Get Your Premium Membership
Eileen Manassian
(Click for Poet Info...)

I guess you could say I'm a citizen of the world. I've traveled....and I've lived parts of my life in Iran, Lebanon, the US, and Cyprus. I am proud of my Armenian heritage. I was born in Tehran, Iran and soon after that, my family went to the States for my dad to work on his MA degree and many years later, to work on his Ed.D. I have a lot of the Middle East and the West in me, and at times....I feel confused about my identity. I do, however, cling to my Armenian roots and am outspoken about recognition by the world of the Armenian Genocide that took place over 100 years ago.

Since my parents had no common language, the language spoken in our home was English. Yes, I am most fluent in English, and I think, dream, and converse in that language, though I do speak 5 other languages to varying degrees! :)

I am melancholy/sanguine by nature and feel everything very keenly. My highs are SUPER HIGH...and my lows...SUPER LOW! I guess you could say...I'm INTENSE. I'm passionate about poetry to the point of obsession.

The events that have colored my life are the death of my mother due to MS and the war in Lebanon. As a child, it was hard for me to come to grips with the fact that my mother was ill, and to see her go from being a vibrant, well-loved teacher to a wheelchair bound, isolated woman was a very harrowing experience. I do believe, though, that there is a resurrection day and that, by His grace, I will see my Mama fully restored...free of wheelchair, able to sing, laugh, and smile again. The war in Lebanon...bombs landing all around, nights spent in bomb shelters.. has also scarred me to some degree.

What I'm most proud of? That would be my daughter...Shereen Natalie Ghali. She is the light of my life. Her name in Farsi means SWEET! :)

Currently, I teach English at Middle East University in Beirut, Lebanon. Poetry Soup has been a haven for me....most of the time! ;) I've developed amazing friendships here that are very genuine and real. My dream is to one day have my name on a volume of poetry! One can always dream....Thank you for making the effort to get acquainted. God bless!


 

OVER THE MOON! My new form.....

Blog Posted by Eileen Manassian: 3/20/2014 8:13:00 PM
Those of you who know me, know that poetry is my PASSION. I live, breath, dream, and LIVE it....INTENSELY!   If I don't write....I'm....unfulfilled. I'm DYING to make some sort of impact in this field. Yea, a little crazy, I know!

I've been fascinated with new forms that poets have come up with!!

Richard Lamoureux with his questionku! Good one, Richard! Proud of you!

Suzette Richards with her Suzette Prime...(I wrote a poem in that form, The Argument for Love, and she has it as a sample poem on her website!!!!)

Connie Marcus Wong with her CONSTANZA! :) What a beauty that is! Simply breathtaking! What a name! ;) 

Andrea Dietrich has new forms, but I haven't gotten to know what they are yet.

And here am I...humble little old me...trying to live the dream and come up with a NEW FORM! I had so much fun working on the swap quatrain for Andrea's contest. (Yes, the one that I forgot to enter and made such a hullabaloo about ) Well, it somehow got me working, and I came up with a form that is similar in some respects. I'm tickled pink that some poets have already used it with some variations. It has been used by F J Thomas, Richard Lamoureux, Jared Pickette, and now....Craig Cornish!

Craig has been a mentor to me. He has helped me with my sonnet form, which I have totally fallen in LOVE with...No, not the modern form but the good old fashioned variety!! I asked him to give me his opinion on my form...which was originally to be comprised of 3 stanzas of quatrains, each with a tagged on fifth line which was a combination of the ENDINGS of the following lines:

Stanza 1: fifth line ENDINGS of lines 1 & 2 of THAT stanza.
Stanza 2: fifth line ENDINGS of lines 2 & 3 of THAT stanza. 
Stanza 3: fifth line ENDINGS of lines 4 & 1 of THAT stanza.

Each stanza was to have a mono-rhyme for that stanza...and the theme of the poem was to be a reversal of what was presented in stanza one...something like the concept of a diamante. Start somewhere...end in the opposite place. I wrote one called Revenge's Reward. The twist? She starts by saying how she is exacting her revenge, and in the last line, we see that she is suffering because her heart is torn.

I'm thinking of sponsoring a contest in this NEW FORM! It needs a name. F J has suggested the Eileenesque. :) Some have suggest my last name. If you have read my BLOG As our Shadows Lengthen, you will understand why I want my first name or my maiden name instead of my married name there in the form name.

Would you kindly visit Craig's poem and give it a read? He has given an alternate type of rhyme pattern, and I'm SO curious to know what you all think and if this form has merit.

OH...if I have a new form..that becomes KNOWN...with my name on it...I THINK I WILL JUST FAINT AWAY WITH JOY AND HAPPINESS. It will be a DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME!!!! Oh....I wish...I wish...I wish....I W I S H!!!!

Will you visit Craig's poem? Here is he link:

https://www.poetrysoup.com/poems_poets/poem_detail.aspx?ID=551662

He gives a good explanation of the form, though he has made some variations. CRAIG...if you are reading this....I'm FLOORED!!! Thank you..thank you...thank you. A great big THANKS to the other poets who have tried it as well. LOVE YOU GUYS!

The rest of you? Get cracking and give me your opinions....Pretty please???? Help me live the DREAM!!!!





Please Login to post a comment

Please stay on topic with your comments. Off topics comments may be removed. Thanks.



Characters Remaining:
Type the characters you see
CAPTCHA
Change the CAPTCHA codeSpeak the CAPTCHA code
 

Date: 3/25/2014 10:43:00 AM
Hey...I found the blog...yeah...I'm so not into this computer stuff..you should see my throw away phone....you'd certainly laugh!!..anyway..need to read examples for direction...still trying..:-) :-) :-)
Login to Reply
Date: 3/21/2014 11:48:00 PM
This is wonderful Craig. I really thought the repeating lines added more depth to the poem and I think she may decide to do as you suggest in having alternate rhyme schemes. It was creative the way you have written it. This is what I wrote Craig about the poem he created Eileen. I wish you all the luck in the world for your dream to come true. I think it is beautiful. Hugs, C
Login to Reply
Manassian Avatar
Eileen Manassian
Date: 3/22/2014 1:14:00 AM
Connie! I'm so glad you passed by. SO sweet of you! Thanks ever so much! I really do like your form...It is just lovely and I enjoyed writing for that contest. I did get second place! :) I'm glad you liked Craig's poem. It is lovely...Thanks for your encouragement. I do want to have a form named after me....SO BADLY. Perhaps this is a little too complicated. Maybe I can come up with something else. I'll keep trying! HUGS! :)
Date: 3/21/2014 11:38:00 PM
Thank you so much for mentioning my Constanza form Eileen. I am off to check out Craig's poem at the link you provided. Hugs, Connie Marcum Wong
Login to Reply
Manassian Avatar
Eileen Manassian
Date: 3/22/2014 1:15:00 AM
Oh...the pleasure is all mine, Connie. It is such a beautiful form! :)
Date: 3/21/2014 12:02:00 PM
hi eileen.. i created a new form for my first contest here.. needless to say, i'm excited to see what this style is all about.. let me go over at craig's to check this on out... thrilled!.. huggs
Login to Reply
Manassian Avatar
Eileen Manassian
Date: 3/22/2014 1:16:00 AM
OH, did you? How lovely. Did you get PS to add it to the forms here? If not, why not? You should! Thanks for dropping by, my dear. You are always a joy to visit with!
Date: 3/21/2014 11:18:00 AM
Hmmm...I'll have to look into this when I have some more time. Sounds interesting...I'll let ya know. Take care, hon!
Login to Reply
Manassian Avatar
Eileen Manassian
Date: 3/22/2014 1:18:00 AM
Hi, Caleb! :) How are you, hunter man??? ;) Do have a look at it when you have time. Did you read my response to your post on my poem? I sure hope so! Take care...
Date: 3/21/2014 10:04:00 AM
Hi sweet Eileen...Eileenesque is a wonderful name for your new form..I read Craig's romantic poem inspired by your newly introduced form yesterday,dear..You are so Eileenesquely manassan ghali Wonderful.So happy to see you 'happy'..Im proud of you : )
Login to Reply
Manassian Avatar
Eileen Manassian
Date: 3/22/2014 1:19:00 AM
Elieenesquelly Manassian Ghali! HA HA! How adorable is that. Yes, I am happy, Charmaine. When I am...I try to make it last as long as possible. You are a sweetie pie to visit. Love you!
Date: 3/20/2014 9:54:00 PM
Eilleen, Your blog got me curious to check my two created forms and I was surprised to see five workshops on the Hexsonneta. Gosh I only wrote one or two of them myself and there are all kinds of them on the internet as well as that 7/5 trochee, which is not quite an invention, just my putting a name to a common type of meter and putting a rule to it for a type of poem. So fun looking at examples on it online! Soon that will be you, seeing your form on google. One of my friends, who did Wrapped refrain and Trijan refrain, has tons of poets using her forms. She invented like TEN!!!
Login to Reply
Manassian Avatar
Eileen Manassian
Date: 3/21/2014 7:29:00 AM
Oh oh oh oh......Isn't that just the pinnacle of pleasure??? I'm SO proud of you!!! Hexsonneta....lovely name!!! Must check it out and try it. Oh....if I can't get a book of poetry out...THIS ...THIS will be my consolation...a form I've cteated!!! Imagine! I'm ecstatic. Thanks for letting us know your forms. You are s poetess with finesse.
Date: 3/20/2014 8:36:00 PM
Hey, Eileen. this is so cool. I just saw Craig's poem that you directed us too. He sure has you described well! The romantic poet. It's a very cool form and I love the name F.J. suggested for you. It sounds very elegant. By the way, I only have two forms: Hexsonneta, which I have never promoted here, and the 7/5 Trochee, which I have done a few contests for. Hope you will check that one out sometime!!
Login to Reply
Dietrich Avatar
Andrea Dietrich
Date: 3/20/2014 11:31:00 PM
I'll have to see theirs. Just came back to check a few things and Now have to get off again!
Manassian Avatar
Eileen Manassian
Date: 3/20/2014 8:43:00 PM
;) Andrea! You are here! How sweet is that? Thanks, my dear. Yes, I'm glad you read Craig's latest. It is a lovely write. Richard has done a lovely one too....Beneath the Tree...and Flo and Jared. Each has done their own twist...I think Craig came closest to my original idea, though he did change some of the line endings. I will check yours out, my dear. It's almost 4:00 am. Will catch you in the PM....Hugs
Date: 3/20/2014 8:26:00 PM
Hi Eileen, I read a poem today, and the form on the note was **Eileenesque :) Now, I know why I thought of you, when I ran across the new introduced form. I want you to make it happen. YEAH! Invent and ask the soup to add the form in the list. Great blog... LINDA
Login to Reply
Manassian Avatar
Eileen Manassian
Date: 3/20/2014 8:31:00 PM
OH!!! Hi, PD! :) Thanks for the support. I really appreciate it. I want to see what people think of Craig's poem as well, because he did give an explanation on it...as did FLO. I want to see what people think of having mono-rhyme or a different rhyme pattern. We will see how this blog goes...and then...THEN...maybe! :) Thanks for the vote of support.

Previous Blogs

 
Thanks and a Request
Date Posted: 7/8/2025 1:21:00 PM
Happy Birthday, Richard!
Date Posted: 9/8/2024 3:37:00 AM
How is this Possible?
Date Posted: 8/1/2024 2:16:00 AM
Where Poetry Goes, I Follow
Date Posted: 5/16/2020 10:01:00 AM
Happy Birthday, Richard
Date Posted: 9/8/2019 2:23:00 AM
Greetings and Apologies and Explanations
Date Posted: 10/11/2018 12:09:00 AM
Happy Birthday Paul Callus, My Collaborator
Date Posted: 2/16/2018 3:51:00 AM
A Request
Date Posted: 11/28/2017 3:16:00 PM
Happy Birthday, Richard Lamoureux
Date Posted: 9/8/2017 2:47:00 AM
Voices for Change
Date Posted: 8/23/2017 9:44:00 AM
POTD and Thanks
Date Posted: 8/9/2017 4:24:00 AM
Just a Note
Date Posted: 8/7/2017 9:08:00 AM
Prayers for Broken Wings
Date Posted: 6/7/2017 5:08:00 PM
A Message From Flo
Date Posted: 5/18/2017 12:54:00 AM
Charming Charmaine
Date Posted: 5/1/2017 8:44:00 AM
In The Midst of Life, We are in Death
Date Posted: 4/27/2017 5:00:00 AM
Words set to Music
Date Posted: 3/7/2017 2:14:00 AM
Happy Birthday, Mr Seal
Date Posted: 3/1/2017 1:54:00 PM
POTD, PATIENCE and PRAISE
Date Posted: 1/26/2017 1:54:00 PM
The Love of a Friend
Date Posted: 1/13/2017 3:25:00 PM
On Brazil...Tattoos...Hacksaw Ridge and Weight Loss!
Date Posted: 11/17/2016 7:44:00 PM
Happy Birthday, Richard...
Date Posted: 9/8/2016 6:55:00 AM
Happy Birthday, Demetrios Trifiatis
Date Posted: 8/15/2016 1:45:00 AM
Double Whammy! (The Power of Words & I'm a Youtuber now!)
Date Posted: 5/20/2016 6:33:00 PM
Happy Birthday Mama Bear
Date Posted: 5/18/2016 5:35:00 AM

My Photos


photo

Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry