Day 11 – NaPoWriMo – Optional prompt for the day: the Bop. The invention of poet Afaa Michael Weaver, the Bop is a kind of combination sonnet + song. Like a Shakespearan sonnet, it introduces, discusses, and then solves (or fails to solve) a problem. Like a song, it relies on refrains and repetition. In the basic Bop poem, a six-line stanza introduces the problem, and is followed by a one-line refrain. The next, eight-line stanza discusses and develops the problem, and is again followed by the one-line refrain. Then, another six-line stanza resolves or concludes the problem, and is again followed by the refrain. Here’s an example of a Bop poem written by Weaver, and here’s another by the poet Ravi Shankar.

Emotional abuse can leave one traumatized!

She has been humiliated,
Her opinions, have been disregarded,
Her appearance, is always judged,
She is always monitored and controlled,
Sharing of feelings, been verbally chastised,
Towards her, they are forever bigoted…..\

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