NYCL Writers' Group Forum Abantu

Abantu is a couplet form that comes from oral African tradition.

One person says a line and the other responds with a second line that is associated to the first in an interesting way.

Lightning bright in the courtyard.
A torch in a cardboard box.

Shoes and socks at the top of the stairs.
The new kid no one talks to.

Providing these second line "responses" is a good exercise for practicing thinking in images and in the associative way we need to think when writing and understanding metaphors. Collect first lines in a notebook as you go through the day (Milk on the cold tile floor, Bike moored in a snow drift, etc.) and then "answer" them with second lines in the evening.

And, of course, I invite you to post your thoughts on abantu and your examples here!

A bright light on a moonless night