It's been nearly two years since we visited climbing rhymes, so I think it's time to try again.
Climbing Rhyme is a form of Burmese poetry containing a repeated sequence of 3 internally-rhymed lines consisting of 4 syllables each. Since Burmese is monosyllabic, this works well, but in English this might be difficult. Instead of 4 syllable lines, let's try writing in lines of 4 words. (If you're feeling brave, go ahead and try four syllables!)
The rhyme scheme for climbing rhyme is internal. That means the position of the rhyming word changes. The rhyme appears in the 4th word of line one, 3rd word of line 2, and 2nd word of line 3. The pattern continues as a new rhyme appears in the 4th word of line 3, the 3rd word of line 4, and the 2nd word of line 5. This continues on, giving a stair-step feel to the poem, hence the name climbing rhyme.
Climbing Rhyme is a form of Burmese poetry containing a repeated sequence of 3 internally-rhymed lines consisting of 4 syllables each. Since Burmese is monosyllabic, this works well, but in English this might be difficult. Instead of 4 syllable lines, let's try writing in lines of 4 words. (If you're feeling brave, go ahead and try four syllables!)
The rhyme scheme for climbing rhyme is internal. That means the position of the rhyming word changes. The rhyme appears in the 4th word of line one, 3rd word of line 2, and 2nd word of line 3. The pattern continues as a new rhyme appears in the 4th word of line 3, the 3rd word of line 4, and the 2nd word of line 5. This continues on, giving a stair-step feel to the poem, hence the name climbing rhyme.
For those of you who need to see this visually, here it is. Each x stands for a word. The letters stand for rhyming words. Just remember the 4-3-2 pattern.
x x x a
x x a x
x a x b
x x b x
x b x c
x x c x
x c x x
What kind of climbing rhyme will you write? Leave me a comment about your poem and I'll post the results here later this week.
Tricky. Or, in other words:
ReplyDeleteTake your sweet time
With this rhyme. Watch
It climb to B
From A. See the
Rhyme C, the verse
Comes out worse or
Well? Curse? Could be.
I will keep trying.
One Suggestion
ReplyDeleteBy Steven Withrow
Before we go,
let us slowly
compose ourselves,
like toy shelves kept
by elves, or pins
pointed in a
cushion, like poems.
Copyright 2010 by Steven Withrow. All rights reserved.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHa, Harriet! Love that. I'm cursing a bit as I play with this poem.
ReplyDeleteSteven, I love that image of pins in a cushion, sharp and precise as poems.
My topic is cliched, but what can I say? It's October in Minnesota, and I can't tear my eyes away from the fall colors.
October Music
October leaves rattle, clatter.
Oaks recklessly shatter afternoon.
Winds tatter autumn’s rags,
which—undaunted—brag, fly
like flags of kings,
drift on wings of
summer swings and sighs.
--Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved
10/12/2010 3:55 PM
I just want to point out that I could NEVER have written this on a Monday. No way. Thank goodness you posted the prompt late :-)
ReplyDelete"Form makes my head
Fill with dread. Yikes,"
I said. It’s tough
(And enough) when
I bluff on through
But I do. Whew.
It’s true! I’m done!
What a challenge! I loved reading all of these... Here's my attempt:
ReplyDeleteQuestions for a Shell
Here comes the tide.
Will you ride? Will
you hide? Oh Shell -
will you tell where
you dwell? Engrave
every wave? Who
will save your songs?
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
(The Poem Farm)
Okay, that was hard! I've got it now...
ReplyDeleteAutumn Song
The leaf is pinned,
tacked and hindered
by wind, its pace
checked, then chased. Caught
in graceful flight,
attaining height,
like a kite. Gone.
--Kate Coombs, 2010, all rights reserved
Another attempt:
ReplyDeleteIn the Monkey House
Are you an ape?
Must you gape at
The shape you see,
Which is me? Don’t
You see you’re rude?
I am nude! Take
Your brood and go.
Up in the sky
ReplyDeleteGreat birds fly, there
Up high. They know,
Somehow go in
The flow and call
Of it all. With
Each fall a “bye”
Yet they fly in
This why… No – “V”
by liz korba
You guys are all better than I will ever be. Not even attempting this one. The instructions alone make my head hurt.
ReplyDeleteJane
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ReplyDeleteAha! Mine's a little off, and I've realized I copied the pattern incorrectly, then followed my typos faithfully! Here's a revision...
ReplyDeleteAutumn Song
The leaf is pinned,
tacked and hindered
by wind, its pace
checked, then chased. Caught
in graceful flight,
seeking height, twist
of kite. Now gone.
--Kate, 2010, all rights reserved (again)