A Lai
Bobbing the fence rail
are two feathered quail--
mistake.
Along that same trail
flicks his rattle-tail,
a snake.
His meal, it will fail
as up the birds sail--
heart-ache.
I thought for May 9, I'd try a couple of nine line poems. The first is the French form, the lai. This form uses two rhyme families. A syllabic form, there are five syllables for the first two lines using one rhyme, followed by two syllable lines for the second rhyme. So, the lines look like:
x x x x a
x x x x a
x b
x x x x a
x x x x a
x b
x x x x a
x x x x a
x b
It is fun working with the long and short lines, but it does make the poem list-like with that really short two syllable line.
Here's another:
Once you may recall
when we were still small
we'd play
at chasing a ball.
You'd try not to fall
each day
and sometimes we'd crawl
or we would stretch tall
in May.
Another nine line poem is the nonet. The first line has nine syllables, the second eight, with each successive line having one less syllable until the ninth line has only one syllable. This takes some planning because you have to end on a single syllable word. I'm working on a nonet for tomorrow.
But May 10th is Astronomy Day, so I might write about the moon. And it is also National Public Gardens Day, so I might make my poem about the garden. What will you write about today? Can you try writing a lai or a nonet? Have fun writing.
The Poetry Friday Round Up is hosted by Jama Rattigan on her blog Alphabet Soup. Head over to Jama's Alphabet Soup to read more poetry today. Thank you, Jama for hosting a fun party.
Thanks for introducing me to this form, Joy. Always fun to play with words in new ways. Interesting how the same form seems completely different depending on whether or not you connect the stanzas.
ReplyDeleteYes, and it is fun to try and have lines that aren't end stopped. Thanks for stopping by, Michelle.
DeleteThe lai is new to me too -- interesting form. Great job (the first is my favorite). Those last two-syllable lines really pack a punch.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jama. And thank you for all the beautiful flowers you shared on your blog today. How old were you when you saw your first hummingbird?
DeleteGreat job with the lai, Joy! I'll have to try one of those. Sorry I haven't been around much...but keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt. I loved your recording. Great job. Did you write a Mother's Day Poem? How are Little Dude and his sister doing?
DeleteI love the snake pov and concluding heart-ache! Thanks for introducing this form--it's a new one to me.
ReplyDeleteHey Buffy, part of the fun with the lai is since you are working with two different rhyme families, it is easy to change that two syllable rhyme to another family and you have a whole different poem. For instance:
DeleteUp on the fence rail
are two feathered quail--
bob-ing.
A snake on that trail
flicks his rattle-tail,
throbing.
His meal, it will fail
as up the birds sail--
flying.
See how easy that was?
Oh my, Joy, a long and wonderful poetry lesson with two poems! I think I love the first one best, although this recent one, in the comments, is good. I just love those three final words, "mistake", "a snake", "heartache". I think I'll try a 'lai' & share with my students. I just started a new writing group just for these final weeks of school. Happy Mother's Day!
ReplyDeleteLinda, your students are so lucky to have you sharing poetry with them. I hope you post your poem and ones from your students.
DeleteHappy Moms Day to you, too. Will you be seeing your grand-girls this weekend?
I'm adding these two forms to my ABCs of poetry list for my classroom. We must try them both! Thanks for your great model poems. Your site is a great resource!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Margaret.
DeleteI'm just here having poetry fun with my buddies. I'm glad you're one of them.
Enjoyed your quail poem very much -- writing a lai is going on my to-do list!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tabatha. I often wonder what my poetry would look like if I lived in a New York high rise.
DeletePlease share your lai with me when you get it written. I'd love to see it.
Joy,
ReplyDeleteThe quail and snake poem was great. It left a lasting image.
You'll have to try writing your own lai, Linda. Is there a National Lai Day? Wouldn't that be fun. I'm going to have to start working on that--maybe a different form each week of the year. I wonder if I've written 52 different forms. I need to go back and check. I've certainly provided a year's worth of poetry prompts.
DeleteI'm going to have to try this form! You use it perfectly with your quail and snake!
ReplyDeleteGo for it, Mary Lee. I'd love to read what you come up with. Have fun writing your poem.
Delete