Brhati

Brhati (“that which grows” or “life’s breath”, God of Words) is an ancient Vedic stanzaic form. Brhati is named as one of the seven horses pulling the chariot of the sun.

In verse the Brhati is
• stanzaic, 36 syllables written in any number of 4 line stanzas.
• syllabic, 9 syllables each.
• metric, the metric pattern of the line requires 2 heavy syllables. In English break the cadence with caesura and attempt to include a couple of long or heavy vowel syllables near the end of the line. (“heavy” is a dipthong, a hard vowel sound or a vowel followed by a combination of consonants)

Too Many Years by Judi Van Gorder

Sucking one more breath into scarred lungs,
the once vibrant man suffers a life
no longer desired. His passion
and independence reclaimed by time.

Pasted from <http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?showtopic=1227>
My thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on this fine PMO resource.

I find this a difficult form to compose in English, and doubt the success of either of these examples.

My attempt

Closing the Circle (Brhati)

With gasps and noise he entered this life.
He lived it well, understands himself,
and disquietude – he exits now
with only ragged breaths making sound.

© Lawrencealot – November 19, 2014

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