Writing Prompt: Eintou

A pearl, a prompt, and a playlist

The Eintou is a distinctly African-American form of poetry. Its origins are political—coming from a time where African-American poetry was criticized as trying to mimic white poetic structure, or as existing without structure and form—the Eintou created a new life for our poets. It was a measure of protest, a step away from the rules of white poets, and a creation steeped in love for one’s own people.

The Eintou is a septet—a stanza of seven lines. In these lines there is a cycle, a flow of syllables or words that rises and ebbs. The poet starts with two syllables in the first line, four syllables in the second, six syllables in the third, and eight syllables in the fourth line of the poem. From there the poem returns, line-by-line, with six syllables, then four, to a two syllable conclusion.

This structure is philosophical in significance—it is a reflection of the fact that all life is cyclical. We start with two syllables, grow to eight, and then return to two, a representation of the way life builds upon itself before returning again to the earth. Its structure gives the Eintou another name—the Pearl poem—because the shape of the poem often becomes a circle. But the name is so fitting, because Eintous often hold “pearls of wisdom” for their readers.

In celebrating Black History Month in the United States, I have developed a love for this poetic structure, and a desire to share it with our readers. I hope you find this form as intriguing as I do, and are inspired to create your own Eintou. To help you out, I’ve curated a playlist of songs the Think In Ink team has had on repeat this month. It’s 2.5 hours of music ranging from jazz, instrumentals, and slow-flow pieces to lyrical heavyweights and rap, with a solid Solange break in the middle, of course!

Think In Ink Black History Month Playlist

As a reminder, the form of the Eintou is 2-4-6-8-6-4-2, as can be seen in the example below.

The pearl

holding wisdom

spoken from the sweet tongues

Wet with Hunger, Red with Power,

of poets met in verse,

and verse alone,

is home. —Cosima Smith

As always, Happy Writing!

Cosima Smith (his/hers) is Think In Ink’s editorial manager, a poetry reader for Chestnut Review, and a yoga facilitator based in Farmville, Virginia. A lifelong reader, writer, and yogi who loves to dissolve into the world—real or imagined—Smith has found homes in 6 countries in the past 10 years. Now, you can find Smith at peace hiking Virginia’s trails, doing yoga, reading sci-fi, or watching anime. For a simpler way to connect, Smith is on instagram @simareading with reading/writing adventures or @cronesima, which features yoga poses and day-to-day affairs.