Poetry, stories, art, and music from the desk of Jezzie G, a writer without a label
The Rondelet is a French form that turns on a refrain and has two rhymes. The first, third, and seventh lines consist of four syllables and form the refrain. Lines two, fourth, fifth, and sixth lines consist of eight syllables.
The Rhyme scheme is AbAabbA
Example
Roasties Crunch by JezzieG
A Sunday lunch
While catching up with all they’ve done
A Sunday lunch
The laughter shared as roasties crunch
Recalling days when they were young
While dining alone; meal for one
A Sunday lunch
The Rondeau can be a challenging form for the poet. Consisting of three stanzas, a quintet, a quatrain, and a sestet, the first phrase of the first line, or the whole first line sets the refrain (R). The meter is eight-syllable or ten-syllable line, but it is the poet’s choice if that is iambic tetrameter or pentameter.
The rhyme scheme is
(R)aabba aab(R) aabba(R)
Example
In Flanders Field by Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields
Inspired by and written for Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge – thank you, Sue and GC
Form: Quatern
This winter’s night when snowflakes fall
Soft, white, glistening in moonlight
And more follow as drifts begun
By delicate little snowflakes
They’re floating down on frosty air
This winter’s night when snowflakes fall
Loveliness of purity white
Swirling over the dirty streets
We step outside my love and I
Catching one or two on gloved hands
This winter’s night when snowflakes fall
Beautiful snow is our delight
As the delicate kisses chill
The snow making our faces smile
For dawn will bring fields blanket white
This winter’s night when snowflakes fall
©JezzieG2023
Created by Robert Skelton the Dansa which consists of an opening quintain followed by any number of quatrains. The opening line is also the refrain line and is the final line of every stanza including the first. There are no rules regarding meter, line length or subject.
Rhyme scheme: AbbaA ccaA ddaA eeaA and so on
Example
A Question of Time by JezzieG
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
While your gentleness grazes my skin
From evening until the sun shines in
Through the window of scattered dreams in my head
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
Frothy shaving foam slowly spiralling
Down like tears on my smooth skin
I miss your kiss it has to be said
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
The aroma of coffee and a day can begin
But nothing do will stop the missing
Or the memories of the love we led
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
And as the day’s done and night comes in
I kiss your name while sipping a gin
Not a day goes by when “I love you” is left unsaid
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
Beneath the duvet what a long day it’s been
As eyes close I feel you snuggle closer in
To love me again inside my head
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
A 14th century French form the Chant Royale is a 60-line poem that employs rhymes and refrains.
The poem consists of five 11-line stanzas followed by a 5-line envoy. The 11-line stanzas follow the rhyme scheme ababccddedE and the envoy ddedE making the final line of each stanza the refrain. There is no set meter but lines consist of between 8 and 10 syllables.
This gives the following schematic
ababccddedE
ababccddedE
ababccddedE
ababccddedE
ababccddedE
ddedE
Example
Screams of Light by JezzieG
Bright screams of light across the sky
Hurry, hurry get underground
Don’t ask, there is no time for why
Get underground as sirens sound
The screams of light are moving fast
Get underground before they blast
The city shaking again tonight
With children crying in their fright
And a babe wrapped in mother’s shawl
Stay underground and out of sight
Screams of light as the missiles fall
The strange forms of night chill the eye
Another child cannot be found
An innocent life’s left to die
Whispers echo beneath the ground
Just a name sent into the past
But this night will not be the last
More men are drafted into fight
Against the odds, against the night
For the innocent, they give all
For families, they left in plight
Screams of light as the missiles fall
In daylight see broken bodies lie
Victims whose names cannot be found
Yet by mass graves, the women cry
For those, they bury ‘neath the ground
For those for whom death came too fast
For those, whose shadows no longer cast
There’s no comfort in the daylight
Just ruins, a burial site
Empty boxes on a roll call
That seeped their blood into the night
Screams of light as the missiles fall
Every day no time to cry
Finding food within the compound
To carry on a day goes by
Before rushing back underground
No time to cry or be downcast
The war goes on and time is fast
The outside world that knows their plight
Does nothing for living in fright
They say it’s wrong, they heard the call
But they will not do what is right
Screams of light as the missiles fall
Night falls as once more sirens cry
Hurry, hurry get underground
As screams of light take to the sky
Soon the city will echo sound
Familiar now, just a blast
Lives lost to fade into the past
Proving points of power and might
But who is keeping score tonight
In death can it be proved at all
Bullying ways are no fair fight
Screams of light as the missiles fall
Innocent lives, it’s not their fight
And power doesn’t make it alright
Yet the world ignoring them all
Is as guilty as sin tonight
Screams of light as the missiles fall
The Quatern consists of four four-line stanzas. As is common with French forms there is a refrain, but unusually no rhyme scheme is specified. Typical of French poetry it consists of eight-syllable lines and no meter is specified.
The Refrain is the first line of the first stanza, which becomes the second line of the second stanza, the third line of the third stanza, and the last line of the last stanza.
Example
In The Darkness by Terry Clitheroe
In the darkness I find my fear
Feeling, hearing every sound
Lying here powerless to fight
Totally aware of the dark.
Then I feel the first sharp bite
In the darkness I find my fear
The sensation the acid burns
Feeling, hearing every sound.
I feel them everywhere now
Penetrated a million times
In the darkness I find my fear
Voracious appetites I feed.
My body now a piece of meat
In the darkness I find my fear,
Feeling, hearing every sound
In the darkness I find my fear
Originally a Malaysian form the Pantoum was adapted by the French and popular in Europe, with Baudelaire and Fouinet being amongst the foremost users of the form.
The Pantoum is a strict repeating form with no stanza count, the French Pantoum has an eight-syllable count, and the Malaysian style has no syllable count. The French style includes a repeat back to complete the circle, whereas that isn’t necessary with the Malaysian form
The rhyme scheme is as follows
A1B1A2B2 B2C1B2C2 C1D1C2D2 …. For the French Pantoum Z1A2Z2A1
Malaysian Pantoum Example
Claire de Lune by Terry Clitheroe
The moonlight shines on singing waters
A chorus repeated by humming stones
In a composition of competing meters
Bringing peace to my stressed bones.
A chorus repeated by humming stones
Under the light of a strawberry moon
Bringing peace to my stressed bones,
It’s not hard for souls to become attuned.
Under the light of a strawberry moon
Two lovers watch falling under its spell.
It’s not hard for souls to become attuned.
As we older lovers know only too well
What of the Fish?
Form: Sestina
Sunlight glistens after the rain
As the stormy clouds clear
The air scented by purity
Freshness without chemicals
And in the rivers swim the fish
Free to explore the new water
But the drought comes, there’s no water
Wispy clouds offer no rain
And as rivers dry what of the fish
How do they escape to the waters clear
Away from humanity’s chemicals
Cleansing the earth for purity
The quest for unnatural purity
Quenching thirst with cleansed water
While swallowing unknown chemicals
Yet never tastes as good as the rain
After the heat of days too sunny and clear
And let’s not forget the fish
And in garden ponds swim fish
Reflecting the light of nature’s purity
Colours orange, red and yellow shine clear
In the flow of the water
Refreshed and renewed by the rain
And no one considers chemicals
Humanity’s pollution with chemicals
The rivers poisoned with the fish
As the earth is purged by acid rain
Where is the so-called purity
When death flows in the water
Yet the rivers run clear
Is it too late for thinking clear
On the effects of manmade chemicals
And fertilizers bleeding into the water
In the rivers where there are no fish
Is there sense to this purity
If it brings contaminated rain
Rivers running clear refreshed by poison rain
Too many chemicals do not give purity
When free-flowing water carries no fish
©JGFarmer2023
A Question of Time
Form: Dansa
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
While your gentleness grazes my skin
From evening until the sun shines in
Through the window of scattered dreams in my head
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
Frothy shaving foam slowly spiralling
Down like tears on my smooth skin
I miss your kiss it has to be said
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
The aroma of coffee and a day can begin
But nothing do will stop the missing
Or the memories of the love we led
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
And as the day’s done and night comes in
I kiss your name while sipping a gin
Not a day goes by when “I love you” is left unsaid
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
Beneath the duvet what a long day it’s been
As eyes close I feel you snuggle closer in
To love me again inside my head
How long will your warmth hold me in bed
©JezzieG2022
Dating from the Middle Ages the Kyrielle was once a very popular French form. Written in quatrains with the last line of each quatrains as a refrain. Each line consists of eight syllables.
The rhyme scheme is
aabB ccbB ddbB and so on
Example
Jamie’s Song by JezzieG
We walked through the gilded gateway
Towards the moonlit castle keep
Without a word, nothing to say
Here where the black-winged dragons sleep
As silent as Death’s last whisper
We slowly move in the night creep
The night singed, her breath crisper
Here where the black-winged dragons sleep
And we fall to our knees inside
The door before her eyes can weep
In silver light no place to hide
Here where the black-winged dragons sleep
The moon sparkles upon her wings
The power of flight within their sweep
And we tremble over these things
Here where the black-winged dragons sleep
The fear that on our tongues we taste
In saline sweetness feel it seep
Like dark-robed children we make haste
Here where the black-winged dragons sleep
Too late! Leathered lids slowly rise
The flames of amber start to leap
In her eyes, her welcoming eyes
Here where the black-winged dragons sleep
Our time has come at last tonight
The dragon children cannot weep
But now must spread their wings in flight
Here where the black-winged dragons sleep
Inspired by and written for #Writephoto – thank you, KL
I admit I am a bit odd in that fog and mist holds something beautiful for me, but it is a beauty I am not ready to see.
Song From the Mist
Form: Barzelletta
In silent dawn echoes of sound
As mystic swirls come from the ground
Her voice calling I can hear it
I hear her song from where I sit
So grows the urge to listen more
Then rise to walk into the mist
To garner more than just a gist
Like many times I have before
Follow her song to the unknown
To step upon the path I’m shown
But what if my way is so lost
How then do I repay the cost
So grows the urge to listen more
Then rise to walk into the mist
To garner more than just a gist
Like many times I have before
Oh spirit guide I know I must
Believe in you, again to trust
Lady sing to me, take my hand
Lead me back to the way you planned
So grows the urge to listen more
Then rise to walk into the mist
To garner more than just a gist
Like many times I have before
©JezzieG2022
Enchantments of Love
Form: Villanelle
Wrap me within the gaze that bewitches me
Seduce my mind as my lips kiss your soul
Gather me to you and set my heart free
Fingers touch revealing what mystics see
In hazy eyes, find love's magical goal
Wrap me within the gaze that bewitches me
Muted emotions crave spellbound liberty
Enchantments of love mundane doubts console
Gather me to you and set my heart free
A single word can fill my heart with glee
But your eyes reflect where my senses roll
Wrap me within the gaze that bewitches me
The briefest glance denies me reality
Overwhelmed senses I cannot control
Gather me to you and set my heart free
In love's chains, show my heart clarity
Lost in your loving eyes I become whole
Wrap me within the gaze that bewitches me
Gather me to you and set my heart free
©JezzieGFarmer2012
Heavy on the Vine
Form: Villanelle
Now grapes are hanging heavy on the vine,
in valleys neath the blazing summer sun.
and senses yearn to savour fragrant wine
All thoughts are lost and memories resign,
as dreams recall a time of loving fun,
when grapes were hanging heavy on the vine
For love has flown beyond the mortal line,
but feelings say we are forever one,
and senses yearn to savour fragrant wine
Each night I sleep and find that love is mine,
until the dawn reveals the world I shun
when grapes are hanging heavy on the vine
As reflections fall like silver moonshine,
I whisper on the breeze. 'I love you, hun!'
and senses yearn to savour fragrant wine
Those precious dreams in which our souls combine,
exalt the day my life is truly done
when grapes are hanging heavy on the vine
and senses yearn to savour fragrant wine
©JezzieGFarmer2013
Can Love Reside in Art?
Form: Villanelle
I wonder what she sees when peering in my curtained heart,
do clouds of fortune bring intense reflection
as cries of thought invade my mind; can love reside in art?
Her magic charm invoking pages of the Grimoire's chart,
enchanting aura's discreet fascination;
I wonder what she sees when peering in my curtained heart.
Are mystic dreams now trapped in silica then teased apart?
My dreams of wistful longings mere distraction;
as cries of thought invade my mind; can love reside in art?
Becharming mistress scries the hazy thoughts that gods impart,
but can she see my haunting aspiration?
I wonder what she sees when peering in my curtained heart.
Hypnotic sunsets carry musical strains of Mozart;
can sacred visions inspire such devotion;
as cries of thought invade my mind; can love reside in art?
Beneath her cool composure burns a cold, unbeating heart,
the path that leads beyond my last damnation
I wonder what she sees when peering in my curtained heart,
as cries of thought invade my mind; can love reside in art?
©JezzieGFarmer2011
Screams of Light
Form: Chant Royal
Bright screams of light across the sky
Hurry, hurry get underground
Don’t ask, there is no time for why
Get underground as sirens sound
The screams of light are moving fast
Get underground before they blast
The city shaking again tonight
With children crying in their fright
And a babe wrapped in mother’s shawl
Stay underground and out of sight
Screams of light as the missiles fall
The strange forms of night chill the eye
Another child cannot be found
An innocent life’s left to die
Whispers echo beneath the ground
Just a name sent into the past
But this night will not be the last
More men are drafted into fight
Against the odds, against the night
For the innocent they give all
For families they left in plight
Screams of light as the missiles fall
In daylight see broken bodies lie
Victims whose names cannot be found
Yet by mass graves the women cry
For those they bury ‘neath the ground
For those for whom death came too fast
For those whose shadows no longer cast
There’s no comfort in the daylight
Just ruins, a burial site
Empty boxes on a roll call
That seeped their blood into the night
Screams of light as the missiles fall
Every day no time to cry
Finding food within the compound
To carry on a day goes by
Before rushing back underground
No time to cry or be downcast
The war goes on and time is fast
The outside world that knows their plight
Does nothing for living in fright
They say it’s wrong, they heard the call
But they will not do what is right
Screams of light as the missiles fall
Night falls as once more sirens cry
Hurry, hurry get underground
As screams of light take to the sky
Soon the city will echo sound
Familiar now, just a blast
Lives lost to fade into the past
Proving points of power and might
But who is keeping score tonight
In death can it be proved at all
Bullying ways are no fair fight
Screams of light as the missiles fall
Innocent lives, it’s not their fight
And power don’t make it alright
Yet the world ignoring them all
Is as guilty as sin tonight
Screams of light as the missiles fall
©JezzieGFarmer2022
Termagant
Form: Chant Royal
Prompt: Word: Termagant Definition: archaic, Unpleasant, dangerous woman
His body slumped in corner nook
For all the world he fell asleep
His hand resting upon a book
But on his shirt there’s blood to seep
Around the glint of that steel blade
Within the nook his death was played
No mystery to who did it
Already she claimed anger’s fit
A temper’s rage in love’s disguise
He didn’t turn his back to hit
He made her look into his eyes
The cops didn’t have far to look
In the kitchen they heard her weep
As onions prepared to cook
She said ‘my dears he’s just asleep’
‘No ma’am, he’s dead I am afraid’
She stared out her wide eyes displayed
‘Had it coming’ she said of it
As through the steak her knife did skit
‘I did it, no point telling lies
It’s not right, he made me see it’
He made her look into his eyes
The cop wrote it down in his book
Knowing this case was going deep
Without letting her off the hook
But what if the bloke was a creep
He looked up, he mustn’t be swayed
Too late he saw her cooking blade
‘The men must die’ she said of it
Another corpse for the closet
Wiping the knife across her thighs
Could she claim she had to do it
He made her look into his eyes
Her husband sat holding his book
She said ‘words of love are so cheap
Why did you have to make me look
And see death come and slowly steep
As your life there began to fade
If only you had just obeyed
And turned your back on all of it
I couldn’t let you go, or quit
That would really have been unwise
But you brought the cops into it’
He made her look into his eyes
More and more cops taking a look
Clothed in white they looked like sheep
She hid scared in the corner nook
Swallowing tears so not to weep
Instead she knelt as if she prayed
As if she should be so afraid
The killer might just see it fit
To make her the very next hit
If believed she’d kiss the cross of lies
Knowing she had got away with it
He made her look into his eyes
But the damn cops know all of it
Knelt in cuffs that didn’t fit
Her will hidden in fear’s disguise
On suicide’s knife her soul was split
He made her look into his eyes
©JezzieGFarmer2022
Accidents Happen Like
Form: Chant
Paint drips a happy accident
Fruit basket carefully placed
Arrangement of flowers casts shadows
Paint drips a happy accident
Blue spot move it around
An apple into the light
Paint drips a happy accident
Wallpaper changes from delicate pink
Taking the hue of a baby blue
Paint drips a happy accident
Still life realism dripping
Into a surrealistic imagination
Paint drips a happy accident
Curtains flutter with crimson bananas
And the artistic mind wanders through
Paint drips a happy accident
©JezzieGFarmer2022
He Is In There
Form: Catena Rondo
Hidden secret living with fear
Would anyone notice if I wasn’t there
Perhaps, but I know he’ll care
Hidden secret living with fear
Would anyone notice if I wasn’t there
Do they notice the tears in my eyes
Do they hear the pain in my sighs
Would anyone notice if I wasn’t there
Do they notice the tears in my eyes
What if they can, now I’m afraid
He’s getting stronger and will not fade
Do they notice the tears in my eyes
What if they can, now I’m afraid
Hidden secret living with fear
Yet it’s his strength holding me here
What if they can, now I’m afraid
Hidden secret living with fear
Would anyone notice if I wasn’t there
Perhaps, but I know he’ll care
Hidden secret living with fear
©JGFarmer2022
Inspired by and written for Weekly Prompts Colour Challenge – thank you Sue and GC
In those early times without Gabbie, I was a bit daft and thought a bottle of red would take all the grief and anguish away rather than dealing with it. Yeah, it really didn’t work, but I guess part of the process. Now I don’t want to bury the memories in alcohol but enjoy them as they bring her close to me and put a smile on my face. Love doesn’t die, it finds a way.
Glass to Forget
Form: Blues Stanza
Theme: Love
Take away the sorrow within
Empty my mind of the sorrow within
I have no reason to grin
In a glass to make me feel good
Sipping the liqueur I should feel good
To stop the tears if only I could
An empty room echoes with why
Another glass no answers to why
Sipping red wine with tears to cry
Another bottle to forget
The love I can never forget
And as I drink my cheeks get wet
Red wine doesn’t stop the lonely night
It makes no difference I miss you tonight
For loving you made me right
Now I close my eyes and let my senses think
And it’s ok to let it go and think
Of our times I don’t want to lose in drink
The pain of loss I had to face
To open my mind to see your face
To feel our love in all its grace
Red red wine and love so true
This power of love that is so true
Until we’re one again, I miss you
©JezzieGFarmer2022
Inspired by and written for Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – thank you GC and Sue
In the days when health and safety wasn’t even a thing, when as kids we did crazy-assed things, got battered and grazed, and oooh we are still here, building carts that had no brakes or real steering was the bees – here goes
Old Bits of Wood
Form: Envelope Sestet
Those old bits of wood hidden in the shed
We had plans to put them to better use
Drawn out on scrap paper stained with spilt juice
Summer holidays no lazing in bed
We hunted for hammers and nails instead
Those old bits of wood hidden in the shed
Packing some sandwiches out on a trip
No swimsuits, no towels inside our bags
Just a bundle of old torn greasy rags
As we headed out for the rubbish tip
While some mates dragged through a rusty old skip
Packing some sandwiches out on a trip
And in those adventures we found some wheels
One from an old pushchair, one from a trike
A broken pedal car what’s not to like
Not one wheel looked the same and all were steals
This ain’t about style but how freedom feels
And in those adventures we found some wheels
We put it together, found some old rope
Tied to the front wheels to act as a guide
And then it was ready for the first ride
So we set out to a nearby hill slope
Not standing a chance and even less hope
We put it together, found some old rope
Pulling at cut straws to see who would drive
Mike got on board and so off he went
It wasn’t long before the wheels were bent
He crashed and we called out ‘are you alive’
Those homemade carts just how did we survive
Pulling at cut straws to see who would drive
©JezzieGFarmer2022
Green-Eyed Baby
Form: Ballade Supreme
Theme: Wellness
Subject: Jealousy
There’s no love that will ever possess me
For love has no conditions to be true
When being in love is to set it free
You don’t belong to me nor I to you
Yet this beauty of love is known by few
As they demand I change to just fit in
With their want; to leave behind my own skin
And if I don’t it’s all those screams and cries
As the if-you-love-me games then begin
The devil makes mischief in jealous eyes
‘If you love me you won’t yearn to live free
To dance in the wild ways that spirits do
You would change who you are if you loved me’
But if you love me in ways I love you
Why make me change to a life so untrue
To an emptiness of just fitting in
I am not the prey hunted at your chagrin
I’ll be who I am and wear no disguise
If that is wrong then it is my own sin
The devil makes mischief in jealous eyes
‘If you love… be who I want you to be’
You fell in love me what is wrong with you
I’m still the same and who I’ll always be
For love means be free do the things you do
‘Cos my heart fell in love with you as you
Not an ideal or a battle to win
I say do what you want let your soul win
For love is open and its truth is wise
But you don’t hear it and that is your sin
The devil makes mischief in jealous eyes
No, my soul will not die within me
And I was wrong to let my heart love you
The not good enough to love set me free
As from a distance my love remains true
Your envy poison between me and you
Escaping the pain of all that has been
Escaping the pain so that we both win
And still my soul dances beneath blue skies
While I am saddened now that it has seen
The devil makes mischief in jealous eyes
©JezzieGFarmer2022
Aromatic Fields
Form: Villanelle
Her echoed breaths of comfort are revealed
my lady lavender who soothes my dreams,
in this sweet-aromatic, purple field.
From golden age and royal scented shield,
her mystery beneath her eyes still gleams,
her echoed breaths of comfort are revealed
To lady lavender, my heart I yield,
with piquant oils and heady perfume streams,
in this sweet-aromatic, purple field.
With calming airs, her magic charm appealed,
evocative ideals, my soul redeems,
her echoed breaths of comfort are revealed.
Inhaling beauty, senses gently healed,
relaxing briefly veiled from worldly screams,
in this sweet-aromatic, purple field.
With lady lavender my spirit sealed,
her blesséd peace that comes from love's regimes,
her echoed breaths of comfort are revealed,
in this sweet-aromatic, purple field
©JGFarmer2009
Written to the following prompt – thank you Sue and GC
My form today is the Blues Stanza which is supposed to be a sad poem – well hey rules are for breaking right? No sad in this one, my Lilydog is nothing but joy to me. A crazy spanner what more can a guy want? I’m a Beatles fan the prompt is yellow
The Poet and Her
Form: Blues Stanza
Dawn comes in hazy yellow shine
The pond reflects hazy yellow shine
The golden silence of morning is mine
The tea fresh in my cup
Morning brew fresh in my cup
It’s time for her and me to wake up
The koi rise to say hello
Ripples of water say hello
The pond glistens in shades of yellow
I sit quiet, she sniffs around
Her favourite spots she sniffs around
Her tail wagging her nose to the ground
My pen writes rubbish and then a haiku
A random word writes into a haiku
And she looks with her eyes of ‘I love you’
Spring flowers open to the morning sun
While she’s stretched out in the morning sun
Watching the world and making it fun
This, our quiet time, just her and me As the world awakens, just her and me The poet playing words with his dog, my Lily
She looks up with her dark eyes and all
She won my heart with her dark eyes and all
Now play, she’s chasing her yellow ball
And later we’ll walk down by the stream
A splish and a splash in her little stream
The poet and her where the willows dream
On the rough grass the old dogs meet
She joins her friends in a playful meet
And on damp grass I find my seat
As dusk falls skies turn to burning red It’s time to head home under burning red Soon the hazy yellow, a new day ahead
©JezzieGFarmer2022
Written to the following prompt – thank you KL
My thinking is perhaps the door is closed because the traveler of life has already passed through so I am going to run with that and the Quatern has been pulled out of my form jar. Add a bit of Rascal Flatts for good measure
Shut That Door
Form: Quatern
That door is closed, that chapter done
The time has come to wander on
A knapsack rests upon my back
Each step forward and now I’m gone
Big brass bolts all shot into place
That door is closed, that chapter done
Past days secured and left behind
Now I have new chapters to write
I’ve wept the tears to heal my heart
Nothing left for me to turn back
That door is closed, that chapter done
And a new journey has begun
Bridges of ash smoking behind
The matches still warm in my hand
The path is lost with no way back
That door is closed, that chapter done
©JGFarmer2022
The Year of the Warrior
Form: Ballade
Theme: Seasonal
Subject: Life Events
The spring that brings the child-like days
Adventures when living is new
Exploding in so many ways
As skies shine in a gentle blue
With pastel blossoms peeping through
Above an uncurling green fern
A time of mirth and early dew
Evolving as the seasons turn
The summer sun breaching the haze
And distant seas are calling to
The youth, to learn the warrior ways
While his heart is bound to love true
But he’ll do what he’s born to do
The lessons of life he must learn
Wish him well, he may return to you
Evolving as the seasons turn
As autumn winds bring milder days
Warrior returns battered but true
And by your side in love he stays
Sharing his tales both old and new
For this too, he was born to do
Your love now his only concern
The new life that begins in you
Evolving as the seasons turn
Darkness falls wintery hue
The warrior’s flame begins to burn
His goodbye leaves his love with you
Evolving as the seasons turn
©JezzieGFarmer2022
Probably as old as poetry itself, the Chant is considered to be the first form that poetry took. Chants employ repetitive lines to form a type of chant effect. How frequent the repeated line is the poet’s choice.
Example
Santa Carla by Robert Lee Brewer
He can see all the birds lift from the grass;
there’s another missing child on the radio.
The trees appear to be covered in glass;
there’s another missing child on the radio.
He knows the many shades of wrong and right;
there’s another missing child on the radio.
If there’s a city waiting in the night,
there’s another missing child on the radio.
Dreams of Beauty
Form: Balada
Theme: Beauty
Subject: Dreamtime
I see it in your eyes
The love within a beautiful dream
Can the love of dreams exist
I see it in your eyes
And have no strength to resist
I see it in your eyes
But nothing is as it would seem
I see it in your eyes
The love within a beautiful dream
Should I believe and take a chance
I see it in your eyes
My heart of love desires romance
I see it in tour eyes
But was it a glint of moonlight beam
I see it in your eyes
The love within a beautiful dream
The look that is meant to tempt
I see it in your eyes
As it changes to dark contempt
I see it in your eyes
And know that love is but a dream
I see it in your eyes
The love within a beautiful dream
©JGFarmer2022
Created by: Robin Skelton
Meter: No set meter
Structure: Quatrain
Rhyme Scheme: ABbA BCcB CDdC and so on until … ZAaZ ABbA
The Catena Rondo is a quatrain stanza form. The second and third lines of each quatrain form a rhyming couplet and the second line is used as the first and last line of the next quatrain. There is no limit on the number of quatrains and the final quatrain is a repeat of the first.
Example:
Burning Forever by Terry Clitheroe
That fire we made last night I see still glows
Although for a little while we must part
What we did last night was only a start
That fire we made last night I see still glows.
Although for a little while we must part
The embers caused an ever burning flame
To weld our souls together in life’s game
Although for a little while we must part.
The embers caused an ever burning flame
Promises made, a kiss and an eternal vow
That fire we made the Gods now know
The embers caused an ever burning flame.
Promises made, a kiss and an eternal vow
Just stir the coals and add the fuel and see
The flames will leap from love of thee and me.
Promises made, a kiss and an eternal vow
Just stir the coals and add the fuel and see
That fire we made last night I see still glows
How much I love thee only heaven knows.
Just stir the coals and add the fuel and see
That fire we made last night I see still glows
Although for a little while we must part
What we did last night was only a start
That fire we made last night I see still glows
The Lullaby
Form: Ballade Supreme
Theme: Love
Subject: Parenthood
That babe in arms was you my son
All bathed and dried, ready for bed
The future of you just begun
I kissed my love upon your head
Wishing you joy where’re you tread
Through good and bad my love is true
But now you have sleeping to do
For my love you’ll always keep
A blessing from my soul to you
As I would sing you to your sleep
That playful child was you my son
Exploring life that lay ahead
Beneath your feet and summer sun
Gathering joy as grazes bled
I would cry when I saw that red
Wishing I could take pain from you
I’d patch you up best I could do
And wipe those tears you dared to weep
Promised I’d always be there to
As I would sing you to your sleep
Now a man that is you my son
Doing it your way, your path to tread
I’m so proud of all you’ve done
I’m behind you where’re you head
The moral rock in words unsaid
My son no matter what you do
I’m the loud voice gunning for you
My shoulder where you come to weep
When things go wrong and you feel blue
Still I would sing you to your sleep
A mother’s love is always true
That don’t change despite what we do
My babe in arms beyond skin-deep
No matter what I’m there for you
Perhaps I’ll sing you to your sleep
©JGFarmer2022
Similar to the Ballade, the Ballade is a longer poem with a slightly different rhyme scheme that accommodates the extra lines. It consists of three 10-line stanzas and a closing r-line envoi. Ideally written in iambic tetrameter or octosyllabic lines. The last line of the first stanza forms the refrain.
Rhyme scheme: ababbccdcD ababbccscD ababbccdcD ccdcD
Example
The Lullaby by Jez Farmer
That babe in arms was you my son
All bathed and dried, ready for bed
The future of you just begun
I kissed my love upon your head
Wishing you joy where’re you tread
Through good and bad my love is true
But now you have sleeping to do
For my love you’ll always keep
A blessing from my soul to you
As I would sing you to your sleep
That playful child was you my son
Exploring life that lay ahead
Beneath your feet and summer sun
Gathering joy as grazes bled
I would cry when I saw that red
Wishing I could take pain from you
I’d patch you up best I could do
And wipe those tears you dared to weep
Promised I’d always be there to
As I would sing you to your sleep
Now a man that is you my son
Doing it your way, your path to tread
I’m so proud of all you’ve done
I’m behind you where’re you head
The moral rock in words unsaid
My son no matter what you do
I’m the loud voice gunning for you
My shoulder where you come to weep
When things go wrong and you feel blue
Still I would sing you to your sleep
A mother’s love is always true
That don’t change despite what we do
My babe in arms beyond skin-deep
No matter what I’m there for you
Perhaps I’ll sing you to your sleep
Vernal Senses
Form: Kyrielle
The first gentle kiss of sunlight,
invites my soul with its dawn ray,
to spend a while with nature's love,
wandering spring's pathways today.
Inhale the freshness after snow,
entwined with sweet floral bouquet,
from clusters of yellow found there,
wandering spring's pathways today.
Savour this first morning of growth,
that brings joy and hope as I pray,
tastes of life released from winter,
wandering spring's pathways today.
Musical serenades return,
as birds call their lovers to play,
among the budding leaves I see
wandering spring's pathways today.
Visions of sunshine saffron clouds,
cheeky daffodils wave my way,
my companions as I walk in thought,
wandering spring's pathways today
©JGFarmer2009
The Ballade as its name suggests is a French form and along with the Rondeau was one of the first forms to be standardised in the 14th century. Written in syllabic prosody of any one-line length, the original French forms were octosyllabic, but now decasyllable is more common, and iambic tetrameter etc; are just as acceptable.
The construction is 28 lines which are divided into three octave stanzas and a four-line envoi.
The rhyme and pattern do not change. It turns around on only three rhymes and as is common with most French forms, the last line of each stanza is a refrain.
The Ballade has a rhyme pattern of:
ababbcbC
ababbcbC
ababbcbC
bcbC
Example
Old Glassy Smears by Jez Farmer
I thought I saw the sun peer through a cloud
A warming breath to say goodbye to tears
I could again stand tall and say I’m proud
To close history on all of my fears
But rays of light are just old glassy smears
And words mean nothing; they leave you alone
With solitude’s pain and now nothing cheers
As mem’ries turn a heart of love to stone
My eyes never shall see that pretty face
That one brief glimpse to set the world alight
For beauty’s smile that radiates with grace
Cannot be mine; I return to the night
I shall not taste her lips honeyed delight
For such a pleasure I’m not worthy to own
I have no will to stand against this plight
As mem’ries turn a heart of love to stone
Rekindling dreams of a different kind
In the distance there burns an older flame
But love I will no longer seek to find
So I can never dare call out her name
My heart, too wild, they have failed to tame
Too many times, I’ve heard ‘I love you’ drone
Those empty words but pain hurts all the same
As mem’ries turn a heart of love to stone
No longer shall I yearn for passion’s kiss
Or yield to wantings of the pleasure zone
In darkness lies no joy or loving bliss
As mem’ries turn a heart of love to stone
The Blue Boy
Form: Rondelet
Theme: Art
Subject: The Blue Boy by Thomas Gainsborough
The boy in blue
A returning prodigal son
The boy in blue
He’s back home again, it is true
A hundred years have come and gone
Since we saw this beautiful one
The boy in blue
The boy in blue
A rural lad all dressed in silk
The boy in blue
Finery in a vibrant hue
While modern views prooflessly milk
For their own political ilk
The boy in blue
The boy in blue
Identity police gone wild
The boy in blue
He cannot say if it is true
Yet he gazes out gently mild
With innocent eyes of a child
The boy in blue
©JGFarmer2022
Peaceful Sleep
Form: Rondel Supreme
I can’t recall a peaceful sleep
Without blood in my nightmares
Whereat every turn the fear flares
Before I wake where the tears weep
In the darkness, the visions creep
As my eyes close into blind stares
I can’t recall a peaceful sleep
Without blood in my nightmares
I’m in the fears of night, knee-deep
As all around me, I feel the vacant glares
I hear their voices calling dares
That even a demon cannot keep
I can’t recall a peaceful sleep
Without blood in my nightmares
©JGFarmer2022
My Way
Form: Roundel
Theme: Identity
Subject: Rules
Making the choices that the self define
The desire to live ethnic every day
Doing each day as it comes suits me fine
Old rules are for breaking, that’s what I say
Who is to tell me what is the right way
For their path is theirs and my path is mine
I set my own rules and by them, I play
For living is not made by some design
Set in ancient words by which others pray
Instead, my soul is free to make its shrine
Old rules are for breaking, that’s what I say
©JGFarmer2022
Beyond Veils
Form: Rondel Prime
Theme: Immortality
Subject: Night-time
Closed eyes gaze beyond veils of death
In echoes found in sleeping dream
The destination in a stream
Flowing freely on restful breath
But do our lips drink from the Lethe
To forget all as we redeem
Closed eyes gaze beyond veils of death
In echoes found in sleeping dream
And as reborn we draw first breath
Returned to life with a new theme
The circle turns and leaves no seam
With all revealed on baby’s breath
Closed eyes gaze beyond veils of death
©JGFarmer2022
The Four Times of Day: Evening
Form: Rondeau
Theme: Peace
Subject: The Four Times of Day: Evening by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Those muted tones of silver-green
Reflect the path where faith has been
And the man of mystery makes his way
A pilgrimage at the end of day
His silence, understanding the scene
He speaks not of where he has been
Of things he’s done and things he’s seen
Tonight his words are meant to pray
Those muted tones
A spirit of love can’t be seen
His soul knows what it all can mean
As through the trees, he makes his way
His silence says all there is to say
In muted tones
©JGFarmer2022
Ever Turning Circle
Form: Pantoum
In winter’s white, as angels cry
for early spring to warm the wind,
to bring to life with gentle sigh,
in love, the bitter frost has thinned.
For early spring to warm the wind,
at Valentine’s romantic calls,
in love, the bitter frost has thinned,
where dancers twirl amid stone walls.
At Valentine’s romantic calls,
rebirth of nature’s light divine,
where dancers twirl amid stone walls,
and blossoms pastel shades recline.
Rebirth of nature’s light divine,
when day equals the hours of night,
and blossoms pastel shades recline,
to hail the queen of May in light.
When day equals the hours of night,
a summer’s sun will come to play,
to hail the queen of May in light,
we chant and sing along the way.
A summer’s sun will come to play,
so life can grow as gods decreed,
we chant and sing along the way,
with warmth and light our hunger feed.
So life can grow as gods decreed,
the rays of sun on seeds we’ve sown,
with warmth and light our hunger feed,
the wealth of harvest is our own.
The rays of sun on seeds we’ve sown,
in autumn breeze that chills the heat,
the wealth of harvest is our own,
as gold and red belie our feet.
In autumn breeze that chills the heat,
a year that ends with blessed Samhain,
as gold and red belie our feet,
the call of Ancient’s name to reign.
A year that ends with blessed Samhain,
to bring to life with gentle sigh,
the call of Ancient’s name to reign,
in winter’s white, as angels cry
©JGFarmer2008
Spirits Dance
Form: Quatern
Theme: Celebration
Subject: Ghosts
They share the wine on Samhain Night
The veil is thin as spirits call
And they return to us once more
In the fellowship of the soul
With food and wine enough for all
They share the wine on Samhain Night
While telling stories new and old
My spirits come to talk with me
The comforting whisper of wind
As the fire burns into the dark
They share the wine on Samhain Night
And I know they are there, close by
I make the toast by magic’s rite
A blessed new year in light and love
And my spirits dance beside me
They share the wine on Samhain Night
©JGFarmer2021
With an insistent refrain the Balada is a dance song with a full refrain after each stanza. The refrain’s first line is also repeated after the first and second line or section of each stanza. The poem consists of three etanzaic verses of at least five lines, such as quintets, sestets, octets, etc. The first two stanzas are identical in structure and the third forms the refrain or the repos
There is no set meter, although 6 or 7 syllable lines are the most common.
Rhyme scheme using quintains: AbAbA bAbaA bAbaB
.Example
Dumb Them Down by Larry Eberhart
Don’t let them learn too much,
just dumb them down in school.
Don’t let them learn too much,
they’re easier to fool.
Don’t let them learn too much.
Get them before pre-school.
Don’t let them learn too much.
Indoctrination’s cool;
they’ll need us for a crutch.
Don’t let them learn too much.
Do not allow home-school,
Don’t let them learn too much.
Elites must not lose rule,
Send them to war and such,
Don’t let them learn too much
Dreams of Summer Love
Form: Kyrielle
Theme: Love
Subject: Holiday romance
From airport to hotel and beach,
Come thoughts of holiday romance.
Eyes meet and drink as fingers teach,
Amidst the dreams of summer love.
The passion intense, the feelings real,
Two hearts in union, sipping wine.
Sun tanning days, lust moments steal,
Amidst the dreams of summer love.
Two weeks go fast, back on the plane,
Undying love declared goodbye.
Promises of letters in vain,
Amidst the dreams of summer love
©JGFarmer2008
Curls of Smoke
Form: Rondeau
Theme: Love
Subject: A cigarette
The afterglow, a quiet smoke
No words, passion already spoke
Of the deepest love we declared
In intimate moments we shared
A love only we can invoke
For love is truly that bespoke
With desires that the heart awoke
When our two souls as one were paired
The afterglow
In the curls of cigarette smoke
Embraced by love none can revoke
For love finds its way unimpaired
By mundane words the others shared
We were one when ‘I love you’ spoke
The afterglow
©JGFarmer2021
Moonlight’s Bliss
Form: Pantoum
Theme: Love
Subject: Creaking floorboards
A gentle love you and good night
While waiting for the house to sleep
So passion can again take flight
And across the old floorboards creep
While waiting for the house to sleep
And the candles flickering out
And across the old floorboards creep
A barefoot love that fears no doubt
And the candles flickering out
Into the silence hearts will walk
A barefoot love that fears no doubt
As voices whisper where stars talk
Into the silence hearts will walk
Sharing the secrets of romance
As voices whisper where stars talk
And so begins the lovers dance
Sharing the secrets of romance As lips meet in a sensual kiss And so begins the lovers dance At the edge of moonlight’s sweet bliss
As lips meet in a sensual kiss
So passion can again take flight
At the edge of moonlight’s sweet bliss
A gentle love you and good night
©JGFarmer2021
Brief Intro
Form: Kyrielle
Theme: Poetry
Subject: Introduction
A writer of poems at forty
A lady but not of leisure
I live in England, how haughty
My pet cats are divine pleasure
An eco-warrior I be
A wild Pagan heart is my treasure
Words and pictures set my mind free
My pet cats are divine pleasure
Now learning to write with flow
And classical beat to measure
Form poetry now needs to show
My pet cats are divine pleasure
©JGFarmer2008
My Queen Awaits
Form: Viator
And she whispered ‘I am the one’
As I stood alone among memories
And life stood still with no place to go
A turning point or the end
Only sweet time will tell
In the echoes of ‘Tubular bells’ I heard her
And she whispered ‘I am the one’
The freedom of my youth, expired
For this end must come
For the new to begin
Yet freedom remains my desire
But what if I don’t know the way
And she whispered ‘I am the one’
Her hand holding the mischievous flute
In shrouds of darkness she is gone
Still I know she is watching me
Her eyes steady and gazing through me
Daring me to say it
And she whispered ‘I am the one’
A reminder the choice is mine
The eyes of my soul seek
Her out drawing her close
And I say ‘Are you my Lady of the night
Lilith, my demonic queen’
And she whispered ‘I am the one’
©JGFarmer2021
Barriers
Form: Monchielle Stanza
My secret place revealed
I’m lost, no place to go
To drift alone in me
And open up my mind
So I begin to see
What can I do now that
My secret place revealed
My soul exposed and bare
My heart abandoned here
Will my eyes again dare
Where to find the answers
When there’s nowhere to look
My secret place revealed
Disrespected, my space
False love remained concealed
I know the fault is mine
I let you in to me
Believing love was true
My secret place revealed
Dreams lost what can I do?
But still I dream of love
The truth of blessed divine
And my heart needs no shield
And we’ll return to share
My secret place revealed
©JGFarmer2021
Form: Villanelle
True love knows nothing of place, nor of time
The struggles the price of just one moment
While caught between words of a sleepy rhyme
Disrupted kisses before alarm bells chime
But hazy lover’s dreams can’t pay the rent
True love knows nothing of place, nor of time
I’m here, you’re there, a disturbed paradigm
Paradox of love for writer to vent
While caught between words of a sleepy rhyme
Common sense says we must earn the dime
But common sense does not ease the torment
True love knows nothing of place, nor of time
So the week passes like a tragic mime
With each hour wished away before It went
While caught between words of a sleepy rhyme
With just hazy dreams of moments sublime
That working week that lover’s circumvent
True love knows nothing of place, nor of time
While caught between words of a sleepy rhyme
©JGFarmer2021
Kyrielle Sonnet 1
Structure: Three quatrains and a couplet
Meter: Octosyllabic or tetrameter
Schema: AbaB cbcB dbdB AB
Example
La Cheminée by Jez Farmer
In summer sun the grate lies cold
No embers left to warm the night
Yet summer blooms beauty behold
As floral scents bring out delight
The seasons turn in loving flow
To reach above in passion’s height
For love’s embers don’t lose their glow
As floral scents bring out delight
The essence of love, you and me
Can’t be bound in seasonal might
As through summer we’re loving free
As floral scents bring out delight
In summer sun the grate lies cold
As floral scents bring out delight
Kyrielle Sonnet 2
Structure: Three quatrains and a couplet
Meter: Octosyllabic or tetrameter
Schema: A1bbA2 accA2 addA2 A1A2
Example
Xtremes by Terry Clitheroe
Oh Love, doest thou know thy brother Hate?
Nay! Please realise that he remembers thee;
For no matter how ignorant thou dost be,
His knowledge of thee could never dissipate.
And shouldest thou seek, perchance, to expiate,
Or wish to make amends for past inclemency
Whilst thou art modest, forgiving in thy decency
His knowledge of thee could never dissipate.
For in thy answer Learn to turn the other cheek
How can you love someone who has hurt again?
Not to hate would seem by some to be weak
His knowledge of thee could never dissipate.
Oh Love, doest thou know thy brother Hate?
His knowledge of thee could never dissipate.
Kyrielle Sonnet 3
Structure: Three quatrains and a couplet
Meter: Octosyllabic or tetrameter
Schema: AxxB xxxB AB
Example
Just Friendship by Terry Clitheroe
Friendship grows with the briefest meeting
Like a raging fire grows from just a spark
Burning all in its path, leaving havoc and pain
Yet that small spark can also create warmth.
Fear not the fire you create when you love
There’s a sense of comfort and deeper feeling,
Rather care for the tinder and fuel you use
Because small sparks can also create warmth.
Hard woods burn slowly and smoulders and lasts
Sitting in the evenings warmed by that fire
Its soft red glow, entirely warming your room
Created by a spark that has caused that warmth.
Friendship grows with the briefest meeting
Created by a spark that has caused that warmth
Form: Kyrielle Sonnet
In summer sun the grate lies cold
No embers left to warm the night
Yet summer blooms beauty behold
As floral scents bring out delight
The seasons turn in loving flow
To reach above in passion’s height
For love’s embers don’t lose their glow
As floral scents bring out delight
The essence of love, you and me
Can’t be bound in seasonal might
As through summer we’re loving free
As floral scents bring out delight
In summer sun the grate lies cold
As floral scents bring out delight
©JGFarmer2021
Form: Cardinal Stanza
Myths of modern times
Echoes of long ago
Time repeats
History reflects
In the here and now
Myths of modern times
Old names we all know
Old men speak
As gods in dark days
Shone forth in the light
Myths of modern times
As traditions go
On the same
How they did it then
Is how we do now
Myths of modern times
Don’t understand how
They were done
Miracles of gods
Perhaps; perhaps not
Myths of modern times
Future lessons flow
Will they learn
The ways of the world
Still remains the same
©JGFarmer2021
Jezzie G 