Q is for Quatern

A Quatern is a sixteen line French form composed of four quatrains. It is similar to the Kyrielle and the Retourne. It has a refrain that is in a different place in each quatrain. The first line of stanza one is the second line of stanza two, third line of stanza three, and fourth line of stanza four. A quatern has eight syllables per line. It does not have to be iambic or follow a set rhyme scheme.

line 1
line 2
line 3
line 4

line 5
line 6 (line 1)
line 7
line 8

line 9
line 10
line 11 (line 1)
line 12

line 13
line 14
line 15
line 16 (line 1)

QUESTIONS
How come we have some endless quest?
Or do we walk in crooked lines?
When do we see some phantom truths?
When can we know if journey ends?

Can the spirit of the ground talk?
How come we have some endless quest?
Some questions I need the answer
Never ending questions from me

If I kiss you, is that enough?
And if I want to be with you?
How come we have some endless quest?
Together we can search the truth

Questions, questions, lots of questions
Life would be boring if we don’t
It’s like a puzzle to be solved
How come we have some endless quest?

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: two-thirds done with April, and entering the home stretch of NaPoWriMo and #atozchallenge — Quiz Time!!!

P is for Paradelle

Paradelle is a poetic form that Billy Collins originally introduced as “one of the more demanding French forms,” though eventually Collins fessed up that he created it as a joke.

Collins was not kidding about the demanding rules of the paradelle. Here they are:

The paradelle is a 4-stanza poem.
Each stanza consists of 6 lines.
For the first 3 stanzas, the 1st and 2nd lines should be the same; the 3rd and 4th lines should also be the same; and the 5th and 6th lines should be composed of all the words from the 1st and 3rd lines and only the words from the 1st and 3rd lines.
The final stanza should be composed of all the words in the 5th and 6th lines of the first three stanzas and only the words from the 5th and 6th lines of the first three stanzas.

POLLY, THE PARROT
Who’s a pretty parrot, Polly?
Who’s a pretty parrot, Polly?
Yes, you are, so colourful bird
Yes, you are, so colourful bird
Oh yes, you’re so pretty Polly
A parrot, you’re so colourful

Ring, ring, hello, are you okay?
Ring, ring, hello, are you okay?
Teach the parrot how to say “hi”
Teach the parrot how to say “hi”
Ring, ring parrot says hello, hi
Teach: hello and are you okay?

My sole companion, my Polly
My sole companion, my Polly
She’s so appealing and friendly
She’s so appealing and friendly
My friendly Polly, appealing
My Polly, companion so sole

My friendly sole companion bird
Bird so pretty and colourful
Teach Polly to ring and say hello
She says hi and how are you?
Yes, you’re so appealing, Polly
Oh yes, you’re a pretty parrot

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: nineteenth day of NaPoWriMo and It’s My Letter Day! P for Pam and P for Books, what? #AtoZChallenge

O is for Ode

An Ode is a poem praising and glorifying a person, place or thing.

ODE TO TATANG’S FARM

We were always there
Come Holy Week or All Saint’s Day
And don’t forget the harvest time
And all the fiestas – they were always fun
All our cousins were there
Tatang’s farm was always open
We all slept together on the floor
Snoring, people talking in their sleeps
Playing till the sun came down
Swimming and splashing in the creek
And Tatang washing his carabao
Fresh unpasteurised milk in the morning
We just poured it with steaming rice
We added salt and ate with our hands
And on the way to the creek, we had fruit
Mangoes, lansones, bananas as we picked them
On harvest time it was fun, people singing
Grounding some rice and peanuts and coconuts
We made some nice dish, I forgot what it was called
Perhaps we’d never be all together or experienced the same fun
As we are all over the world and the farm was not there anymore
But we’d always remember the fun we shared
On Tatang’s farm in Culianin, Plaridel, Bulacan

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Happy third Monday in NaPoWriMo and Offline a Bit? #atozchallenge

L is for Lune

A Lune is a sort of English-language haiku. While the haiku is a three-line poem with a 5-7-5 syllable count, the lune is a three-line poem with a 5-3-5 syllable count. There’s also a variant based on word-count, instead of syllable count, where the poem still has three lines, but the first line has five words, the second line has three words, and the third line has five words again. Either kind will do, and you can write a one-lune poem, or write a poem consisting of multiple stanzas of lunes. Happy writing!

LOVE
how do I love you?
in many ways
I dreamed what you dreamed

love is powerful and intense
beautiful and messy
it turns me inside out

when we breathe same air
when it’s magical
two hearts become one soul

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: two weeks into NaPoWriMo and Labour of Love

K is for Kyrielle Sonnet

A Kyrielle Sonnet consists of 14 lines (three rhyming quatrain stanzas and a non-rhyming couplet). Just like the traditional Kyrielle poem, the Kyrielle Sonnet also has a repeating line or phrase as a refrain (usually appearing as the last line of each stanza). Each line within the Kyrielle Sonnet consists of only eight syllables. French poetry forms have a tendency to link back to the beginning of the poem, so common practice is to use the first and last line of the first quatrain as the ending couplet. This would also re-enforce the refrain within the poem. Therefore, a good rhyming scheme for a Kyrielle Sonnet would be:

AabB, ccbB, ddbB, AB -or- AbaB, cbcB, dbdB, AB.

my family, my flesh and blood
for that I can sing a ballad
we all take it in great humour
all different but similar

my father’s a chef, mum’s teacher
brother’s nurse, sister a babbler
our dog woofs, of course, our cat purrs
all different but similar

we are there when one’s in trouble
and we are rich in wise counsel
we like food, crackers and cheddar
all different but similar

my family, my flesh and blood
all different but similar

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: thirteenth day of NaPoWriMo and Keep it Going with the #AtoZChallenge !

J is for Jeffreys Sonnet

A Jeffreys Sonnet was created by Scott J. Alcorn. It is isosyllabic (only 8 syllable per line), 2 sestets with a cross rhymed couplet (the cross rhyme is in the 2nd to 4th syllable in each of the two lines of the couplet). Also there is a cross rhyme in the first line of the 2nd sestet (between the 2nd to 4th syllable), tying the 1st sestet to the 2nd. So the rhyme scheme would be: aabccb, (b)ddeffe, (e)g (g)e. The letters in ( ) are the cross rhymes.

JOURNEY
I journeyed through my entire life
where the streets with rumour ran rife
to places I don’t know about
and I thought to myself be brave
and of course, I’ve got to behave
I’m sure I’ll reach there without doubt

the route I take leads me to you
challenges I’ve got to get through
I know you are waiting for me
together we can carry on
and what do you make of yon?
for in life we can go jointly

we agree to traverse beyond
we’re fond of spending time with glee

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Day 12 of NaPoWriMo and #atozchallenge Blog Envy (i.e. Jealousy)

I is for Isabellina Phlox

Sweet Isabellina Phlox

I saw you in my walks

Moonlight yellow blossoms

In clusters you usually come

You’re such a heirloom plant

A gorgeous posy for my aunt

Fragrant in creamy white

There’s always a poem to write

You always attract butterflies

You can grow up in size

Sweet Isabellina Phlox

My flowers from the blocks

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Day 11 of NaPoWriMo and I’m Falling Behind! #atozchallenge

H is for Harrisham Rhyme

Harrisham Rhyme, created by the female poet, Harrisham Minhas, belonging to the State of Punjab in India, of a six-line rhyming stanza. In this form, the last alphabet of the first word of each line is the first alphabet of the first word of next line.

There is no restriction on the starting alphabet of the first line.

Rhyming scheme : ababab.

HAPPY
pretty butterfly, its wings beating the summer air
youth and innocence, good qualities to possess
happy as a cloud as it flutters around the square
yin and yang the balance of the soul for its success
nurturing the flowers as it flies to them with care
gracious as the sun and wind sighing without stress

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Day 9 and #atozchallenge Hello! Howdy! How Are Ya?

G is for Golden Shovel

Here are the rules for the Golden Shovel:

Take a line (or lines) from a poem you admire.
Use each word in the line (or lines) as an end word in your poem.
Keep the end words in order.
Give credit to the poet who originally wrote the line (or lines).
The new poem does not have to be about the same subject as the poem that offers the end words.

If you pull a line with six words, your poem would be six lines long. If you pull a stanza with 24 words, your poem would be 24 lines long. And so on.

All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I love you unconditionally that’s ALL
There is to say, till the end of time THAT
I know and stick to it, because we are a WE
Have been inseparable, can you not SEE
I’ll try to climb the highest mountain OR
Swim the deepest sea just for you or they SEEM
Like we have our own definition of what love IS
Right? As all the problem or challenge we can BUT
As long as we’re in the same group, say team A
For we breathe the same air, a lovely DREAM
That was, we’ll always be true to what’s WITHIN
Our hearts, to be honest to each other and A
Promise we’ll keep for the rest of our DREAM

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: Day 8 and Tackling the Challenge with Gusto!

F is for Free Verse

Free Verse is an irregular form of poetry in which the content free of traditional rules of versification, (freedom from fixed meter or rhyme).

In moving from line to line, the poet’s main consideration is where to insert line breaks. Some ways of doing this include breaking the line where there is a natural pause or at a point of suspense for the reader.

Following the direction of Walt Whitman, Ezra Pound and T.S.Eliot, many modern day poets use this particular form of expression.

FOOTBALL
I know where
I stand
after rugby
and cricket
and of course
football
is his number one
no complaints
about that
always clear
never fail
to watch
to comment
to listen
to the radio
football is it
let him have it
I’m happy where
I am

(c) ladyleemanila 2016

For: one full week of NaPoWriMo 2016 and Are we having FUN yet? #atozchallenge