Try a Piece of a Triolet

Patterns and Travels

Photo by Amy LV

Students - I feel fortunate to once again share a musical version of my poem by my friend Gart Westerhout, a professor, composer, pianist, singer, and director of a musical theater in Japan. We met through the internet, through poetry and music, and while I always have concerns about the internet, finding good and talented friends in this way brings me joy. Thank you, Gart!

Yesterday I was driving home from the credit union over the snowy Western New York 

hills and had this thought, I want to write another triolet! And so last night, I did so. Isn't it neat how

our brains can just make decisions and then follow through? And the more little things we learn, the 

more ideas we give our brains to chew on and try out. Today's poem is about a friend, a friend from a 

faraway place. Many of us have and love such friends.

A triolet is, indeed, one of my favorite forms. I enjoy the rolling repetition and the way a writer can emphasize an idea simply by repeating it according to the form's rules. You will notice that lines 1, 4, and 7 match, as do lines 2 and 8.  If you look carefully, you will also notice that the rhyme scheme is: ABaAabAB. If you read it aloud and listen verrrry closely, you may notice that the poem is written in iambic pentameter, ten syllables per line with the accents reading daDUM, daDUM, daDUM, daDUM, daDUM.

Now, while this can be a lot to keep track of (it helps me to reread and look at another triolet I've written as I write: This Beet II, Wintertimes, Triolet for a Stone), it's also interesting to simply experiment with one technique from a particular form. Maybe write a poem about a friend you have or can imagine. Maybe try any one of these crafting techniques:

• writing an 8-line poem
• repeating a line two or three times
• keeping the same number of syllables in each line
• making your first two lines match your last two

Experimenting with forms gives us new ways to play with old ideas.

Next Monday! You are all invited to join many of the children's poetry community in celebrating a new Candlewick poetry anthology by Irene Latham and Charles Waters - IF I COULD CHOOSE A BEST DAY: POEMS OF POSSIBILITY. Register your class here at The Writing Barn to hear many poets (including me) read their IF poems aloud.

Find This Book at Bookshop.org

Thank you to Denise for hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Dare to Care. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

I wish you friends from near and far, friends you understand and love and who understand and love you right back. May you be such a friend to yourself.

xo,

Amy

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Find Ideas In Your Reading, Your Friends' Writing, Everywhere!

Available at Your Local Book Shop

Students - I have been reading the book atop this post, THE SOUND OF A WILD SNAIL EATING, by Elisabeth Tova Bailey.  It is a very beautiful book, all about a snail that keeps a Elisabeth company when she is very ill. Of course, the snail does not realize that it is good company...but it is.

This is an amazingly humble book, very gorgeous in its writing...yet about the smallest of creatures.  One we do not often think about.  The book is in my bloodstream now; I keep thinking about it.

So when it was time to write this week, I knew I would write about a snail.  But how?

Then, last night, I visited Laura Purdie Salas's Poetry Friday roundup, up early, to see what was going on.  I saw that she had written a terza rima, a form of poetry I have never attempted, one invented by Dante Alighieri, which he wrote in the 1300s.

All night long, I dreamt of rhymes, mostly "gastropod" and "odd."

All day long, I was busy doing not-writing things.  But the back of my mind kept thinking:  SNAIL...TERZA RIMA...

So, tonight, Poetry Friday Evening, I tried a terza rima myself.  And you just read it - "Snail."

You can read more about this form at The Poetry Foundation, but in short, notice these things:

1.  The poem is written in tercets (three line stanzas).

2.  Each line is in iambic pentameter (da DA da DA da DA da DA da DA).

3.  The first and third lines of each stanza rhyme..and they also rhyme with the second line in the next stanza.

4.  The final stanza is a couplet, with these last two lines rhyming with the second line from the second to last stanza.

This was a fun exercise, and I am so happy that I peeked ahead at Poetry Friday on Thursday evening as doing so gave me this idea from Laura.  I love trying new forms.  It feels like a brain stretch.

Do visit Elisabeth Tova Bailey's website to learn more about her experience.  You can even hear recordings of a snail eating!  And here is the book trailer for her magnificent book.

Remember, ideas for writing are all around us. This week I am especially grateful to Elisabeth for offering a content idea (snail) and to my friend Laura for offering a structure idea (terza rima).

This month I am glad to introduce you to artist and art teacher Tim Needles over at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks.  I've admired his work on Twitter for a while, and it's a delight to peek into his fabulous notebooks and to learn about his faith in process.  Don't miss - and please leave a comment to be entered into a book giveaway.

Laura is hosting today's Poetry Friday party over at Writing the World for Kids. Enjoy all of the poetry fun over there. All are always welcome to all Poetry Friday parties!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.