Girl Before a Mirror – Pablo Picasso, March 1932, MoMA – The Collection
This week we will be penning the Welsh form known as Clogyrnach (pronounced clog-ir-nach.)
This form is really a fun challenge, especially for those of you who like limericks, 5/7/5 Haiku or short form poetic forms. It can lend itself easily to light verse (obviously), but the Clogyrnach can also be inspired and lovely with more serious themes as well. And, just so you know, you can make it longer, by simply writing more stanzas. Finally, if you like to make use of enjambment, this is a form where it really can work quite well.
Per Shakespeare’s Monkeys (http://shakespearesmonkeys.com/article-4652-clogyrnach):
The clogyrnach is a Welsh six-line stanza form — it can either be a single stanza poem or you can join them together to make something much longer.
There are only two rhymes per stanza (though if you’re making a longer poem, you can change rhymes as long as it’s the same pattern). The lines have a syllable count of 8-8-5-5-3-3, and the rhyme scheme is a-a-b-b-b-a — technically, it looks like this:
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x x x a
x x x x b
x x x x b
x x b
x x a
If you want to, you can actually join the last two lines together to make one six-syllable line, but it’s important to keep the rhymes in the same place, so if you do that your last line will have the b rhyme in the middle:
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x x x a
x x x x b
x x x x b
x x b x x a
And that’s it.
Here are a couple of examples by yours truly:
A Matter of Opinion
“It is no use to blame the looking glass if your face is awry.” ~Nikolai Gogol
O Mirror, Mirror on the wall,
I do not like your view at all.
You say there’s no trace
of a pretty face?!
Way off base…
I’m fair, y’all.
###
Break for Brakes
“When you step on the brakes your life is in your foot’s hands.” ~George Carlin
When stomping on your brakes, it’s true,
your car does what you tell it to.
Inertia laws mean
your driving machine
halts the scene
on shoe cue.
###
Now, (speaking of breaks and brakes) I know there are a few of you out there who like to break the rules. Right? Of course, right. So, for the non-purists among us, here’s an example of rule breaking where the syllabics actually remain the same, but the rhyme scheme is different (in this case, aabbcc.) And while not a true Clogyrnach because of the change-up, the following poem is a reasonably close facsimile, which some may find a scosh easier to write. Either way, the idea here is to use your creativity and have a swell time!
Holding My Breath
“All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.” ~F. Scott Fitzgerald
I think I’ve held my breath too long
This line denotes my pen’s torch song.
When under water
is it for naught, or
‘til my death
are words breath?
###
And on that note… Ready, set…start poeming! ~RJ
MARIE ELENA’S SILLY STAB AT IT
DING DONG DITCH (EXACTLY LIKE POEMING, ONLY DIFFERENT)
Knock knock. Who’s there? Clogyrnach. Who?
Knock knock Clogyrnach, where are you?
Knock knock, weirdly stalked
Keep your front door locked.
“Clogyrnached!”
Verb? Who knew?
© copyright 2010, Marie Elena Good
… and while you’re poeming, you might want to check out Robert Lee Brewer’s Poetic Asides prompt for today: Write an illusion poem.
POETIC BLOOMINGS 
Responses
She’s Her Own Enemy
She looks critically at her frame
Reflected, taking careful aim,
Wounding with her own thoughts;
Cause the most painful shot
Are begun
On self’s tongue.
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
I’m sorry, I just had to use the aabbcc version. It seems so much more natural to me. 🙂
Too true, especially for us women, eh?
It seems I am always reminding my girlfriends (even my mother) to leave the bat in the closet!
Ha, ha, ha…
Very true. And sadly, this holds for any age, too. You captured the feeling exactly.
Thanks, RJ. 🙂
I think more women do this than men.
As usual, good work, Erin.
I think so too.
Thanks so much, Linda. 🙂
So sadly true…
Like arrows…it certainly hurts…truly it does physical damage this kind of abuse. You captured this well, Erin. ♥
RJ, I love both of yours! You are awesome, as usual. 😀
Marie, that is hysterical! I don’t go in much for funny poems, but you had me laughing. Well done both of you! ❤
Teeheehee! Usually if I have a particularly hard time with a form, I go with “silly.” 😉
Silly, like smiles – equals good. 🙂
Agreed!! :)”s
Thanks! ♥
Thanks for te form and examples, RJ – very good.
Hmmmm….. this form may be harder than it looks, but your examples, RJ and Marie, make it seem like duck soup.
Thanks Bill! It IS hard. RJ’s great examples helped me get a handle on it. I’m so glad she gave more than one. She ROCKS!
Indeed she doeth.
😀
I third that! 🙂
Michael, you are seriously out to make the rest of us look pathetic! Great job! I especially like your first, but all 3 are great. 😀
It appears you’re plagued with mockingbirds. Wonderful job.
Oh, I like this interpretation… 🙂 !!
Wow! You penned some amazing work! I am truly impressed! (And I kind of agree with ME, too.
thank you all for your kindness, this is a new form to me and fun to explore.
Excellent job! You do make it look easy. 🙂
I hate to bend the rules a little, too. If anyone can help with that 5th line I’ll be happy.
September Blues
Where did the lovely summer go?
I look here, there, search high and low
cause I recall those
nippy nights that froze
my nose and
asterisk.
Though it isn’t really a Clogyrnach, I like it. 🙂
Me, too. The ending is especially precious.
A thought just occurred to me: although the exercise here is to try a certain form, the point of poetry is to use devices (such as forms) to create expressive pieces. So forms get bent, sometimes out of shape, but the result is creativity. And your ending here is very creative! (no pun intended)
William is very right. Once you know the rules, it is quite all right to break them, so long as you know what you want to say and the way you say it is fully intended. That having been said, I really like the creativity you’ve shown here!
Thanks Guys – I just plain messed up but I appreciate your support and kind words.
Close but no cigar… that dratted 5th line! but I promise no more : )
this lovely summer has turned brisk
the sun a sullen, lukewarm disc
as I recall those
nippy nights that froze
my nose and
asterisk.
I think that I shall ever be
with this clogyrnach lost at sea.
I find it confusing,
sets me to musing,
wish I was using
some Chablis.
Hah! Love this!
Brilliant! And I’d like to toast you with my glass of Chablis!
Debi, this is great! Love it! 🙂
Love that image of being lost at sea…
These are fun!!
How about this?:
September Blues
Where did the lovely summer go?
I look here, there, search high and low
cause I recall those
nippy nights that froze
nose and toes
soon comes snow
Too true – I’m dreading that snow! Thanks for the help.
Living in the Florida Panhandle, the sight of snow is rare…… very rare. But growing up in Northern Maine; I had my fill of the white stuff.
Glad you liked it.
Nice! Chilly but nice.
You can always bend a bit more…
…cause I recall those
nippy nights that froze
my poor nose
and asterisk.
🙂
I like that!
🙂
Such a great classroom here!!
I agree – such friendly, helpful folks!
As Summer Ends
Let the balloons sail me away
Over the trees on this crisp day
Colors of aspen,
a song from a wren
Guide my pen,
on this day.
Oh now this is just lovely!! Great work, Hen!
Superb!
Just beautiful! And considering how much I love hot air balloons, you had me at the first line!
very nice
Lovely, Hen! all my favorite stuff: balloons, crisp days, trees, birds, words, aaaaahhh!
Beautiful, Hen! You make fall sound lovelier than ever. ❤
OH, you had me sailing with the balloons – neat flight!
Love it my friend.
Thank you, so much friends, I was so inspired by the last line of Sharon Ingram’s poem: “What to Put In, What to Leave Out”, and my imagination just sailed away… 😀 (RJ – I have always wanted to attend the big Hot Air Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico… perhaps one day… 🙂 !!)
You should totally go! I heard that the NM Festival is awesome!
I’ve been going nearly every year (for more than 20 years now) to the NJ Festival of Ballooning. And let me tell you – it’s great.
Warning – longish story to follow…
About 8 years ago, after getting the go-ahead from a ballooning magazine to cover the event, I got my credentials in order to obtain a press pass. My plan? When I got to the fair, I thought I’d go on the balloon field and interview pilots, crew and passengers for their take on the NJ Festival of Ballooning.
Instead, the organizers asked me if I wanted to fly. With the Children’s Miracle Network, if you can believe it!
Now, I have to tell you – I am so scared of/loathe flying even ‘though (ready for this???) I gave my hubby his first private pilots’ license lesson years ago – knowing full well I’d have to fly in a ‘tiny teacup in the sky’ (meaning Cessna 152s and 172s) at some future date. Which, btw, has already happened. Many times over now.
Anyway, I was stunned so before I could actually think about what I would be doing, I said yes. To my utter amazement, it turned out to be one of the coolest experiences ever. Very gentle and just breathtaking.
After my flight, the crew gave me a pin for First Flight (a tradition) – and then they invited me to come with them to crew the next morning. Of course I accepted!
As it happened, the passenger for my 1st crewing adventure was a sick kid (Children’s Miracle Network!) whose birthday occurred during the summer around the time of the festival. This young fellow was supposed to have flown in the past but had gotten so sick (and nearly died) and in the end, he never did take a flight, ‘though that had always been his heart’s desire for most of his life.
But, he was doing well-enough on that particular summer morning, so the CMN and the event organizers asked him if he was up to it healthwise – and he said yes. He asked if he could bring a friend (a girl who also had the same disease, but was doing better at the time) and they readily agreed to this too.
So, we (meaning the crew and I) did all the prep work for the launch, and then when it was time, the boy and his friend climbed into the basket with the pilot (a 3rd generation balloon pilot) and then they ascended. And as they did, as they rose above the earth, I saw a look on that boy’s face that I will never forget as long as I live. It was pure joy. (Oh gosh! I always get misty when I come to this part of the story!)
Anyway, they had a wonderful time. And as icing on the cake for them, they won the Hare & Hounds competition. And I had a brilliant time crewing with a lively fun crew.
And the upshot of the story beyond all this good stuff? Between getting the okay for the story and when the festival actually occurred was about 4 months. In that time, the magazine changed editors – and the new editor nixed my stuff and never ran my stories/never used my photographs.
But aside that little bit of frustration and disappointment – it still was one of the coolest experiences of my life – and it helps to explain why I love hot air balloons so much!
Okay – now back to poeming! 😀
Oh, RJ… (TEARS for the child’s joy!) You have penned such a Beautiful response… I am so very Honored that you took the time from your busy schedule to share this with us… I LOVE that sweet story and I wish that the magazine had run the story and pics… but, like the Amazing “teacher” that you are, you handled the situation in a way that is a Wonderful lesson for all of us… This Garden is such an awesome place for sharing and learning!! Thank you!! ❤ 🙂 !!
RJ, I’ve been busy, snatching a few minutes here and there to check on the site, and only now am seeing your story. It is wonderfully told, with an ease and grace that I admire. Flight has always appealed to me, so I can well imagine the look of joy on that kid’s face. One of my favorite poems is John Gillespie Magee’s High Flight, which, if you don’t know it already, you might like to read.
http://www.highflightproductions.com/high_flight_productions/JohnMagee.html
Oh, I have heard this poem… It is so good to read some of the author’s biography!! Thank you, William!
Good one, Hen…
Thank you, Jacqueline!
I would ride with Hen – that sounds lovely
Aww… thank you, Debi 🙂 !!
Hen!! I love this!!! ♥!!!
Hannah… 😀 … in my mind’s eye, I was headed in your general direction, Thank you, friend!! 😀
♥!!!
Wonderful, Hen!
Dish Soap
There once was a man named Big John
Of all of the things to go wrong
One day in his truck
He got good and stuck
Was, with luck, freed by Dawn
Love this. Thinking like a limerick, not a limey, might be a key to handling this form.
Hmmm…interesting idea, William. And such fun, Connie!
Very fun, Connie!
🙂
:D!!
This starts to read just like a limerick. FUN POEM! Ummm … true story?
APPRENTICE
Learning with a detective troupe,
they taught me how to sneak and snoop.
It made me queasy;
they said, it’s easy,
not sleazy,
pure duck soup.
copyright 2013, William Preston
*clappityclappityclappityclappity* See? Bravo!!
Aw, shucks. Thanks, ma’am.
or even quackityquackityquack ;). I like it, Bill!
Oh yeah…(applauds wildly!)
Another winner by William. Love this!
DEAR DERELICTS
While on a trip I chanced to see
a spectacle that gladdened me.
An old man was in
a rusty old tin:
a tall, thin
Model T.
He had stopped, in front of a bank,
because the old car made a clank.
I asked of the year;
he seemed not to hear
and, I fear,
had to crank.
copyright 2013, William Preston
Ah…storytelling with the form. Love it! (And love those old time automobiles!)
I agree!!
Drat again! First word in the second stanza is supposed to be “He.”
I figured the “She” was the car! 🙂
I figured that was it. I like this story!
Her’s all better now! 😉
(And love the poem!)
Thanks much. That cranks the poem up a notch.
I love old cars! Nicely penned, Will.
Yes, 🙂 !
What a cool tale, William.
THE FATES DON”T LIKE OLD CRATES
Once, an old pilot named Howie
flew to the island of Maui.
He landed in rain;
his rickety plane
caused a painful owie.
copyright 2013, William Preston
Ouch! (And do I detect a theme today about age and the falling-apartness of it?)
Probably so. I’m at an age where it’s doin’ what comes natcherly.
Join the club, my friend. 😀
No worries, William… we are all going in the same direction… 🙂 !!
Yikes!!!
Oh dear… 😀
I find this hilarious, William. Thanks for the laugh.
Oh my! 😀
ALCOHOLIC
He worked and worked for years and years
but yet his purse was in arrears;
enmeshed in last place,
he ended life’s race
in disgrace
and in tears.
copyright 2013, William Preston
How terribly tragic, I hope this is not someone you know personally.
I’ve known a couple who came close to my description.
I’m so sorry. Sadly, so have I.
!! 😦 !!
Goodness … so well captured. There are far too many.
Well done, proving you can take this form in any direction.
MOUNTAIN HIKE
(A clogyrnach Poem)
Box lunch prepared, we hike the hills
dotted with marigolds so still
we think they’re asleep
in their green beds, deep
in woods steep with sun spill.
Ham sandwiches on wheat bread, stacked
tight beside pop cooled with ice packs,
entice us to rest.
“Let’s eat,” you suggest.
Our food blessed, we both snack.
High in trees sweet bird songs abound
as we share our meal on the ground.
How peaceful is this!
Like heaven. Such bliss
We have found that we kiss.
Stomachs full, we resume the climb
uphill while it is still daytime.
Now we feel weary;
gray shadows, eerie.
It’s nearly dinnertime.
#
This is a wonderful story. I can see and smell the scene.
Oh how I love a love story! It almost makes me feel like this takes place in an earlier (and maybe sweeter) time.
Love this story you’ve told, Sal! 🙂
A Delightful day for sure
Such a wonderful way to spend a day…
Great work : )
Love this tale, Sal!! Great use of the extended form!
WOW. Love what you’ve done with this form, Sal! Tender story, well penned.
It is not just that the poem reads so well, but also, the fact that you can write that many stanzas.
CLOGYRNACH
This form is tricky to design.
I tried it and it worked just fine.
And just a brief note;
each word that I wrote
could not vote
on each line.
LOL!!!
Yes, and it’s LOLlygaggingly good.
Come to think on it, “lollygagg” has a sort of Welsh look to it.
DITTO!
This is great, Linda. Well done!
Fun!
Yes!
Optical Illusion
“There is an optical illusion about every person we meet.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Behind the façade is a face
Like Tuesday’s child, it’s full of grace.
You’re hard wired for that:
the way you look at
each small trace.
Concordat.
###
That’s a fascinating use of the last word. It has ecclesiastical connotations, for me.
I hadn’t thought of it like that, but you’ve got a good point.
Had to look it up. Thanks for the new word, RJ, and thanks to Bill for the extended connotation. 😀
Lovely, RJ! ❤
Lovely…
Balancing Act
“An illusion which makes me happy is worth a verity which drags me to the ground.” ~Christopher Martin-Wieland
This philosophical tightrope
favors the potential of hope
so that I ensconce
mostly joy; no wants.
I can cope.
Nonchalance.
###
Love this, and it does sound like you.
That’s a lovely compliment. Thanks!
Yup, yup, yup!
Agreed!
Ooh. Nice one, RJ.
William’s right, RJ. It does sound like you. Very nice!
Oh yes, wonderful!!
: )
“A poetry primer”
A poet needs to know two things
before revealing true feelings:
Should you write as You?
Write another view?
Here’s your clue—
Genius sings.
(Gosh, I wish it were that easy!)
Well, you sure made it seem that way!
That’s so!
Sure do, you!
Yeah, her and the fat lady. 😉 Nevertheless, I love the poem.
This is genius, Jlynn! And it sings. 🙂
Awe . . . thanks!
Love this!!
Thanks, Hen!!!
Oh, yes! Nicely put…I’ve definitely been in that place of decision before!
Hold
Locked and loaded, holding steady
Flanked by patriots at ready
Freedom in decline
Freedom on the line
Yours and mine
Hold steady
© 2013 Earl Parsons
Kisses
Dusted, buffed, to a shiny gold
On her mantle, displayed so bold
Lip marks smudge the pot
Missing him a lot
All she’s got
Ashes cold
© 2013 Earl Parsons
Wow! How terribly sad.
Oh, this is poignant indeed. And a powerful image.
a sad but well-penned poem, Earl.
A very sad, but touching piece.
So sadly captured…
Wow. So sad. Well penned, Earl.
Beautifully thought and written, Earl.
Unknown Roads
“Facts which at first seem improbable will, even on scant explanation, drop the cloak which has hidden them and stand forth in naked and simple beauty.” ~ Galileo Galilei
Veils of mist hide what is coming
my blood picks up the pace, drumming.
Are you there for me?
I will set you free,
just live, be…
forthcoming.
Wonderful, especially in relation to Galileo, who helped part some veils of mist.
Well, Galileo may have failed at accurately predicting the speed of light, but he had some pretty amazing ideas in other realms. You paired the quote (epigraph) beautifully with your expressive poem.
You’ve hit some jack-pot quality quotes and your poetry is forthcoming-honest and open…beautiful!
Absolutely!!
Hear, hear! Beautiful!
OK, you’re awarded my Wow! of the day. Wonderful.
This is powerful, Michelle. Well done!
Luna
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.” ~ Buddha
Eventually, I will find you
as you hide and play peek-a-boo,
I quietly wait
for this, our first date.
It is late.
Oh, you grew!
You light up any room you enter,
your presence sets the feeling, tenor.
You sooth my sad soul
gazing from the knoll,
let us stroll.
My center.
I love this. It has a soothing quality, apropos, I think, given that you used that word.
This is simply put, awesome.
Amen. And I love that quote as well.
Ooo…goosebump good…Michelle, I love your quote choice and your closing lines are just perfection. 🙂
You’re on a roll!
Beautiful, Michelle! So so beautiful!
Oh so lovely…
BROKEN
Why would love choose to take a break?
If only it knew in its wake
effects from the pain
would never quite wane.
Lasting stain,
hard to take.
© Susan Schoeffield
For me, this is a superb poem. It captures the sense of disconnect that tends to follow and persist in love relationships that fail, even if temporarily.
I think William said it far better than I ever could. Well done!
Thanks, RJ for your kind words and these incredible forms. They are challenging, sometimes frustrating, but always fun!
I’m afraid you are right…
Yes, it’s definitely sad, but true.
… I think we go into “self-preservation” mode…
Thank you, William. I appreciate your insight!
“Stain”
That is the perfect word to describe what happens…poignantly written, Susan.
Thanks, Hannah. I appreciate that!
I wouldn’t know a perfect clogyrdach if it clubbed me, but this seems pretty perfect to me.
Jane, your comment made me laugh! Thanks so much!!
I think this has got to be my favorite so far. It is so beautiful and tragic at the same time. Excellent, Susan!
Indeed!
Thank you!
Thanks so much, Erin! Lovely comment!
Well expressed – real feelings.
Thanks, Marjory!
Wow. This one will stay with me a good long while, Susan. Excellent write.
Thanks so much! You’re the heart of positive energy!!
The first line grabbed me.
Christmas
Hi-dee-hee, hi-dee-ho-ho-ho
Just a couple more months to go
We’ll put up the lights
Leave them on all night
Feels so right
Don’t you know
© 2013 Earl Parsons
Nice one, Earl!
Love the childlike happiness 🙂 !!
Love the bright feeling!
LOL!! Good one, Earl!
Past By
His mind drifts back to days gone by
Memories bring tears to his eyes
Ninety years have past
Ninety went by fast
Far too fast
They flew by
© 2013 Earl Parsons
Your poem has a “flying-by” quality that fits the title. I think the repeated use of “by” and “fast” contribute to that. Though I’m not ninety, I can empathize.
My Grammy just turned 90 yesterday…she’s been feeling this sentiment for sure. Written well, Earl!
Your Grammy turned 90 yesterday, but both of my folks turned 88 this summer. Now everyone has an idea how I am.
OH – they were 44 when you were born? 🙂
Oh, don’t they just fly by!!
They surely do!
Well captured, Earl. And the older I get, the fast it flies. 😦
Visions
Funnel cloud spun of fear and light
a dog made bear on moonlit night
thermos genies rise
in filmy disguise—
no surprise
poor eyesight
Ah, HA! Another bingo poem, and a sneaky fast one too. Love it!
Bingo indeed! CLEVER, CLEVER, CLEVER!
Dark does like to play tricks…nicely!
Awesome poem! I have poor eyesight, so I can heartily concur. 😉
😀 !!
Thanks for the comments, friends.
Wow! I can practically see this as real from your words (despite the eyesight.)
Herbal
Summer pastures have grown so deep
that deer and ground hogs circle, reap
pressed-down feather beds
of dried flower heads;
floral meds
induce sleep.
Oh, Jane…*sigh* this is exquisite.
Mmmm…hmm… !!
Wonderful. The feather beds / flower heads pairing is lulling in ins own right. The “floral meds,” though, drew my mind to the soporific that the witch unleashed on Dorothy and her friends in The Wizard of Oz movie.
This has a dreamy quality to it. Love it, Jane!
Thanks, friends.
Another incredible word painting. *Sigh*
Sighing with my friend.
Wow…
Oh Jane, for some reason, I could smell lavender.
[…] IN-FORM POET WITH RJ CLARKEN – CLOGYRNACH […]
May I Have This Dance?
~
These days spill milk-weed filament,
amber-lit fluff floats commitment;
it’s autumn’s promise.
A brilliant temptress
in white dress,
she is sent-
carried miles
on the wind.
Tattered skirts won’t mend-
torn by thorn she’ll blend,
become one, in blackberry style;
soon seed will drop and wait awhile.
~
Copyright © Hannah Gosselin 2013
I took and mirrored the stanza…added a new set of rhyme but I bet like this a palindrome would be neat! 🙂
I absolutely love what you did with this form. How clever of you – and what a marvelous poem. I’m going to finish reading the rest of the page and then come back to reread this because it summons up such lush and beautiful images in my mind.
I’m super thrilled you like it RJ!! Thank you for the expert into and samples!! 🙂
Hear, hear!!
What a great piece of creativity here; and the allusion to dance is perfect.
Thank you, Bill!! I’m glad you like it! 🙂
Another Wow! I’m loving the seeds’ commitment to another year, the blackberry style. Just lovely!
Thank you, Jane! 🙂
This is poetry at its best, dear Hannah. I love “become one, in blackberry style”!!
Wow, thanks so much, Erin! ♥
Beautifully done, Hannah
Thank you, Marjory!!
Oh, sooo Lovely… !!
Thank you, Hen!! ♥
The Brat
My feline loves all confection—
and demands I make exception.
With ingratitude
of her cat-itude,
she is rude
to poke fun.
She has this obsession for sweets,
and how they are only for treats.
But just between us,
no ifs, ands or but,
sour puss
beats the streets.
Ellen Knight 9.18.13
write a clogynach for Poet Bloomings
Haha, this is great, Ellen! Really glad I don’t have a cat. 😉
I actually have two, and it is only the bigger one who is the bully. And she’s not so much for sweets per se, but she really does like her watermelon.:)
“cat-itude”…. Love it!
Oh me too!! :)!!
Ha!! Beats the streets, indeed!! 🙂
Cat-itude! I love it!!!
(I have a terrier – so…what about dog-itude?) 😀
Hee, hee, perfect…!! :D!!
Territude?
even better :)!!
SO. WELL. PENNED!! Fun, fun, fun, and I especially like the second stanza. Great work, Ellen!
Love this. Ellen.
Autumn Winds
A wind, strewn with leaves, circles me,
Whispers rattling through the trees,
Introducing fall
With a chilly scrawl,
Taking all
Warmth from me…
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
The phrases, “strewn with leaves” and “whispers rattling,” make this for me. The effect is a bit jarring; chilly, you might say. I think it’s well done.
Thank you very much, William! This one was supposed to be a little more on the cold or chilly side. 🙂
Yes … very well done!
First line… I was right there!!
🙂 Thanks!
Very audible piece, Erin!! 🙂
Thanks, Hannah!! 🙂
I love the feel and the vivid contrasts you make in this poem. Beautiful!
Thanks, RJ! Vivid is always the word that comes to my mind for fall, so that’s what I tried to show here. 🙂
Beauty of Fall
With new season comes new beauty,
Warm weather replaced with cloudy,
New colors unfold –
Red and orange bold,
Green turns gold:
New beauty.
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
I love the change and specialness of each season.
I do too! And fall is so lovely, my favorite season.
Me too!
I mean, the change of seasons. Since my kidlets were born on the first day of spring, you can just guess what my favorite season is. But autumn is my 2nd favorite!
Well, I’d vote for cancelling summer.
Now, now… let’s not get carried away… :D!!
Yes, don’t be too drastic. 😉
Oh the beauty… Yes!!
I just love it when all the trees start to change colors. Thanks, Hen! 🙂
Yes… they’re Glorious in their Fall fashion show… :D!!
My favorite time of year, hands down. 🙂 Love this poem, and your rhyme choices!
NEWNESS
At advent of crisp autumn day,
the wind whips high waves in the bay.
Alone at the beach
I let my mind teach,
and heart reach
for love’s way.
Through clouds, I see the warm sun glance,
then swaying with the waves I dance
in the tide that climbs,
covering past times,
and heart finds
one more chance.
This reads like a paean to renewal, almost as it it were a springtime poem. It also moves; swings and sways, you might say. Wonderful.
Thank You, There is no season on love.
??? “paean”?
OK, I looked it up – “paean” is a new word to me. 🙂 Thank You.
Then….there are a lot of words I have not yet meet!
I totally agree with you, William, I love the twin concepts of renewal and hope.
Love this! Especially the second stanza – gorgeous!
Yes, gorgeous, friend!!
Erin and Hen – Thank you both. 🙂 🙂
This is a soothing, healing piece. Wonderful, Marjory.
Thank You Jane, “soothing, healing” – can’t say that was exactly what I was conscience of when I wrote it, but on reflection – that perhaps is what I was seeking. 🙂
Oh, Marjory … this is one of your very finest pieces! BEAUTIFULLY penned, gorgeous and meaningful. WOW.
Thank You, Marie – Your comment is special.
Lovely, as a song.
Thank you, Sara.
Must Be A Way
There must be a way to have peace,
war has more than outrun it’s lease.
Energy wasted
on so much hatred.
Replace it,
piece by piece.
So much truth in just six lines!
Well done Sara.
Thanks, Marjory!
Oh Sara…so true! You said it so well. 🙂
Thanks, Erin!
Bingo!
Thanks, William.
Such a difficult issue…
I love the attitude and the poem.
Thanks, Jane!
Yes!! Nicely written and an important peace to give voice to.
AMEN.
Thanks, Hannah!
Amen to that!
Thank you all so much for the kind words.
Clogynach
“My Place”
My life is centered in one room
where it is quiet like a tomb
Solemn, hollow space
Single, sodden face
none embrace
Single bloom.
For me, this describes loneliness, or at least aloneness, as well as I’ve ever seen. I think it’s excellent, repetition and all.
I agree with William. Aloneness to perfection. Lovely piece, Jackie!
Let’s make that a 3-way agreement here! Absolutely!
Thanks, everyone for response and thanks for the form, RJ.
I agree. And I find it interesting that you make a distinction between loneliness and aloneness. So true.
I think, what I was trying to do here, was to describe how it feels to be totally separated from everything you once knew and that is where I am in my life. It is an interesting place to be. Not looking for sympathy. It is “ok” to be alone. It is a part of life for some of us as we grow older. You can write a lot more poetry where there is no distraction,lol.
I just love how that beautiful poignant bloom is framed in the close, Jackie!!
Expresses total solitude, set off with that last line.
I used “single” twice, by mistake. I realize this is a “no-no” but the mistake might be fitting for the poem? Psychologically, the repetition is interesting, as I was writing with a sort of James’ Joyce
unconscious train of thought, just letting the words flow. So, maybe I should just let it be, huh?
Absolutely… it is what you needed to write… Hugs!!
Yes, leave it. I love the repetition in your poem!
I didn’t even notice it and normally I would…I think it fits well. ♥
Yep. You should. 😀
thanks RJ for introducing this new form. like so many others I have truly enjoyed it and will be using this form as another means of expression and creativity.
I’m so glad! Anything to foster creativity and expression! ♥
That’s the bottom line.
POLITICOS
Please pardon any confusion.
My intentional obtusion
is meant to disguise
that I’m spewing lies;
a street-wise
illusion.
This fits some salespeople too. But then, maybe there’s no difference.
Wow. Well, stop spewing then. I think. 😀
Love the ‘street-wise illusion.’
YUP!
Umm… oh never mind… 🙂 !!
[…] Form: Clogyrnach […]
RENAISSANCE
When a clogyrnach uses rhyme,
sometimes it approaches sublime.
One should pursue it,
not misconstrue it;
lets do it
one more time.
Love your title… it is that time of the season for all of those wonderful fairs… 🙂
Such fun!
One more time…and an eight and a five and a three…
Teeheehee!
THE WELSH RECTOR
Between the times he darned his socks,
the clergyman wrote clogyrnachs:
his rhymes would appall
but he brought no small
joy to all.
The Rec rocks!
copyright 2013, William Preston
HA! LOVE IT!
ALL IN FUN
I think that I shall ever see
a clogyrnach that tickles me
and crinkles my eyes
with sustained surprise
at its guise.
Teeheehee.
Fun in All
I think if Joyce Kilmer could read
the words which you just parodied,
he’d respond with glee
since he’d quite agree,
“Yes, indeed,
poet- tree.”
If Kilmer read my poet-tree
he’d see what fool this mortal be;
he’d know that, anon,
the rhyme pantheon
would be gone
to Ha-dees.
Ha ha ha dees!
Hotties? Where?
Nope. Not touching that. Or them.
… aaaaaaand we’re back to teeheehee! 😉
I totally ❤ this one!!!
What fun!
Well, RJ, good luck choosing just one Bloom THIS week! 😀
Yeah right. One???!!!
Thanks. (Sarcasm.) 😝
Can I choose a bunch of them instead???
You could choose a small bouquet of them 🙂
😀
Exuberance!
Life was zany, life was sweeter:
running naked, life was fleeter!
Sunning on the shore
never was a bore
Oh! to birth once more
in that age
where we rage!
Clogynach: 8,8,5,5,3,3 rhyme: aabbba ( I know, I messed up the rhyme scheme, but like it anyway, another “as is” poem.
I like it too, Zany!
Same here. Anyway, I think that’s the alternative rhyme scheme RJ postulated.
Oh, really? then a happenstance
I’m a poet, did not know it…
Hmmm … something you’re not telling us, Jacqueline? 😀
She knows not enough
writing in the buff… lol