Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Alice, the story of how this poem came together is really something….this poem existed and was waiting for the hand to write it. What an honor to be the hand. And, the flow and the story and the names and the art and the meaning. It is so beautiful. I think this poem has a wider audience than this blog. I hope you will submit it to a place where more people can see it. The love between the people and the stars are perfect.
It’s so exciting when you find just the right name, isn’t it?
Your poem sounds just like trochaic tetrameter to me! Well done.
Alice, I was initially drawn by the name Araminta. My daughter has a friend by that name. it is quite rare and special. Just like your poem. So finely crafted. The story well told in multiple stanzas revealing your deeper knowledge of these events; these characters. You have employed repetition so effectively as well. Thank you for also sharing your process. Poetry is so often about refinement and revisiting the words in order to achieve a smoother connection for the words. You can hear them clicki into place. Your work here reflects poetic persistence and your efforts are rewarded with this fine example of your poetic prowess. Go Alice!
You’re an amazing author with more creativity than I have in my little finger! Lol. Love and blessings Sista!
Awwww… Sista, thanks for your love and blessings! xo
Bravo, Alice! What a challenge you set for yourself, and you succeeded beautifully. “Moon Song” was one of my favorite pieces from Laura’s project. The story you’ve woven matches the art perfectly.
I knew this sounded familiar–and I love it even more with the work you’ve done. I loved hearing the story of how you found the names, too.
I remember absolutely loving this in February, Alice. I am so excited you’ve been playing around with it. Just amazing! What a story.
Thanks, Christie. It’s been a fun challenge–playing with the words and the meter. My most recent tiny revision (just this morning after I “published”) is in the first line of stanza 7. I had “time passed slowly.” I didn’t like it because it felt hackneyed and I use “slowly” to describe Nehanda’s approaching death just two lines down where alliteration made it more desirable. I had to have a 2-syllable adverb with stress/unstressed pattern. Nothing was working because I was focused on the aging aspect of time… then I realized I already had that expressed in “summers, winters.” So I looked at the line that followed, perhaps I could find an adverb to connect “time passed” to it. It took a couple focused readings of the two lines and the word “darkly” popped into place! Amazes me!
Wonderful that you returned to make the poem “more” and turned it into a beautiful story, Alice. Well done! I have a college friend whose name was Araminta, no longer in touch, but now I wonder why she had that name and did she know the background that you shared. Thanks!
Thank you, Linda. How interesting about your friend ’cause what I read said it was a rare name.
It was a long time ago, and now I want to ask her about it. We usually called her “Minta”.
Names have real power, don’t they? I like what you’ve done with your tale.
They sure do!
I recently read and reviewed a bunch of books on Harriet Tubman, gaining a greater appreciation of her. Your poem is beautiful and powerful! I love it.
Thank you. 🙂
Strong, perfect names for this strong, beautiful poem.
Thank you. 🙂
There is always great delight for me in learning how the writing of an admirable poem came about. You done good!
I also like reading about a writer’s thinking… what influenced choices. Thanks for stopping by!