This is a sestina, written in protest of traditional poetry forms.
I wrote it in 1997, to a group prompt to write a sestina, when I was part of a juried online poet's community. We were assigned 6 words.
My words were: rain/dripping/emulation/trend/threat/violation
A sestina is a poem with six stanzas, of six lines, and a final triplet, with all stanzas having the same six words at the end of the lines, in six different sequences, that follow a fixed pattern. All six words must appear in the closing triplet. The fixed pattern of the stanzas is:
a,b,c,d,e,f - f,a,e,b,d,c - c,f,d,a,b,e - e,c,b,f,a,d - d,e,a,c,f,b - b,d,f,e,c,a
The pattern for the ending triplet, called the envoi, is:
a,c,e
Here is my ironic protest of traditional poetry form, :-) written (very tongue-in-cheek) in the traditional poetry form of the sestina. This is:
CRUEL STRUCTURE
_
this poet's soul is drowning in this rain
heart, mind, and spirit freely dripping
pursuing a verse of sestinal emulation
for me this storm of six's will never trend
it is a soul-debilitating stifling threat
its affect upon free-thinking — a violation
repressive is this cruel violation
turns my poet's soul cold as freezing rain
my promise to rebel is not just threat
I’ll douse this form in oil until it’s dripping
then torch this poetic horror to start a trend
hoping all poets will do the same in emulation
bards unite, embrace this pyro-emulation
enlightened poets strike down this creative violation
full freedom of expression must be the trend
rise up against conformity's bitter rain
no matter if your storm-tossed, drowned and dripping
it's imperative we squelch this awful threat
lovers of structure do not grasp this tacit threat
they will not join our valiant ranks in emulation
their writer’s spirit grows weak — its lifeblood dripping
but I’ll stand strong and resist this violation
so let the rules and regulations fall like rain
our move to free unfettered voice be the next trend
a powerful and forward moving trend
that will thwart this fascist literary threat
and bring those, that see the light, in from the rain
to take up our cause in knowing emulation
to unite against this creative violation
that would have us on our knees — tears dripping
formless verse is sweet and rich as honey dripping
an uplifting and most liberating trend
true voice freely spoken is no violation
emancipating poets is not a threat
take up you pens in joyful emulation
and clear the poetry skies of drowning rain
this regressive trend, towards mindless structure - cold as rain
unbound expression's not violation, it's freedom's emulation
unencumbered verse is sweet nectar dripping, not a threat
_
rob kistner © 1997
I am sending this sestina because I've been under the weather for a bit, and am feeling cantankerous. So I wanted to rant about something. I dug up this old poem, so in a very classic form, I have chosen to rant about my feelings regarding traditional poetry forms. Felt an appropriate fir HePo.