This month the challenge was to write a raccontino. The first time I saw this form was in the Helen Frost verse novel Spinning Through the Universe: A Novel in Poems from Room 214 (2004). This was released in an updated form in 2016 as Room 214: A Year in Poems.
A raccontino is a form that follows these rules:
- composed of couplets (any number)
- even-numbered lines share the same end rhyme
- the title and last words of the odd-numbered lines tell a story
I wrote a raccontino in April as part of my National Poetry Month project. That poem was based on a proverb. Having the end words of the story in place made it easier to write the full poem. That is the approach used this time as well. I tried a number of different storylines. These two are my favorites.
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Rules
patterns and stitches were
followed with precision true
each knit and purl carefully made
as needles clicked and flew
grandma taught me to
craft love in vibrant hues
but creative license will be
an urge hard to subdue
when rules are broken
imperfections will shine through
My second poem uses a quote from Claude Monet as the story.
I Would Like to Paint
with colors wild as the
sea, joining in delight
lines and curves that bend a-way
and back again to unite
bold shapes. The finished canvas holds a
field with one red kite
in the sky like a bird
soaring in its flight.
With bold strokes it sings
praise to summer sunlight.
Poems ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2025. All rights reserved.
You can read the poems my Poetry Sisters have written at the links below.
Would you like to try the next challenge? We're writing sedoka. You can learn more about the form at Writer's Digest. You’ve got a month to craft your creation(s), then share your offering with the rest of us on July 25th in a post and/or on social media with the tag #PoetryPals. We look forward to reading your poems!
I hope you'll take some time to check out all the wonderful poetic things being shared and collected today by our pal Tanita. Happy poetry Friday all!
Tricia, two racconitos that tell wonderful stories with a beautiful flow to the content. I am impressed with your process, starting with a clear thought that makes sense. It seems that this worked beautifully for you so that makes for a great mentor text.
ReplyDeleteYou know how I love to push against rules in poetry, but I've come to appreciate what rules can do to help me, too. The conversation in your first poem between the precision of knitting and the acceptance of mistakes is lovely. And the second poem with the striking red kite an the singing sunshine makes my heart happy. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness, so beautiful! In my summer closet cleaning I just unearthed a book of idioms---I think I'm going to go find one to try out with this form. The Monet quote makes me swoon. I love how the quote wraps the title and the end words into a pretty poem package.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Not one, but TWO! I love both quotes, but the first REALLY resonates. That last pair of couplets...*chef kiss*
ReplyDeleteOh, Tricia, WOW. This just LOVELY. You make your poems sing with movement and color words. You have a way of choosing well to convey just what is needed - the precise stitches are reflected in knit/purl/click/hues/shine, and the free sway of the wind in wild/curves/bold/flight/praise. Thanks for sharing these today.
ReplyDeleteI love how both poems are in conversation with one another --breaking rules so imperfections might shine, and a kite that sings. I wonder if this is the magic of the raccontino...its stories...
ReplyDeleteWell, I absolutely adore "when rules are broken/imperfections will shine through" and I love the second poem as well. (What an amazing quote from Monet for a starting point too!) And the lovely painting that is the backdrop for the Monet Raccontino ... LOVE.
ReplyDelete