Dark as night

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 with no set meter. This lyrical poetry style comes from the Occitan words for “to dance.” I called this Dansa Poem Dark as night.

Guidelines for writing a Dansa Poem and Dark as night

*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.

Dark as night
When the sky gets as dark as night
The black clouds block out the day
And the wind blows trash cans away
The display of nature’s power is a fearful sight
When the sky gets as dark as night

The weatherman has a lot to say
Storm warnings flash a frightening display
County names scroll clear and bright
When the sky gets as dark as night

Rush inside from work and play
Lightning flashes a vivid display
Shelter in basements out of sight
When the sky gets as dark as night

A semi was blown over out on the highway
Thunder rumbles a terrible bray
The storm passes to everyone’s delight
When the sky gets as dark as night

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.