I wanted to find some interesting styles of poetry for 2022. Metered poetry has always been a challenge for me. I discovered I subconsciously avoided the challenge of dabbling in this particular writing pattern. This year I decided to spread my wings and fly into the face of the storm. I stumbled across the Aquarian by accident and thought it might be interesting to play with this metered style during the last part of January and the entire month of February. This one I will call Dead Beat Daddy.
I am discovering this style of poetry is harder than it first appeared. You only have to develop fourteen syllables for each stanza, but sometimes you want to write more. Plus, I find the constant counting of the syllables distracting. I also have to fight the urge to create rhythms. These short poems have gotten darker, and I am not sure why. Maybe it’s caused by the dark winter or all the conflicting messages we get these days. There is one thing for sure. They are filled with a touch of sadness.
About the Aquarian and Dead Beat Daddy
Maris Mazz created this metered style of poetry.
Each stanza has lines of 2/4/6/2 syllables. They can have any number of stanzas creating multiples of 4 lines. They aren’t supposed to rhythm at all.
Dead Beat Daddy Dead Beat Daddy did you Know about the endless Nights I Stayed Awake and lost Sleep wondering about Why you Left us Face a world filled With hopeless poverty Wanting Yearning For a simple Answer to a burning question About Why you had to Leave us lonely and poor Missing The way Things used to be When you drove us in your Black car Or played With us in the Yard outside the beige house Where we Lived and Exist as a A happy family The five Of us So did you get Mad at mama is that Why you Left us Standing under The California Hot sun Or did You find yourself Another family To love Did you Know about the Poverty and creeping Cold here In the Indiana Wintertime filled with ice And snow
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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