Our w3 challenge today was to write a triolet about something “ordinary.” I used our RDP word prompt (streetlamp) as my ordinary thing. Not sure how well I succeeded, as I don’t write a lot of rhyming verse, but it was fun to try and create the English version of this style!
A Triolet is an 8-line poem where lines repeat in a beautiful rhythm:
Lines 1, 4, and 7 are the same, and lines 2 and 8 are also repeated.
The rhyme scheme looks like this: ABaAabAB (uppercase = repeated lines).
If you’d like to make it a little trickier, try writing each line with 8 syllables (iambic tetrameter, the classic French style) — or challenge yourself with 10 syllables per line (the English version).
This Fandango Friday Flashback post was originally part of a FOWC from on October 17, 2018! I failed to say what that original prompt was and Fandago’s domain has changed, so who knows? My bad.
Whatever it was, I worked it into my blog for an upcoming trip. I cannot believe that it’s been seven years since we embarked on this crazy driving epic! It turned out to be a an eventful and fun trip. I blogged the whole adventure, so for anyone who may be interested in some random road pics, history lessons, art museums, music memories, middle of the night fire alarms, rants about the orange one, and BOOTS, you can find them all here:
You can also find some other travel adventures via my TRAVEL tab. Although, sadly the realities of life have reduced our travel life considerably. Oh well. I’m happy to say we are no longer stuck in Florida, so I don’t need to drive to the Fall. It finds me!
So please enjoy my happy (and some not so happy-I’m looking at you MAGA) memories and if you can please support your local NO KINGS events.
Today’s prompt from FOWC inspired me (one could say it prompted me) to say a few words about the road trip that begins when my husband and I rise Thursday morning at the beautifully dark hour of 4:30AM and hit the road by 5:30.
“Where ya headed?”
Glad you asked. We are going north to escape the endless summer that has wrapped Florida in its deadly grip. We seek the Fall! Memories of cute boots and scarves and blue jeans and sweaters beckon.
“Come to me!!” They call.
“Wear me.” They tease.
“Wrap me.” They whisper.
I am tingling with excitement.
Oh and I get to see friends and family too. So it’s a win-win.
Of course this road trip includes a giant triangle of driving—South Florida to middle Illinois to Washington DC to south Florida—so it’s possible I’ll change my mind about the win-win. But for now I’ve got the pod casts downloaded and the play lists set.
Here we come autumn!
Updates to follow 🎃 but here’s a haiku to keep you warm till then. It’s not great but … BOOTS!!
Reena’s xploration challenge invited us to explore the space of Passages, Doorways, Thresholds, and/or Transitions, which dovetailed beautifully with dVerse Poets Banned Book challenge. As an avid ally for the trans/non-binary community, I was drawn to the following quote from Susan Kuklin’s book Beyond Magenta.
… my subjects’ willingness to brave bullying and condemnation in order to reveal their individual selves makes it impossible to be nothing less than awestruck.”
Check out both sites for more information on the challenges and for some great writing.
This week I tried something new by writing a rengay with David from The Skeptic’s Kaddish.
I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed the process. Visit David’s site for more inspired bits of poetry.
What is a rengay? Rengay is a form of linked verse created as an alternative to Japanese renga or renku. The form was devised by Garry Gay in California in 1992. A rengay consists of six thematic haiku verses and is normally composed by two or three poets, although solo and six-person rengay are not uncommon. You can read more about this form HERE.
Tina Stewart Brakebill 