Ice Lions

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The sun shines brightly.
Puff clouds float by in the sky;
The breeze warmly wisps.

The green grass is soft,
The open field, inviting,
A blanket laid down.

Birds and butterflies
Dancing with the dragonflies
Entertain new love.

A couple sits there
In a picnic revelry.
A hand reaches out
To unclasp the basket lid,
In doing so, it bursts open.

Ice fractals pierce with sharp pain,
As the couple sits frozen,
Flash-locked in a wintry plane—

Their flesh: crack-designed like chain,
The crevices are crimson;
Ice fractals pierce with sharp pain.

Crystals crust over the stain
Left from the explosive blood,
Flash-locked in a wintry plane.

Lovers’ mouths a frosty drain
Outpouring bloody ice spears—
Ice fractals pierce with sharp pain.

Their eyes—instantly insane—
Yet their eyes are still alive,
Flash-locked in a wintry plane.

Forms covered in frosty mane,
Like ice lions in a shell—
Ice fractals pierce with sharp pain,
Flash-locked in a wintry plane.

© 2024 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.

Tittu

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POET’S NOTE:

Form: Chameleon Cantos. Written for Sparkle City Magic’s Week #5 (on Medium) prompts: basket and ice.

The following was added on February 7, 2025.

Chameleon Cantos
created by Tristan Robert Lange on October 19, 2024, for the poem “Ice Lions” and revised/updated on February 7, 2025, for the poem “Breathtaking”.

Purpose:
Creates a poetic journey that shifts in tone, rhythm, and complexity, allowing for a narrative that evolves from simple observations to a more intricate theme exploration.

Structure:

• Canto I: Three haiku stanzas (5-7-5 syllables each)
• Canto II: One tanka stanza (5-7-5-7-7 syllables)
• Canto III: Choice of either:
• A Villanelle (19 lines, following the traditional villanelle structure and rhyme scheme)
• A Terzenelle (19 lines, following the terzenelle structure and rhyme scheme)

An Explanation of Canto III

• Villanelle option: Provides a structured, intense repetition that emphasizes key themes or images
• Terzenelle option: Offers a blend of villanelle and terza rima elements for a unique progression of ideas

Key Features:

• Progressive complexity from haiku to tanka to Villanelle/Terzenelle
• Flexibility in theme and tone between sections
• Opportunity for stark contrast or subtle evolution between parts

Guidelines:

• A sequence of three Haiku: Establishes setting, mood, or initial observations
• A Tanka: Introduces a shift, tension, or turning point
• A Villanelle/Terzenelle: Develops the main action, revelation, or thematic exploration

Rhyme and Meter:

• Haiku and tanka sections: Traditional syllabic count, no rhyme requirement
• Villanelle option: Traditional villanelle structure with its specific rhyme scheme and repetition pattern
• Terzenelle option: Follows the terzenelle structure with its defined rhyme scheme and repetition pattern

Themes:

• Versatile, but particularly suited for themes involving transformation, contrast, or gradual revelation

Examples:

• “Ice Lions” and “Breathtaking” by Tristan Robert Lange serve as the inaugural examples

History:
In October, Sparkle Magic City (a publication on Medium.com) put out the following prompts for their week 5 challenge. The prompts were home, basket, ice, guitar, and pillow. I chose two of the five prompts to work with, with the idea of having ice fly out of a picnic bakset. I took that initial concept and thought of how to create the horrifying, jolting effect of icicles flying out at the picnickers’ faces. I knew that Haiku could set a serene scene and seasonal feel and that a Tanka would very much keep the syllabic flow of the poem intact. As someone who values repetitive forms, I figured a villanelle would be perfect to lock people into that horrific scene and yet feel a sense of helplessness and inevitability as it unfolds.

I did not initially view this as an independent form. I simply wrote the poem and then walked away. On February 6, I had the idea of writing a poem that transitioned from a beautiful sunrise to being swallowed up by the sea. It dawned on me that the structure of the Ice Lions poem might work for this concept, so I employed it and realized this was a very duplicatable form. I named it Chameleon Cantos because, like a chameleon, it is a hybrid that shifts between forms. This shifting casues the narrative to be a bit of chameleon too, in that it shits in tone and intensity.

Following completion of the poem “Breathtaking” on February 7, 2025, I recognized the value and versatility of this form I accidentally created for a single poem and drafted up these guidelines so that others can employ and play with it as well.