The challenge this month was to write in the form of the ghazal. You can learn more about this form here. This is a fairly restrictive form. When I began working on the first draft, I felt pretty good about where it was going, until I realized I was bending the rules far too much. Suffice it to say I scrapped my first draft and started on something entirely new. This one far better meets the rules for a ghazal, though I'm not sure it's very rhythmic. I can feel where the lines don't "sing" together. Maybe this is just a weird quirk of mine, or perhaps it comes from writing so often in iambic pentameter. In any case, this is a form I definitely need to play with.
Ghazal For the Dawn
birds in the garden sing in the dawn
all manner of creatures take wing in the dawn
mourners weep at a graveside
tears sting in the dawn
summer ends, school starts again
when the first bus arrives, children cling in the dawn
candles are lit, pews quietly fill
bells in the chapel ring in the dawn
hens wake up early, eat breakfast, lay eggs
rooster greeting the sunrise is king in the dawn
I lace up my sneakers, hit the road in the dark
feet pounding the pavement, arms swing in the dawn
- Tanita Davis
- Mary Lee Hahn
- Sara Lewis Holmes
- Kelly Ramsdell
- Laura Purdie Salas
- Liz Garton Scanlon
- Andi Sibley
Would you like to try the next challenge? Next month we are writing in response to a quote. We hope you'll join us. Are you in? Good! You’ve got a month to craft your creation(s), then share your offering with the rest of us on June 30th 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 Patricia Franz at Reverie. Happy poetry Friday, friends!
