Category: Poetic Asides

And I Smiled

~ Candace ~ 6 Comments

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The Friday form challenge over at Poetic Asides is –

Strambotto Poems

“Some of these forms are older than others, and the strambotto traces back to the 13th century. This Italian form known as ottava siciliana (Sicilian octave) or strambotto popolare was the preferred form in Southern Italy, while strambotto toscano was more popular in Tuscany [hat tip to Edward Hirsch’s A Poet’s Glossary]. Today strambotto toscano is known as ottava rima.”

The basic rules for strambotto:

Octave (8-line) poems or stanzas
Hendecasyllabic (or 11-syllable) lines
Rhyme scheme: abababab
Alternate version: There’s also a six-line variant form (still called strambotto) with hendecasyllabic lines and an ababab rhyme scheme.
Here is my attempt (and a picture of that crocus)
—
And I Smiled

 

I found a yellow crocus blooming today
amid the detritus of a season gone.
Its slender green and white leaves finding a way
through fallen leaves and bits of bark. It was drawn
by Spring’s silent signals and the Sun’s warm rays.
Tightly curled buds, the color of a new fawn,
unfurl to show off in golden, flouncy play
as a milder wind makes them dance in my lawn

Passing a Window Late One Night

~ Candace ~ 18 Comments

d’Vers Poets Pub – Poetry Forms – The Rubaiyat
Frank has us ‘forming’ some lines of poetry at the Pub tonight

—

Passing a Window Late One Night
–

Our eyes met through the window pane
A chance that may not come again
For just one second we were one
A feeling I can not explain

Then, just as quickly, she was gone
A graceful, caramel colored fawn
I look for her on clear, dark nights
To pass, once more, across my lawn

And wonder if she looks for me
When eating apples from my tree
I won’t forget that look we shared
One night that ended magically

A Note of Love

~ Candace ~ 9 Comments

d’Verse Poets Pub – Shed some light on this today!
Lillian is our gracious host in the pub tonight

–
She built a shed
To shield her heart
Filled with her own
Soft words and art

It was a shell
In which to hide
From bitter winds
And foaming tides

Built to protect
A wounded soul
Keep others out
Stay in control

Until she heard
One plaintive note
So she peeked out
And saw a boat

A boat that floundered
In the waves
It needed help
It needed saved

Again that plaintive
Note rang out
It rang for her
There was no doubt

She opened wide
The she-shell door
To show the boat
Where it could moor

She let that note
Into her soul
It turned to love
It made her whole

Protest Interrupted

~ Candace ~ 8 Comments

d-Verse Poets Quadrille – Spoiler Alert!
Lillian wants us to ‘spoil’ a perfectly good Quadrille

–

Protest Interrupted

I wanted to protest against the
Clouds threatening to spoil this
Sunny day – paint homemade signs
march in circles on the beach
I looked up – saw pinks
And yellows painted across the blue
Sky and I knew the sun was in love

–

Poetic Asides Nov PAD – Day 21 – write a protest poem

The Bravery of Clouds

~ Candace ~ 6 Comments

Poetic Asides PAD – Day 16 – brave

–

The Bravery of Clouds

 
I wish I could be brave
Like the clouds – unafraid
Of change, of seeking new
Horizons – willing
To show their true colors
To share their bad moods,
Their joy, their tears without
Remorse and then move on

Cloud Storage

~ Candace ~ Leave a comment

Day 5 – a ‘private’ poem

–
Cloud Storage

 
Some, although not I, tap
Their hopes and dreams, and yes,
Their most private thoughts,
Upon a screen, then with a
Click send it all into the unknown
To be forever stored in the Cloud

Some, although not I, commit
Their inner most longings, even
Confidential introspection to
Lines upon a page, in great clouds of ink
Then stash it beneath a mattress
Away from curious scallawags

Instead, I gather my secrets, bundle
Them up and whisper them into
The sky where a passing cloud
Collects them, stores them in a pocket,
Keeps them, forever safe

Clouds Do Not Apologize

~ Candace ~ 3 Comments

Day 4 – an apologetic poem

–
Clouds Do Not Apologize

 

The clouds do not apologize to
The sun when they step in front
And prevent it from shining
They do not regret the nights
When they keep the moon glow
To themselves under a heavy blanket
They feel no remorse when they
Gather up the stars and hide them
In a cloudy pocket
But there are times when they
Glance down upon the earth
See the sadness scattered there
And they cry

Tired of Cloudy Days

~ Candace ~ 1 Comment

Day 3 – Tired of ‘blank’

–

Tired of Cloudy Days

 

I’ve grown weary of tenebrous skies
Of days shrouded in clouds
I fear the fickle sun has abandoned me
For a place with a clear blue canvas on
Which to paint its brilliance
So I must learn to abide the shades of gray
That hang above like cobwebs
To find the love notes written there from
Cloudy skywriters to anyone who dares to look up

Before Sleep Claims Me

~ Candace ~ 1 Comment

Day 2 – darkest hour

–

Before Sleep Claims Me

 
They come, unbidden
In the darkest hour before
Sleep claims my wandering mind
Kind words unspoken
Good deeds undone
Running rampant through
The crevices of my brain
Until the gentle lullaby of
Morpheus sends me to that
Land of dreams with a promise
That tomorrow I can begin anew

Spin Me Around

~ Candace ~ 3 Comments

Day 1 – glorious

–

Spin Me Around

 
It was not a glorious day
Not even a lovely day
The sun never managed
To crawl out from under
Its heavy cloud cover
The Autumn leaves seemed
A little dull, a little weary,
Tired of change
But in this not so spectacular day
Laughter showed up to lighten
The mood, to spin things around
Until a not so glorious day became
Altogether enchanting