Bloody Sestina

Because I really, really hate sestinas.

I.
Like the lumpy coagulation of turtledove blood
Or mechanical mice to be chewed and found bloodless
In the red court, all vintage buttons grasping and bloody,
He watched bushels wash out, bunches of blankets she bloodied
Baby bursting in a bustling corner of white, bleeding,
Baring her blue at the end of her red, empty bled.

II.
She bled for you, like nobody before ever bled.
Love�s a war and so�s birth, too, and you bloodied
Your momma good, bringing out all she kept in. Blood
She needed, baby, you sucked it out with you to this bloodless
World. You got your own blood now, wretched, bloody
Baby, selfish baby, you�ll see, you�ll see, you bleeding

III.
For your momma. He washes his hands, bloody
Sink gurgling, Comet-breath beats the bathroom bloodless
But watch baby�s eyes, pink with chemicals, bleeding?
He checks, and not bleeding but blind or bloodied
Or blazing baby�s eyes out for papa�s blood
Just like momma�s, led to the stocks and bled

IV.
Bled like a pig or horse or dog, dove, cat
Clawing for the eyes, he is wiping away blood
Bleeding where it will, beads for baby�s fingers
Grasping for music because sound�s not bloodless.
Bloody notes, well-done, fill baby�s head in cat�s yowls-
Silence and smiles, all the world�s bloodied

V.
Now. Tempo, tempo, years flicking chunky blood
In papa�s face, baby�s not a baby no more, pumping, bleeding
Bloodless ears blocking out the sun from eyes� blood.
Bloodied gingham coats windows and papa can swear,
Bloody swear baby brought the devil in its blood
Momma bled for you, momma bled for you, momma bled

VII.
Baby stop we given enough blood, your eyes soaked through, bloodied-
No, not a baby, not a baby, bloody hell and fingers and palms bleeding
Not a baby bled for you, not a baby but bloodless.

VIII.
Done so far, bloody revenge, but yours or my blood
Feud fueled I don�t know, bled so much and still bleeding
Stethoscope listening, bloodless, beat bloodied�

IX.
Genghis bled like this, through the nose blood
Kingdoms bloody, drowned, sick and in a blink bloodless
Nose bleeding, he paid through the nose for it all, all he bloodied.

X.
Bloodless bloodied, bleeding bloody
Blood bled.

Reviews

[Alaina]

I don't think this is a sestina. A sestina has six stanzas of six lines each with each end word being repeated throughout the poem in a specific order. 615243. I know you repeated different forms of the word blood but they aren't in the right order. I think it is interesting that you would take one word and repeat it throughout the poem in different ways. I am not being a sestina purest by any means, but I feel your sestina is to far off form to even be called one anymore. I however love the fact that is it called a bloody sestina but i feel that the mellow drama of blood is apparent here it is very hard to use blood in a poem and have it be successful.