Tag Archives: NaPoWriMo

National Poetry Writing Month

The Last Hurrah

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Sometimes it does snow in April
Ol’ Man Winter exerts his will
With the March lion he’s allied
Our calendar they’ll not abide
The masses seem most mortified
That snow would deign to fall outside
Demeter smiles in mock deride
As Persephone is by her side
For his blustering’s not bona fide
And that lion runs at the lamb’s chide
It’s the last hurrah until autumn’s chill
I laugh as the scant snowflakes spill

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National Poetry Writing Month – Day 4

Real Toads Challenge: Nature Poetry

Today’s form: Duo-Rhyme (12 line)

The Duo-rhyme, is a 10 or 12-line poem, with the first two and last two lines having the same rhyme scheme, and the center of the poem (lines #3 through #8 or #10) having their own separate mono-rhyme scheme.

Meter: 8 beats per line, written in iambic tetrameter (4 linear feet of iambic)

Rhyme Scheme: 10-line: a,a,b,b,b,b,b,b,a,a  or 12-line: a,a,b,b,b,b,b,b,b,b,a,a

How Do I Live My Life Each Day?

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12

How do I live my life each day?
A touch ribald? A touch blase’?
I live the life of bon vivant
With a hint of nonchalant
And sometimes yes, a dilettante
Now some will say I’m arrogant
But none can claim I live pissant
My joie de vivre is abundant
Each day I rise “L’Chaim!” I say
Nor have it any other way

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Real Toads: The Tuesday Platform

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National Poetry Writing Month – Day 4

Today’s form: Duo-Rhyme (12 line)

The Duo-rhyme, is a 10 or 12-line poem, with the first two and last two lines having the same rhyme scheme, and the center of the poem (lines #3 through #8 or #10) having their own separate mono-rhyme scheme.

Meter: 8 beats per line, written in iambic tetrameter (4 linear feet of iambic)

Rhyme Scheme: 10-line: a,a,b,b,b,b,b,b,a,a  or 12-line: a,a,b,b,b,b,b,b,b,b,a,a

Silver Lining

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7

I look upon this cloudy scene
The miles of dark unbroken gray
Stretched to the limits of my sight
As sky turns to sinister mood

What would have been, for sure will not
The lightning strike is close and loud
To emphasize its full intent
Like it or not, it’s understood

That any plans are now for moot
I lay the blame on the storming shroud
Their malice to ruin the day
As if the blame would do much good

I sneak a smile at the dark clouds
Didn’t want to go out anyway

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National Poetry Writing Month 2016 – Day 2

Today’s form is a new one for me – the Bref Double.

The Bref Double has four stanzas – 3 quatrains (4-line stanzas) and 1 couplet (or 2-line stanza).  It carries three rhymes, an A rhyme, B rhyme, and C rhyme. There is no set line length, but the lines should be consistent within each poem. The order of the rhyme varies, but the A and B rhymes must appear twice within the first 3 stanzas and once each in the couplet, while the C rhyme is the final line in each of the quatrains.

Rhymes can be as follows: xaxc xbxc xbac ba, xabc xxxc xabc ab, abxc abxc xxxc ab, xabc xaxc xbxc ab etc.

Here I Start

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Here
I start
A new day
A new chapter
Filling it with words

Time
Once more
Ticks its tocks
Daily challenge
Of what I can write

Rhyme
Rhythm
Whatever
Will be – will be
This poetic month

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National Poetry Month 2016 – Day 1

Today’s form: the Arun.

A nonce poem created by friend and fellow blogger, GirlGriot, an Arun is a fifteen-line poem in three sets of five lines. Each set of five lines follows the same syllable structure: starting with one syllable and increasing by one syllable with each line. 1/2/3/4/5 — 3x. There are no other rhyme or structural requirements. Today, I follow the pattern she’s set, left aligned and un-rhymed.  I will take a little poetic license again, in future runs of the form.

 

The Power of Speech

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12

At six I didn’t sleep for over a week
Fear of being damned for a kiss on the cheek
Words my pastor were constant to preach
Ah yes, the power of speech

Working for my degree made my nerves fry
Kept hearing the words “It never fails to try”
Encouragement is a subject not required to teach
Ah yes, the power of speech

Her beauty takes my breath away
“Nice boobs” was all I thought to say
Her slap corrected that social breach
Ah yes, the power of speech

Two years later I have a different surprise
The diamond of intent bringing tears to her eyes
“Yes” brings in a star once out of my reach
Ah yes, the power of speech

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dVerse ~ Poets Pub | Open Link Night : Week 153

Because She Knows

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.
.
Because she knows the end is near
No, things weren’t quite as they appear
She’s forced to face her own worse fear
Proof that he holds another dear

Her world, now turned upon its ear
Because she knows the end is near
A love that had no other peer
Has turned to one that can’t adhere

The pain she feels is so severe
She may lose all held in revere
Because she knows the end is near
She starts to get herself in gear

Her actions now become quite clear
Protect what’s left, which she holds dear
She wipes away her final tear
Because she knows the end is near

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Having another turn with the Quartern.

National Poetry Month 2014 – 8

Pictures Taken

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.
.
Such silly smiles that split the planes of our faces
Vacations have a way of doing that
Pictures taken visiting places
So happy anywhere we’re at
Dressed in our Formal Night styles
Now looking over these
Staring at our smiles
I’m on my knees
Tell me why
I cry

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I recently came across some images of my late-husband and I on our very first cruise together. It was a bittersweet discovery to say the least.

I haven’t done a form in a while and what better way to kick off National Poetry Writing Month? This form is called Emotive Ten.

Emotive Ten (nonce form)

 An Emotive Ten describes some form of emotion and has ten lines, the only restrictions is that it is syllable based.  It starts with twelve syllables and throughout the poem working its way down to two; it should describe usually an emotion in paradox, i.e. life to death, loneliness to love, light to dark etc.

If rhyme is used it must go with the syllable count in numbers and rhyme in letters:

12A, 10B, 9A, 8B, 7C, 6D, 5C, 4D, 3E, 2E

An alternate rhyming suggestion is a/a/b/b/c/c etc. The form can also be done in reverse, still ten lines, but starting out with two syllables and ending with twelve.

Contented

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.
.
Sun
Dappled
Shimmering
Full of promise
With daylight dawning

Tears
Are done
I know this
Down to my core
As I stretch yawning

So
I rise
Contented
Feel my soul smile
In this new morning

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Welcome to the Arun.

A nonce poem created by friend and fellow blogger, GirlGriot. An Arun is a fifteen-line poem in three sets of five lines. Each set of five lines follows the same syllable structure: starting with one syllable and increasing by one syllable with each line. 1/2/3/4/5 — 3x. There are no other rhyme or structural requirements.  Though all of hers, so far, were left aligned and not rhymed, I took a little poetic license here.

dVerse  Poets Pub | OpenLinkNight Week 113

The Quiet Before

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She sits in the window seat and sighs
wondering what malarkey would have
such cool gray shades of the overcast day
dull the warm hues that should be autumn
Her front lawn only a sliver off
the near gaudy emerald of summer
was still a vibrant green

A spring green she thinks

Spring when everything begins
with summer’s long stemmed promises
only to fall — the beginning of the end
an early trespass to winter

Nor does the contrast
of the blood red dianthus
against the bright white
of Queen Anne’s Lace escape her

Now past their prime
their wilted blooms too heavy
for their aged jade stems
like an unhanded puppet
leaned over in resolute defeat
to the inevitable

She reaches out in comfort
She reaches out for comfort
to the hands and the heavy heart
that shares all she feels now
as the back the door opens

The only pleasantry being the smile
that quickly departs his face
as wife and mistress turn to him
fingers interlaced, hearts ripped open
Fate catching them as off guard
as they have caught him now

In the quiet before…

 

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Weapon of Choice

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7

 

 

Do I commend? Do I condemn?
Letting you worry,
Brow arched, I smile – walk away.
My weapon of choice.

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(My apologies to those expecting Fatboy Slim / Christopher Walken :-p)

Learned of a new form yesterday – Naani

The Naani is one of the Indian popular Telugu poems. Naani means an expression of one and all. This very short form consists of 4 lines with the lines totaling 20 to 25 syllables. The poem is not bounded to a particular subject. Generally it depends upon human relations and current statements.