Week Forty-Two: English Madrigal

On By Adam AstraIn poetic forms challenge, poetry, writing1 Comment

The English Madrigal is one of many varieties of the Italian madrigal, an early lyric form that began as a pastoral song. Medieval author and poet Geoffrey Chaucer (The Cantebury Tales) defined the rules of the madrigal in English, which include a number of formal requirements, including meter, end rhyme, and several repeated refrains. Some of the best-regarded English language madrigals are those of Scottish poet William Drummond, who wrote eighty madrigals in his collection Poems (1616).

Key Features of the English Madrigal

Content: Often includes a theme of love

Form: A thirteen-line form in three stanzas:
Stanza 1] Three lines
Stanza 2] Four lines
Stanza 3] Six lines

Rhyme and Refrain: See example below

Meter: Often written in iambic pentameter

Example

An English Madrigal, by author

[L1] A (refrain 1)
[L2] B1 (refrain 2)
[L3] B2 (refrain 3)

[L4] a
[L5] b
[L6] A (refrain 1)
[L7] B1 (refrain 2)

[L8] a
[L9] b
[L10] b
[L11] A (refrain 1)
[L12] B1 (refrain 2)
[L13] B2 (refrain 3)

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An Original English Madrigal

Staying

For now, we are content to stay inside.
The troubles of the world will wax and wane,
But as each season ends, our love remains.

Sometimes the storms of early May will hide
the sun and send a sudden rush of rain.
For now, we are content to stay inside.
The troubles of the world will wax and wane.

Although we’ve had to set some plans aside,
The garden will be waiting and will gain
As all of life will strengthen by our pains.
For now, we are content to stay inside.
The troubles of the world will wax and wane,
But as each season ends, our love remains.

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Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Madrigal – Writer’s Digest
Madrigal (Poetry) – Wikipedia
English Madrigal – Poet’s Collective

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~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own English Madrigal and share in the comments! —

Week Forty-One: The Kimo

On By Adam AstraIn poetry, Poetry Challenge, writing1 Comment

The Hebrew Haiku

The Kimo is yet another variation on the Haiku which focuses on imagery and strict syllable count. Israeli poets adjusted the syllabic requirements of that traditional Japanese form to accommodate for the unique characteristics of the Hebrew language.

Key Features of the Kimo

Content: like haiku, usually image-specific and acts as a still life, or snapshot, of a single moment

Form: made up of a single stanza of three lines

Syllable Count:
[Line 1] 10 syllables
[Line 2] 7 syllables
[Line 3] 6 syllables

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An Original Kimo

at my desk

beside a leaning stack of old notebooks
one hand rests on empty page
one on warm coffee mug

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Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Kimo – Writer’s Digest
Kimo – Poet’s Collective
Kimo Poems – Poetry Soup

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~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own Kimo and share in the comments! —

Week Forty: The Cascade

On By Adam AstraIn poetry, Poetry Challenge, writing1 Comment

Creating the Cascade 

The Cascade is a modern stanzaic form invented by poet Udit Bhatia. In the cascade, each line of the first stanza is repeated later in the poem.

Key Features of the Cascade


Form: each line in the first stanza is repeated as the final line of each of the following stanzas

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An Original Cascade

Wait and See

If we take it day by day,
We’ll see how it goes.
Tomorrow may bring something new.

Despite the walls placed in our way,
We’ll find the room to grow
If we take it day by day.

The gods of old have gone, and so
We last remaining faithless few
Wait and see how it goes.

The April sky is still sometimes blue;
It’s not always this cloudy grey.
Tomorrow may bring something new.


A Note on My Original Cascade

While rhyme is not a formal requirement of the cascade, I’ve added a rhyme scheme of my own invention to add to the challenge.

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Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Cascade Poem – Writer’s Digest
Cascade – Shadow Poetry
Write a Cascade – All Poetry

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~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own Cascade and share in the comments! —

Week Thirty-Nine: The Limerick

On By Adam AstraIn poetry, Poetry Challenge, writing1 Comment

~It’s National Poetry Month!~

 

There Once was a Poet in Limerick…

No one knows who invented the Limerick, but the name suggests it originated in the Irish city of the same name. English poet Edward Lear popularized the form in the 19th century and is largely responsible for the form’s continued popularity. Limericks are sometimes nonsensical, sometimes set up like jokes with a punchline, and should always inspire a chuckle.

Key Features of the Limerick

Content: Humorous, sometimes raunchy, sometimes aimed at a celebrity or public figure

Form: Consists of five lines

Rhyme: aabba

Syllables: Syllables are not usually strictly counted, but line length pattern goes: long, long, short, short, long.

Example

There was an Old Man with a Beard
by EDWARD LEAR

There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, “It is just as I feared!—
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard.

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An Original Limerick

Old Eugene

There once was a fool named Old Eugene
Who wouldn’t stay home for the quarantine.
He said “Damn you all,
I’m going to the mall.
I’m almost out of my Ovaltine!”

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Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Limericks – Writer’s Digest
Limerick – Wikipedia

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~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own Limerick and share in the comments! —

Week Thirty-Eight: Ae Freislighe

On By Adam AstraIn poetry, Poetry Challenge, writing1 Comment

Meet the Ae Freislighe

The Ae Freislighe (pronounced ‘ay fresh-lee’) is a Celtic form which you’ll find somewhat adapted in English. These adaptations still strive to match the musicality of the original language by including complex patterns of rhyme and alliteration.

Key Features of the Ae Freislighe

Content: Traditionally contains internal patterns of alliteration to create a musical effect

Form: Made up of any number of quatrains

Rhyme: Features a triple-rhyme in lines 1 and 3, and a double-rhyme in lines 2 and 4 (see example)

Syllables: Seven syllables per line

Ending: Usually ends with the same word or line with which the poem begins (in Celtic poetry, this is called a dunadh)

Example

Tennessee, by Robert Lee Brewer

Do you recall Tennessee
& all that late night kissing,
or is it a memory
once yours that’s now gone missing?

Perhaps there’s some video
for both of us to review
& retire to Ohio
with vows that we will renew.

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An Original Poem

A Cutting

To find the life underneath
Sometimes it takes a cutting
A folding back of the sheath
To see the green life budding

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Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Celtic Poetry – Poet’s Garret
Ae Freislighe – Writer’s Digest
LOTR Ae Freislighe – LOTR Scrapbook
Ae Freislighe Pressed – Yeahwrite.me

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~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own Ae Freislighe and share in the comments! —

Week Thirty-Seven: Tricube

On By Adam AstraIn creative writing, poetic forms challenge, poetry, writing1 Comment

Trying Out the Tricube

Three is the magic number when it comes to the Tricube, a newer form of unknown origin. 

Key Features of the Tricube Poem

Syllables: 3 syllables per line

Lines: 3 lines per stanzas

Stanzas: 3 stanzas per tricube

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An Original Tricube

the world is still alive

the world is
still alive
the spring song

chee-dee-dee
of the young
chickadee

the tulip’s
blades like green
flames rising

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Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Tricubes – Writer’s Digest
Tricubes – Power Poetry

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~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own tricube poem and share in the comments! —

Week Thirty-Six: Pantoum

On By Adam AstraIn creative writing, poetry, Poetry Challenge, writing1 Comment

Meet the Pantoum

We learned in our explorations of the Kyrielle [Week 13], Villanelle [Week 23] and Terzanelle [Week 32] that the French love their repeating refrains. But the Pantoum is a French adaptation of a form that is Malaysian in origin.

Key Features of the Pantoum Poem

Form: composed of any number of quatrains

Refrain: The second and fourth lines of one stanza repeat as the first and third lines of the next. Some variation is allowed to add interest.

Rhyme: abab rhyme scheme

Example Pantoum

Another Lullaby for Insomniacs

by A. E. STALLING

Sleep, she will not linger:
She turns her moon-cold shoulder.
With no ring on her finger,
You cannot hope to hold her.

She turns her moon-cold shoulder
And tosses off the cover.
You cannot hope to hold her:
She has another lover.

She tosses off the cover
And lays the darkness bare.
She has another lover.
Her heart is otherwhere.

She lays the darkness bare.
You slowly realize
Her heart is otherwhere.
There’s distance in her eyes.

You slowly realize
That she will never linger,
With distance in her eyes
And no ring on her finger.

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An Original Pantoum

Coronavirus Blues

I woke up this mornin’
And I turned on the news.
Newsman called out a warnin’.
Now I’ve got the coronavirus blues.

Yeah, I turned on the news
And what they said was nothin’ good.
Now I see the coronavirus blues
All around my neighborhood.

What they say is nothin’ good,
Except for those who lie.
All around my neighborhood
We don’t trust that lyin’ guy.

Yeah, we say to those who lie,
“Your judgment’s comin’ quick.
We don’t trust that lyin’ guy
He’s enough to make you sick.”

Their judgment’s comin’ quick,
Those liars on the news.
It’s enough to make you sick.
I’ve got the coronavirus blues.

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Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Pantoum – Writer’s Digest
Pantoum – Poetry Foundation
Pantoum – Wikipedia

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— Come back every Friday for a new form! —

~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own Pantoum and share in the comments! —

Week Thirty-Five: Shadorma

On By Adam AstraIn poetic forms challenge, poetry, writing1 Comment

Shadorma

Though it is said to be a popular exercise in modern poetry workshops and classes, there’s not a lot of information to be found on this variation of the haiku, which consists of any number of sestets with a strict syllable count. It is rumored to be of Spanish origin, but even that claim is hard to substantiate. Of course, none of this detracts from the enjoyment in writing the shadorma, especially once you get locked into the rhythm and flow of its short lines.

Key Features of the Shadorma

Syllable Count: 3/5/3/3/7/5
Form: Any number of six-line stanzas (sestets)

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An Original Shadorma

Little Goldfish

you can’t swim
your way out of this
bowl little
goldfish and
you can’t learn to breathe this strange
unnatural air

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Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Shadorma – Writer’s Digest
Shadorma – Wikipedia
Shadorma – Poet’s Collective

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— Come back every Friday for a new form! —

~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own Shadorma and share in the comments! —

Week Thirty-Four: Concrete Poem

On By Adam AstraIn poetry, Poetry Challenge, writing1 Comment

Meet the Concrete

Of all the forms we’ve covered so far, the Concrete Poem is unique in its emphasis on the physical form—the actual shape of the words—along with the meaning. Poetry meets typography meets graphic design in this experimental, visually inventive form.

An Original Concrete Poem

Description: Image one reads in black text, “I carry this would like a weapon.” Text of image one is shaped like a sword or dagger. Image two reads in red text, “I am invincible in my pain.” Text of image two is shaped like a shield.

Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Concrete Poems – Writer’s Digest
Concrete Poetry – Wikipedia
Concrete Poetry – Poetry Foundation

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~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own concrete poem and—
— share in the comments! —

Week Thirty-Three: Anagrammatic Poem

On By Adam AstraIn poetry, Poetry Challenge, Uncategorized, writing1 Comment

Anagram-arama!

Jumblers and scrabblers are well-versed in the art of the anagram, a technique that uses the shuffling of a given selection of letters to find new words. Anagrams can be a lot of fun, so it’s no surprise they are used in many popular word games and puzzles.

Key Features of the Anagrammatic Poem

Content: Always titled, and only letters featured in the title can be used

Form: The anagrammatic method can be combined with existing poetic forms (such as the haiku, sonnet, etc.) or used to create new ones.

Example

Anagrammatic [a hay(na)ku]

Ma’am,
I am
An anagrammatic man.

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An Original Poem

February [a hay(na)ku]

brrr
buy beer
rub furry bear

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Want to Learn More? Start Here:

Anagrammatic Poetry – Writer’s Digest
Anagrammatic Poetry – Wikipedia
Anagram – Poetry Foundation

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— Come back every Friday for a new form! —

~ Creative works are owned by the author and subject to copyright laws ~

— Write your own anagrammatic poem and share in the comments! —