In Chapter 5 of The Discovery of Poetry, Frances Mayes covers the topics of rhyme and repetition in poetry. Out of all the concepts she describes, the one I was most intrigued with is the concept of anaphora. Anaphora is a repeated pattern used in poetry in which the beginning word or words of a line repeat. Mayes includes a poem in her book called "Night Song" by Lisel Mueller that is a perfect example of anaphora:
Night Song
(Lisel Mueller, 1924-)
Among rocks, I am the loose one,
among arrows, I am the heart,
among daughters, I am the recluse,
among sons, the one who dies young.
Among answers, I am the question,
between lovers, I am the sword,
among scars, I am the fresh wound,
among confetti, the black flag.
Among shoes, I am the one with the pebble,
among days, the one that never comes,
among the bones you find on the beach
the one that sings was mine.
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