Hooray! Spring is officially here. I’ve started to see flowers poking their way from the ground. The scenery is greening, and the trees won’t be naked for long. I decided to start the month of April writing Diminished Hexaverse poems. I’ve never attempted this style, but it could be an exciting adventure in meter and word placement. It would be helpful if my muse made an appearance. I’ve heard rumors that he was booked in the delinquent Muse jail on a DWI charge. We need to have a long talk if he ever makes bail. I look forward to the challenge of writing in this style during April. I call this poem Red Flag Warning.
Diminished Hexaverse and Red Flag Warning
What is a Diminished Hexaversa poem? I’ve read several definitions of what makes up one of these poems. The easiest way to explain the process is as follows.
- The poem typically consists of five stanzas
- Five lines = stanza one
- Four lines = stanza two
- Three lines= stanza three
- Two lines = stanza four
- One line = stanza five
- This form might have more than five stanzas.
- The syllables correspond to the number of lines in the stanza.
It sounds like a simple form of poetry, but the writing could turn complex as the month unfolds.
Red Flag Warning A red flag warning On a bright morning Means there will be a Fire burning mid-day When fairies come to Play in tall grass Wings that flicker While elf’s bicker And discuss why Politics And bad dreams Are filled with Lies and Blue skies Warm
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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The wind is a spirit
It speaks in the pines, sometimes
It may be speaking oak or poplar
If the Sun is out
That is a good time to listen
It’s always that still, small voice
We might mistake it for a whisper
From the forest floor
We must look upwards
Then we see the sway of its mouth
Forming words out of no words
That say, here!
And we say, “No!”
You got it wrong.
Good.
Thank you for sharing.
What interesting imagery and amazing, complex word choice.
Thank you.