I skidded into June without even tapping the brakes. Time seems to slip through my fingers the further I travel down the road. I decided to take a pit stop at the poetic form called a Dansa. This style of poetry, known as an Occitan (the official language of Catalonia) this form has no set meter. This lyrical poetry style comes from the Occitan words for “to dance.” I called this Dansa Poem Slow Dancing.
Guidelines for writing a Dansa Poem and Slow Dancing
*Opening quintain (Or five-line stanza) followed by quatrains (or four-lined stanzas)
*The opening line of the first stanza is the final line of every stanza
*Rhyme scheme in the opening stanza: AbbaA (Capitol represents the refrain
*Rhyme scheme in the other stanzas: bbaA
There are no other rules.
Note: I will also be adding Black Out Poems as we go along the way. I plan to keep using this style until the book I’m using runs out of pages for me to play with to create these unique and visual poems. I’m excited about jogging down this road.
Slow Dancing Swirling, whirling red dancers buck and sway Ambers spark like lightning bugs in the night Clouds of smoke climb until vanishing from sight Zigzagging smoke rises in whisps of gray Swirling, whirling red dancers buck and sway The crinkle, crackle of delight Passions flame to ignite The flame of desire to convey Swirling, whirling red dancers buck and sway The glow of embers brilliant and bright Blaze reaching a hilarious height Smell of smoke like a cigarette left in an ashtray Swirling, whirling red dancers buck and sway Fire diminished in the morning light In the darkness was easy to excite Vanishes with the break of day Swirling, whirling red dancers buck and sway
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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This is a poem I love.
Thank you.