Rather Small
1.
Because the triolet is rather small,
One can’t say much of anything of weight.
One can’t say much of anything at all,
Because the triolet is rather small.
Its flight so short that it can’t even stall,
You miss the whole thing if you’re slightly late.
Because the triolet is rather small,
One can’t say much of anything of weight.
2.
I drink absinthe and I write triolets.
I stay up doing this until the dawn.
When people ask me if such writing pays,
I drink absinthe and I write triolets.
The sun comes up. I wander in a daze.
When people ask me what the hell I’m on,
I drink absinthe and I write triolets.
I stay up doing this until the dawn.
David J. Rothman’s most recent books are The Radio Poems (Middle Creek 2025) and a textbook, Learning the Secrets of English Verse (Springer 2022), co-authored with Susan Spear. He and Susan also co-edit the journal THINK.