Candle
Photo by Amy LV
Students - I adore candles. I love looking into a flame and thinking about the past and the now and the future. I like to play with the wax of a candle and to watch a flame flicker with a breeze or my breath. I am grateful for the tiny bit of warmth that one candle can offer. In these dark days of Western New York winter, candlelight is a gift of hope, and today I try to honor this gift with a few words.
What gives you hope? Might you write about it for the first time or again?
What gives you hope? Might you write about it for the first time or again?
Today's poem is a special kind of poem called a triolet. You will note that it has 8 lines and lots of repetition. In a triolet, lines 1, 4, and 7 are the same. Lines 2 and 8 are the same. And the rhyme scheme goes like this: A B a A a b A B. In poetry language, this means that lines 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 end with the same rhyming sound as do lines 6 and 8. Notice the matching capital letters for the lines which match each other.
I like writing poems with strict forms sometimes because such writing forces my hand. This means that I have to work with what is given: number of lines, repetition, rhyme patterns. I have fewer choices to make and will often make interesting choices based on the constraint. For me, choice works like Goldilocks and her porridge: I don't like too much, and I don't like too little either.
A triolet felt just right today, partly because no one made me do it. Rather, I read a triolet by my friend, Author and Poet Laura Shovan the other day. I believe that her fine writing placed this form firmly in my head.
And yes, I did write these in the middle of the night. I finished it at 3:53am today.
Clock
Screenshot by Amy LV
Writing Longhand in Bed
(Gotta find my notebook!)
Photo by Amy LV
As we begin our stride into a new year, I wish each one of you beautiful days of light balancing darkness and hope balancing despair. Our world is full of both, and small bits of light shine brightly, whether they are candles or people. You are lights for me, and I am grateful.
Buffy is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at at Buffy's Blog with a fabulous review of a Liz Garton Scanlon's new beautiful book, ONE DARK BIRD, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. We invite everybody to join in each Friday as we share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship. Check out my left sidebar to learn where to find this poetry goodness every week.
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