The Lai

     Some days/nights you just feel brain dead.  I think part of the problem is that there are too many things I could write about today.  This often happens when I come to Poetry Friday, or I have a deadline.  I want to write something significant, something important to share and nothing seems good enough.  I know you've been there. 
     So today I'll just share a poem I wrote as part of the Monday Poetry Stretch over at Miss Rumpus Effect. 
     This week I learned about the Lai, a form poem. This is a French form with 9 lines--aab,aab,aab.  The a lines have 5 syllables.  The b lines have only 2.  So, since 6 of the lines need to rhyme, it means that base word family has to be big.  I'm thinking words like "an" --ran, fan, can, man, Dan, Nan, pan, tan.  Or maybe "ight"--light, bright, bite, might, plight, etc.  Anyway, for my poem I cheated a little and used feminine rhyme by using gerunds--"ing" words. (follow the links above for more information on The Lai Verse Form.)

This poem is in honor of the blue moon shining tonight. 

NIGHT DREAMS

While I am sleeping

a lizard leaping

AWAKES!

My eyes start blinking

what was I thinking

MISTAKES!

Then I am screaming

I wasn't dreaming

LAND SAKES!

     So, how did I do?  Did I meet the requirements of the form?
 
    If you try performing this poem with a class, the children can join in by saying the AWAKES, MISTAKES, LAND SAKES!

     Have a Happy Poetry Friday.  Thanks to Sylvia Vardell at Poetry for Children for hosting the round up this week.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY.

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