Friday, February 18, 2022

Triolet for a Beet

 

Beet on Quilt
Beet by Mother Nature
Quilt by Eileen Kisicki
Photo by Amy LV



Students - I have never been a fan of beets. The color? Yes indeed! I love the color, so in that way I suppose I am a fan. But years as a diner waitress serving small bowls of pickled beets turned me away from them. 

This past Monday, my friend Tamara told me that I should eat beets to get more iron in my system. So I bought a beet. Now I need to eat it. The lines of the triolet above are the lines going through my head.

A triolet is an eight-line poem with a special rhyming pattern that goes like this: ABaAabAB. This means that lines 1, 4, and 7 are the same exact words so of course they rhyme with each other. Lines 2 and 8 are the same exact words, so of course they rhyme with each other, and line 6 rhymes with them. Lines 3 and 5 rhyme with lines 1, 4, and 7.  You can test this all in the poem above. I dedicate this one to Tamara, the friend who got me pondering beets.

This week, you may want to try writing a triolet of your own. Or if you don't want to go for the whole form, consider writing a poem with a few repeated lines. Maybe even choose the numbers of lines that you will repeat and where before writing. Writing. Is. Experimentation!

Or, consider writing a poem about (or to) something you do not like. See what arises.

As for me, I will cook that beet you see above. And by weekend's end, I will have a photo of what I cook as well as a report of how I feel about the taste. (Likely fries.) Maybe I will learn to like beets.

Teacher Friends - if you wish to see more of this type of poem, I pinned a few of my other triolets on Pinterest. You will see that I am doing some work there, trying to make my Pinterest world more useful for educators.

Laura is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at Small Reads for Brighter Days with a warm and curious excerpt from her forthcoming book WE BELONG. Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.

I wish you a week of trying new things, even if you (think you) don't like them!

xo,

Amy

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11 comments:

  1. Triolets look tricky to me, but yours flows so easily. I hope you enjoy your beet! They are very tasty cut up in salads, and then you only need to take small bites.

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  2. I love this triolet! The repetition of the form really suits your feelings about your subject. (I didn't like beets either until I moved to Switzerland. The taste was too ... earthy? for me. I don't know the secret, but Swiss beet salad is delicious and I always feel a bit virtuous when I eat it, knowing how good it is for me, and how actively I used to avoid beets!).

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  3. I can identify with your poem! My husband is a fan of beets, but I am definitely not. We grow them in our garden. He eats the beets, and I eat the greens, which have a milder flavor. The form of your poem is well suited to the content!

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  4. I am tickled by your poem, Amy. I just saw an ad that said beet juice is good for you, sort of like your friend's advice. I do like beets, pickled or not but there are a few things I don't like. Fun post!

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  5. Amy: Thanks, I really need to try a triolet. Why do they seem formidable? This one is fun! I am a beet lover, can you beat that? Steamed or baked, with butter and salt, suits me. You might try yellow ones if you don't like the red... milder.

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  6. Heehee--I admire your willingness to cook and try them, Amy. I'm not a super beet fan myself. If slivered VERY finely, I can take a few in a salad, but that's about it. They're so pretty and yet so unappealing! I laughed at your poem :>)

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  7. You know I love this poem (AND beets), but now I'm giggling at the caption for the photo, too!

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  8. Beets, not my favorite but I love the color and the poem.

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  9. There's a wonderful Haitian beet salad that's always a winner! Love the poem!

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  10. Ooh... can't wait to try...the triolet! Actually, I can do beets, occasionally; prefer them disguised as air-fried chips! Thanks!

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  11. I love the triolet form and your poem. Sorry you don't like beets! They are so good for you! I love pickled beets and so - not having written a triolet in ages - I decided to try it. I'll post on April 1. Thanks for the inspiration!

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