Haunt

My poetic friends over at Poetic Bloomings have introduced a new form–the Waltmarie. (Sounds like a dance, doesn’t it?) The form was created by Candace Kubinec (Rhymes with Bug).

Marie describes the form on her exquisite blog Pictured Words—

“The Waltmarie is a 10-line form of any subject. The even-numbered lines are 2 syllables, and must form their own poem when read separately. The odd-numbered lines are longer, with no syllable count restrictions. That’s it! This new form is loads of fun, but is also quite challenging.”

In addition: “Robert Lee Brewer, poetry editor of the Writer’s Digest, highlighted Candace’s new form for his Poetic Form Friday feature on February 12: Waltmarie: Poetic Forms – Writer’s Digest.”

Here’s my attempt:

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Letting go of Free-Verse

Me + Form = Slacker

My menu bar sports a tab titled “Forms.” I had good intentions when I added that tab. It’s handy to have a personal reference and hunting the internet for a specific form can be frustrating.

I’m feeling guilty for neglecting it (a little) Because I kind of love forms.

Forms are not the old codgerly crackpots you may envision.

I won my first ever writing contest by crafting a Shakespearean sonnet back when my boys were toddlers. I was going through a divorce at the time and was taking any job I could to get some income. Five nights a week, I was an aide in a group home for young men. Twice a week, we drove them to an art program at the Park District. While they were in class, I sat in the stairwell with my yellow legal pad and scratched out words that eventually became the winner of our community college writing contest. Consequently, I feel an emotional affinity for forms. Forms have made me more disciplined in my word choices, pacing, and prosody building.

I enjoy the practice and the rush of poetic wind when I complete one.

Confused formless poems

Without form many poems are stuck in the traffic of verbs and nouns and phrases. Slowly, meandering in the free-verse lane. Crying out for form. Form would give them structure and depth.

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But, which form should you choose?

Oftentimes, if you search for a specific form, the explanation is like reading a calculus equation but with words-overwhelming and boring. (Sorry math geeks.)

Get out of the Free-Verse Lane

Just recently Robert Brewer at Poetic Asides posted a LIST OF 50 POETIC FORMS FOR POETS including descriptions even I can understand and follow. So helpful! He also gives poets opportunities to write a poem in that form, post it, and receive feedback from other poets. (Everyone needs a little encouragement.)

A few of my other favorite places to find descriptions of forms are: The Poetry Foundation, Creative Bloomings, DVerse, and Poetry Soup. Even Wikipedia has a list.

Most of the time, I drive my poetry car in the free-form (free-verse) lane but sometimes it’s nice to hang out at the oasis. It’s a treat to pull over, grab a cool beverage, and shift words into a new rhythm or rhyme.

I encourage you to occasionally slow your horse cart or Maserati, pull over, smell the daisies, and embrace the form. Play in it. Fill it with your empty poems. Leave free-verse behind for a few days.

You’ll surprise yourself.

A Form-Fitting Question

Do you have a favorite form site? Or do you find yourself searching several sites to understand the rules of a specific form?

Where do you and your poems fit?

The Nasher

Sounds a little wonky, doesn’t it?

A Nasher?

RJ Clarken over at Poetic Bloomings introduces us to the Nasher.
(I keep thinking it’s some kind of Irish Potato. A combo of bangers and mash, perhaps.)

RJ writes, “According to John Drury in his The Poetry Dictionary, a Nasher is, ‘a light-verse form, invented by Ogden Nash, in which lines ranging from very short to extremely long *rhyme comically in* couplets.’

 

It’s basically a license to write anything poetic that you wish, just so long as the lines (in couplet form) end in end-rhyme or even wrenched end-rhyme.”

Here’s my attempt:

“Lessons from a miser on triple-couponing”

According to parsimonious Everett McPrudent
no one ever graduates from grocery-shopping student

to teacher to expert to grand master of the coupon
(Pardon me, would you happen to have any Grey Poupon?)

without acquiring one of life’s finer pleasures,
(vastly overrated, but of course a great treasure)—

The free procurance of Baluga gray caviar (fragile, defiled)
respectfully espied in the bargain-basement aisle.

Anaphora poem

“Composing”

Languishing
in this old room.
Duel Voices.

His and Hers.
Scrawled in anguished blue.
Unvoiced and memorized—
Her Voice
the famished Voice—a choice bred
by the noises of slow ignores. His Voice,
the language of every voice that vanished
comfortably in time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our Lost Jungle poetry form challenge: challenge #2

“Today’s prompt is to write an anaphora poem. Also known as epanaphora, anaphora is the “repetition of a word [or words] at the beginning of two or more successive verses, clauses, or sentences.” A lot of poets consider anaphora just the repetition of the same word at the beginning of each line. However, anaphora can be a lot more diverse, and subtle, than that. Sometimes the poet uses the same word/phrase; sometimes they use one word for a while, and switch to another in the next section/stanza.”

Poppy pretty

Poetry form lesson

It’s been awhile since I’ve added to my forms. Today dVerse offered a form prompt that I could wrap my mind around. (Face it, sometimes forms are taxing.)

But, I think you can give this one a try without too much sweat.

The Rondelet is a traditional 13th century French form.

It’s a seven-line poem, the refrain which appears as lines 1, 3 and 7 of the poem.

The remaining four lines all consist of eight syllables or four iambs. Line four rhymes with the refrain and then the other lines all rhyme with one another with a rhyme scheme of AbAabbA.

Enjoy mine, then give it a try yourself.

 

“Poppy pretty”

Red snow clover—
silent stolen rolling comfort.
Red snow clover.
Natural slumber leaf composer
sweet blue-ribboned pathway wonder
whispers to my night’s sleep hunger.
Red snow clover.

By the way, the photo is awesome, isn’t it?
I found it on Stock.xchng.
And don’t forget to visit dVerse.

Morning lullabies/A Triquatrin

 

“Morning lullabies”

Songs of grace that lace the dew—
a morning lullaby
to paint upon a sun so quaint
with just a touch of shy

she swims in color free in voice
to wake a sleepy town
embossed in frosty rays reserved
for silvered emerald crowns.

Dapple me in apple reds
and sing of heated love
until the moon festoons the night
in vineyard arch above.

I swim in moonbeam’s gleaming
night of painted rivers light
where wine abounds in silky time
until the dawn delights.

Written for Poetic Bloomings: IN-FORM POET WEDNESDAY–TRIQUATRIAN

and also for We Write Poems: COLOUR US A POEM