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Common Poetic Devices Favoured by Suzette Swan Arc Poetry

Suzette Swan Arc (formerly ‘InfraMetron’) – celebrates language as a living entity, breathing new life into tried and tested poetic devices that has been the mainstay of poets for many centuries. As early as the 16^th-century, Edmund Spenser was using the pivot in his sonnets, instead of the volta (turn) favoured by sonneteers of the time—allowing for a more gentle turn of thought to permeate throughout the poem—thereby not honouring the ‘problem set up and then resolved’ structure of the Petrarchan sonnet.

Western poets take it for granted that poetic devices employed are common across the board, but this is not the case. Many Western poetic traditions, particularly English, emphasise rhyme schemes as a marker of structure and musicality. Meanwhile, languages like Japanese (with syllabic constraints) or Chinese (where tone affects meaning) often rely on rhythm, repetition, and parallelism rather than formal rhyme patterns.

Divisions are also evident within the same language groups. British English, in particular, leans into irony and understatement as a cultural mode of expression. In languages like Hindi or Arabic, irony tends to be much more explicit or exaggerated. The same goes for certain East Asian languages where directness is valued over implicit humour.

More recent techniques include stream of consciousness, made popular by French poets in the 1920s. This narrative technique, where thoughts flow uninterrupted in a character’s mind, is deeply rooted in English modernist literature (think Virginia Woolf or James Joyce). In contrast, languages with stricter grammatical rules, such as German, or languages with a more paratactic structure, like Chinese, may struggle to replicate this free-form, internal monologue in the same organic way.

Striving for inclusivity and accessibility across diverse poetic traditions is an ambitious endeavour—one that requires an ongoing dialogue between structure and fluidity. While no single form can fully accommodate every linguistic nuance, Suzette Swan Arc embraces time-honoured devices to create a sinuous, adaptive flow, allowing poets from varied backgrounds to engage intuitively with its boundless terrain.

Poetic Devices Favoured by Suzette Swan Arc Poetry

In my following poem, The Duality of Fatherhood, I demonstrate the use of various poetic tools to achieve the style distinctive to Suzette Swan Arc. The topographical layout of lines—shaped by indentation, capitalisation, punctuation, and spatial arrangement—is the poet’s prerogative, sculpting meaning and rhythm much like elevation defines a landscape. Since certain tropes rely on subtle repetition, such as recurring motifs, they contribute to the poem’s rhythmic undercurrent without overpowering its essence.

The Duality of Fatherhood

a secret dream of peace

youth making dreamers of all –

amidst enemy fire

passions rode high –

he lays a bridge of worn footprints—

each step a chapter unwritten

in the cycle of life …

the world—

a hostile place

to carve a niche

while you run—

in circles … your footprints fading

embracing his issue –

hiding fear

in the folds of his proud smile –

sticky embraces

soiling the best suit

stoking the fire to excel –

watching the children blossom –

cheering them on

to achieve their dreams

as his breath catches

in a tight chest

youthful dreams circle—

unfolding, returning—

the torch passed on …

Poetic Devices Present in the Poem

Pivot: Instead of a conventional volta, we see fluid, intuitive shifts—particularly where paternal devotion oscillates between protective strength and vulnerability. One striking pivot occurs in: embracing his issue – / hiding fear / in the folds of his proud smile. Here, a father’s outward confidence masks his inner apprehension, making the emotional transition seamless rather than abrupt. Similarly, the metaphor in he lays a bridge of worn footprints— / each step a chapter unwritten transforms experience into inherited legacy, guiding the poem’s movement from youthful ambition to generational continuity.
Ellipses & Dashes: You employ these sparingly but purposefully. The en dash in youth making dreamers of all – / amidst enemy fire conveys interruption; while the ellipses in youthful dreams circle— / unfolding, returning— / the torch passed on … evoke continuity. Additionally, the mid-line ellipsis in while you run— / in circles … your footprints fading elongates the moment, reinforcing the cyclical nature of life. These pauses allow reflection and movement without disrupting fluidity.
Oscillation & Sinuous Flow: Instead of stark juxtaposition, the poem’s fluidity emerges through alternating cycles—between external hardship and internal sanctuary, between youthful ambition and generational wisdom. The recurring pivot between action (treading, excelling, cheering) and emotion (fear, breath catching, dreams circling) enforces oscillation, ensuring thematic resonance.
Concise Line Lengths & Unpredictable Line Breaks: Rather than mirroring free verse’s elasticity, your lines retain precision, breaking unpredictably for emotional emphasis rather than rhythmic conformity. For instance, the break in soiling the best suit forces an intimate pause before transitioning into motivational fire—ensuring resonance and a layered emotional impact.
Non-Linearity: The poem does not follow a straightforward narrative arc but cycles through experiences in thematic waves. The image of passing the torch is hinted at early and solidifies only in the final lines, reinforcing the generational continuum.
Ambiguity (Structured, Not Random): Lines like sticky embraces / soiling the best suit offer multiple interpretations. The messiness of childhood affection could symbolise deep love or personal sacrifice, adding depth to meaning without explicit exposition. Likewise, while you run— / in circles … your footprints fading speaks to impermanence and cyclical existence.
Negative Spaces (Silences & Pauses): Silence plays a role in transition—especially in the ellipses and sudden pivots. The quiet between a hostile place / to carve a niche suggests resilience against the world’s challenges without direct exposition.
Symbolism vs. Metaphor: Instead of metaphor-heavy abstraction, the poem leans on symbolic gestures (embrace, suit, breath catching), reinforcing meaning through recurrence rather than direct comparison. However, the metaphor in he lays a bridge of worn footprints— / each step a chapter unwritten elevates the imagery, transforming fatherhood into a tangible construct of legacy.
Recurring Tropes & Extended Metaphor: The cycle of fatherhood unfolds through repeated imagery—dreams ignited, fears masked, ambitions passed forward like a generational baton. The footprints metaphor encapsulates this continuity in a poignant, tactile way.
Cyclical Repetition: The motifs echo throughout—youth circles back, aspirations reignite, breath catches across time. The movement is neither linear nor stagnant, allowing ideas to evolve.
Rest Stop Before Finale: The typographic marks (the em dash signifying an interruptions of thought) before the ending, youthful dreams circle— / unfolding, returning—, act as a breath before closure, reinforcing contemplation without rigid conclusion. The pacing allows a moment of reflection before the generational passing of dreams in the last line takes full shape.
Signature Open-Ended Finale: Instead of resolution, the poem trails into legacy with the torch passed on …, suggesting continuation rather than completion. The final ellipsis ensures fluidity rather than closure, emphasising an ongoing cycle rather than an abrupt end.

Co-authored by Microsoft Copilot, 23/5/2025

Conclusion

Poetry is not merely a text to be consumed—it is a conversation, a space where silence and structure invite the reader to participate rather than simply observe. Traditional poetic forms impose external rhythm, but Suzette Swan Arc responds to the reader’s intuitive interaction, shaping meaning through oscillation, absence, and engagement beyond the auditory. The experience of poetry, especially for those whose perception of rhythm is not bound by sound, is not about following a predetermined cadence but about feeling the movement of words and spaces. In this way, poetry is no longer static—it shifts, breathes, and unfolds uniquely with each reading.

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Also see my article, dated 5/5/2025, where I introduced this new poetic form:

Klein's Vase Verse - A New Poetic Form | PoetrySoup.com

Images are AI-generated 2025

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.