The Rose Petal

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 The Rose Petal.

Guidelines for writing a Dansa Poem and The Rose Petal

*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.

The Rose Petal
A fragrant red rose petal tossed into the flame
Floral aroma swallowed by smoke
Thick enough to make you choke
And I know nothing will ever be the same
A fragrant red rose petal tossed into the flame

It was easy to see it wasn’t a joke
Hard words were uttered, hearts got broke
Nobody wins when you start this kind of game
A fragrant red rose petal tossed into the flame

Like an egg frying on a sidewalk with a yellow yolk
There is no satisfying some of these folk
Somebody has to take the heat and the blame
A fragrant red rose petal tossed into the flame

Summer sun simmering threatening heatstroke
A sacrifice required needed to punch and poke
The call went out and the scapegoat came
A fragrant red rose petal tossed into the flame

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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