What is a Xoem®?

A xoem® (pronounced “zō-ĕm”) is an innovative verse form that I developed as part of my early morning Alchemy of Illuminated Poetry® process. With only eighteen accented syllables, iambic meter, and a rhyme scheme of abccba, this very concise poem forms a circular shape and is often, though not necessarily, accompanied by a mandala drawing.

The ancient art of alchemy is essentially a spiritual quest to transform the lead in our lives to our personal gold. When I step into my alchemical laboratory, also known as my study, I do not use glass vessels filled with mysterious liquids, but rather the metaphoric vessels of the xoem®and mandala to create poems for self-transformation and spiritual connection.