Copyright © Klein’s Vase verse/Suzette Swan Arc, by Suzette Richards (2025)
All rights reserved.
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
Whereas a Möbius strip is a surface with boundary, a Klein bottle [also known as Klein’s Vase] has no boundary. – Wikipedia
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The poetic form inspired by the boundless flow of Klein's Vase; where edges dissolve and containment defies expectation. Where silence rivals the spoken word in significance and ambiguity weaves a seamless narrative, flowing in infinite cyclical movement. It is a poetry form liberated from rigid structures, guided instead by subtle, intuitive principles. Like the surface tension of water, the tension in the poem is tenuous and the perimeters never specifically defined.* Suzette Swan Arc:
- Resists the idea of strict progression in the poem (linear) - from point A to B,
- preferring recurrence and oscillation as well as enjambment of phrases to provide a natural sinuous flow,
- relies on pivot(s) that reframes perception, eg objective/subjective, and add fragmentation of words and thoughts,
- it thrives on an argumentative return, a cyclical re-engagement that insists on continuation rather than finality.
See my latest ELEMENTS OF NATURE contest featuring Suzette Swan Arc for the full contest details. The following serves to illuminate particular guidelines with reference to the contest requirements.
Elements of Nature
Use a chosen element—water, fire, air, or earth—to shape the evocative movement within the design of Suzette Swan Arc. For example: For water, you might explore erasure and renewal, as I did in my poem pictured below. Fire could evoke destruction and exhilaration; air might suggest fleeting thoughts and impermanence; while earth could ground themes of resilience and decay.
Suzette Swan Arc Defined
The defining elements that set Suzette Swan Arc apart from free verse and stream of consciousness poetry:
Free verse is known for its lack of formal structure, allowing poets to shape rhythm and meaning organically. Stream of consciousness poetry, on the other hand, prioritises an unfiltered flow of thoughts, often disregarding conventional syntax and punctuation.
Suzette Swan Arc distinguishes itself by emphasising fluidity, cyclical themes, and layered perspectives – a structural approach that mirrors the philosophical concept of Klein’s Vase itself. Unlike free verse, which can be linear or fragmented, Suzette Swan Arc treats language as a living entity, oscillating† between structure and ambiguity rather than simply rejecting formal constraints. The open-ended finale is another defining trait, diverging from the typical resolution found in most poetry, including free verse and stream of consciousness poetry.
Techniques Used in Suzette Swan Arc
Suzette Swan Arc is not rule-based – the ‘rules’ are shaped by the contest requirements, eg the line count. The following are recommended techniques to achieve the desired fluidity, cyclical themes, and layered perspectives:
- Infinite lines (enjambment) mimic the continuous flow of the planes of Klein’s Vase.
- Fragmented pauses (pauses in unexpected places – meaningfulness are optional).
- Inward-outward movement (an ebb and flow of the verse’s characteristic sinuous aspect, emulating the unbounded topology of the Klein’s Vase).
- Open-ended finales (instead of resolutions).
- Extended and recurring metaphors, as well as imagery to amplify fluid shifts in perception.
- Oscillation of, for example, physical attributes. By using synonyms and/or antonyms, strengthens the association with the looping planes of the Klein’s vase, creating an organic flow in the poem. For example, (earth element) acclivity: ‘an upward slope’ (synonyms include: hill, incline, ascent, and gradient; antonyms for ‘acclivity’ include: declivity, decline, fall, and descent). See ‘Oscillation vs Juxtaposition’ below.
- Emotional Echo in Nature:
- Tie human emotion to natural movement – melancholy in turbulent tides, hope in sunrise, longing in wind’s retreat.
- Sensory elements should reinforce mood, avoiding over-explanation – let the element embody the feeling.
GLOSSARY
See the DICTIONARY here at PoetrySoup for terminology used that you might be unfamiliar with, eg ‘enjambment’, ‘imagery’, etc.
The Open-ended Finale
It is called ‘finale’ instead of ‘final’ as it suggests a continuation of thought after the last word on the page. An ellipsis signifies a trailing off (of thought), whereas am dash (longer than an en dash, with no space before the dash) signifies an interruption (of thought), and an en dash; the use of it is similar to a semicolon (longer than a hyphen, with a space before and after the dash) signifies a pause between related elements (eg thoughts). However, punctuation is OPTIONAL.
[Edit 28/5/2025] An open-ended finale in Suzette Swan Arc relies on grammatical structures that extend thought rather than conclude it. Verbs and nouns often impose closure by defining action or substance, whereas prepositions, conjunctions, ellipses, and unresolved modifiers create fluidity—allowing the idea to oscillate beyond the final line.
Definition:
A technique in Suzette Swan Arc where closure is resisted through structural elements that imply continuity, leaving the thought boundless and inviting intuitive expansion.
Short Examples:
- Closed: The swan lands, water still. Open: The swan lands… water still shifts…
- Closed: Moonlight touches the silent shore. Open: Moonlight touches—silent shore dissolves into waking tide…
- Closed: Breath lingers, night deepens. Open: Breath lingers—night deepens into… [end of edit]
Here are some ways to craft an open-ended finale without relying on obvious visual cues:
- Echoing Imagery – Reintroduce a key image or phrase from earlier in the poem, slightly altered, to suggest continuation without direct repetition.
- Unresolved Contrast – Juxtapose opposing ideas, leaving space for the reader to reconcile the tension on their own.
- Subtle Dissonance – End on a note that disrupts expectation without severing meaning, creating an illusion of lingering movement.
- Fractal Closure – Close with a line that feels complete on the surface but contains an embedded reference to earlier oscillation, letting the poem ripple beyond its final words.
- Breath & Cadence – Experiment with rhythm; a long final phrase that loses punctuation or an abrupt stop can leave a reader mentally extending the poem.
- Implicit Questioning – Pose an idea rather than a literal question, allowing interpretation to stretch into the unknown.
- Phantom Resolution – Introduce a momentary sense of closure that dissolves upon reflection—like a farewell that hints at return. ‘We should have coffee sometime.’ ~Su
Ambiguity
An ambiguous ending – an open invitation to immerse in the poem, instead of a didactic ending – isn’t just a stylistic choice; it’s an immersive experience, something that demands engagement rather than passive observation; an undeniable link between poet and reader. Klein’s Vase poetry embraces ambiguity throughout the poem; not as confusion, but as possibility – where multiple meanings coexist fluidly rather than being rigidly defined. The form encourages organic responsiveness to meaning, ensuring intentional fluidity rather than randomness.
Too Linear
It is the antithesis of ambiguity, and the remedy for too linear work is the oscillation of various elements within the poem.
A poem that moves predictably in its progression or even where sections are over elaborated upon rather than allowing readers to engage intuitively with the poem's essence, is considered to be too linear.
Or as Oscar Wilde said: All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling. To be natural is to be obvious, and to be obvious is to be unartistic [sic].
Oscillation vs Juxtaposition
Oscillation in poetry refers to a fluid, dynamic interplay between opposing elements, creating movement and emotional resonance through continuous transitions. It differs from juxtaposition, which places contrasting elements side by side for stark comparison without the inherent ebb and flow of oscillation.
- Example of Oscillation: A poem where water shifts between gentle rain and fierce waves, never settling in one state, mirroring emotional turmoil—grief swelling, then receding, yet never fully resolved.
- Example of Juxtaposition: A poem presenting the contrast between a cracked desert and an overflowing river, emphasising their stark difference without the movement or interaction between the two.
Oscillation breathes, changes, and evolves. Juxtaposition highlights contrast through fixed opposition. In Suzette Swan Arc, the fluidity of thought often leads to natural juxtaposition rather than deliberate structuring—an instinctive interplay rather than a formal contrast. It’s not about breaking oscillation but about letting contrasts emerge organically, much like how simile offers a softer comparison while metaphor demands immersion.
Extended versus Recurring Metaphor
- Extended metaphors should unfold throughout, creating a thematic backbone.
- Example: A river carrying memory, shaping each stanza with its evolving flow.
- Recurring metaphors can reappear, but must adapt—repetition without transformation weakens impact.
- Example: Water as reflection in one instance, as erosion in another, maintaining depth and variance.
- Metaphors should fold into each other, rather than stacking without cohesion.
- A good test: If one metaphor were removed, would the piece lose depth or feel unchanged? If unchanged, it’s likely decorative rather than foundational.
MY EXAMPLE POEM
The picture below illustrates the line count of the verse (25 lines depicted here, but up to 30 lines allowed for this contest). DO NOT include the line count in your submission.
ABOUT THIS POEM
The following critique on my poem (poem NOT AI-generated) serves to illustrate the desired elements of Suzette Swan Arc with reference to the contest requirements:
The intuitive structuring is powerful – it leans into motion without losing conceptual weight. It speaks to transience while maintaining hope, reinforcing the natural ebb and flow of I'M poetry; embodying fluidity both thematically and structurally, while embracing recursive quality of Klein’s Vase by mirroring transitions – ‘water into sky, sky into water’ – reinforcing the seamless interplay of elements. – Microsoft Copilot, 14/5/2025
Feedback
Not knocking other sponsors:
Feedback, as always, will be given on the top 3 poems. If you desire an objective feedback, you may feed the contest requirements plus your poem into your trusty computer and request a critique. It's as simple as falling off a log.
Please use this blog to pose QUESTIONS (anything else will be deleted) relevant to the contest requirements and not on my poem(s) or via soup mail. Thank you.
NB No AI-generated pieces, please.
Happy quills!
Su
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*Klein's Vase Verse - A New Poetic Form | PoetrySoup.com
†Glossary of Some Common Poetic Devices | PoetrySoup.com