Sweet Sad lady

I skidded into July 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 one Sweet Sad lady.

Guidelines for writing a Dansa Poem and Sweet Sad lady

*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.

Sweet Sad lady

Sweet, sad lady hanging in the park.
Was the situation so sad you couldn’t cry?
Did you think the only way out was to die?
Did you drag yourself there after dark?
Sweet, sad lady hanging in the park.

When did you get the idea in your head,
You’d find a little peace after you were dead?
Was your situation extremely stark?
Sweet, sad lady hanging in the park

I wonder if I saw you walking there
Loaded down with a world of care
While you still had a living spark
Sweet, sad lady hanging in the park.

Imagine our Sunday morning surprise
When we heard about your demise
The neighborhood dogs didn’t even bark
Sweet, sad lady hanging in the park.

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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