Poetry Challenge #12: Rondeau

As always, before we get started, please enjoy the lovely lyric poems submitted this week here. 

Annnnd away we go!

A rondeau is an old French form of poetry, originating in the 13th century. It is characterized by the repeating of the first line, or refrain, as well as only two rhyme sounds. The poem consists of fifteen lines of eight to ten syllables each. Its rhyme scheme goes aabba aabR aabbaR (with R being the refrain). The refrain is either the entire first line or just some of its words. 

Our rondeau example today will be a famous World War I poem by John McCrae.

In Flanders Fields

 

by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies grow

Between the crosses, row on row, 

That mark our place, and in the sky, 

The larks, still bravely singing, fly, 

Scarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the dead; short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe! 

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high! 

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Here's my example. As a quick aside, let me say that I got the first line from a randomly posted note on an apartment building wall on the way home from a walk today, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use it. In beginning the poem, however, I realized that nothing rhymes with the last word, so look for the visual rhymes!

What would we wear were we werewolves?

Slinking, howling, lurking around the caves

at the edge of the wood, a bat

screeching his displeasure, a cat

succumbing to our imperatives.

Despite all of our resolve,

the full moon would still involve

running amok, due to the fact that

we were werewolves.

In the morning, we will devolve

into bitches, that is, ourselves

growling sotto voce at

the asshole who called us fat

behind our backs. The palliative?

We were werewolves.

You can read more about the rondeau here. There you have it, folks. The key is a good, repeatable first line, and either a willingness to use near-rhymes or sight rhymes or a good ear. Let me see what you've got!