Glide Unless Ride

I decided to live dangerously in October. It’s a scary month, so I’m going to explore a form of poetry with stringent rules that moves at a rapid-fire pace. I’m going to write blitz poetry. This unusual style, developed by Robert Keim, has set rules using connecting phrases to create a 50-line verse I titled Glide Unless Ride.

Line 1 is a short phrase or image. Line 2 is another short phrase or image using the same first word as line 1. Lines 3 and 4 starts with the same word used as the last word of line 2. Then, lines 5 and 6 use the last word of line 4. This pattern is followed until line 48. Line 49 uses the last word in 48. Line 50 begins with the last word in line 47. The title is three words long. The title format is the first word of line 3, a preposition or conjunction, and the first word of 47. You can’t use any punctuation. Luckily, these poems don’t need to rhyme. This poetic adventure will either be a lot of fun or leave me frustrated. I will call this Blitz poem Glide Unless Ride. Let’s get our spooky scare on right now.

Glide Unless Ride

Abide in the shelter

Abide away from the storm

Storm and the danger

Storm away in the manger

Manger where the Savior

Manger was born

Born to be broken

Born to be a token

Token of salvation

Token given to the nation

Nation of people

Nation unaware of his birth

Birth of freedom

Birth free from shame

Shame of our actions

Shame of our reactions

Reactions and emotions

Reactions to our stress

Stress for the future

Stress from the past

Past indiscretions

Past mistakes

Mistakes we long to forget

Mistakes we let ride

Ride on a Darkhorse

Ride down country roads

Roads

Darkhorse

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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