Thursday, November 06, 2008

Writer's Workshop-Quatern

I had to step out of my comfort zone for this one. Poetry is not my thing. Mama Kat 's prompt called for a 16-line poem (rhyming or non-rhyming) about a moment from my childhood that changed my life for the better. I sort of read the 16 line poem part, retained the word "childhood" and didn't really pay attention to the rest.

So, once again, I haven't followed the directions. Perhaps I shouldn't be so hard on my kids when they don't follow my instructions. But I regress.

My poem isn't about a moment, but a series of moments that changed my life.....for the better.

In a truck the world she entered
Blackened eyes her father rendered
Always crying, crying, a whiner
Around their fingers somehow twined

The youngest child; pampered, endulged
In a truck the world she entered
Life around her mother centered
Marriage divided, sadness entered

A new union, ending in death
Wailing, wailing, lost and broken
In a truck the world she entered
The scent of her mom surrendered

Woman, wife, sister, and mother
Wouldn't trade her life for another
Family first, finally centered
In a truck the world she entered

Quatern: 16 line French form composed of four quatrains. It has a refrain that is in a different place in each quatrain. A quatern has eight syllables per line. It does not have to be iambic or follow a set rhyme.



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73 comments:

Lacey in the Sky said...

I think it's beautiful!

I have to decide which one I'm going to do still!

Deb said...

i suspect this is a rather large piece of your soul you offered us today. i haven't known you for very long (don't you love that??? KNOWN??? i've never met you!), but i think i was right behind you as you made your way through all the WW posts (i don't know how you do it. i had to start picking and choosing once i hit #60), and i saw a couple of clues as to what this poem may mean.

you are a strong, funny, beautiful, brave lady, miss angie! thanks for taking a chance on us.

i LOVED it.

Shannon said...

Good stuff. Is the poem about you? Were you born in a truck, or am I way off.

Unknown said...

That was a great poem.

Though something about it made me tear up.

Jen said...

it doesn't matter that you did follow the prompt, that was beautiful. Great job!

Kristin said...

That was great. I susspect it was a bit healing for you. I think that poetry is one of your many tallents. Keep it up.

Jennifer Chronicles (jenx67.com) said...

Oh, this is so good. I will come back and read this often. In a truck the world she entered. Fantastic.

Ashley said...

I thought it was beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Oh Angie.. you are such a wonderful writer. I think you pretty much summed it up there, what an evolution you've gone through and yet you've retained all those things that make you so very special.
I am so happy to have you for a friend! {hugs}

Anonymous said...

what do you mean poetry is not your thing?? That was great!! And meaningful and emotional! Poetry not your thing...crazy girl!

Melissa said...

WOW!!! This is great!!! I wish I could be that creative.... I just end up going with the lists; my brain is to scattered to think write something this meaningful!!

Michelle said...

Great job Angie! I don't think I could whip out a poem if my life depended on it. :)

Kristen Jensen said...

Interesting. I'd like to try this, it's thoughtful and deep.

iheartbowheads.blogspot.com said...

Wow that was great - we will have to see what I can come up with - not sure I can

:)

Holly

Jennie said...

that was great and I LOVED the smarty pants part at the end telling us how you did it... I remenber learnignabout writing poetry in school and college, but it has gone all out the window since I had babies...

Kate P. said...

Oh Angie...that was beautiful. I could never in a million years write something like that...

Bonnie the Boss said...

You did an amazing job, and also taught me what a Quatern is. Thanks!!

Heather said...

Beautiful poem :) And you said poetry wasn't your thing!
Thanks for checking out my blog this morning! Comments are always appreciated!

Ash said...

Wow - well done!

Poetry IS your thing. And essays. And tales, etc.

Such an incredible writer.

Em

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing such intimate details of your life with us. Rather than echo what others have said I will just say - you are a talented writer. Claim it.

Anonymous said...

ahhhhhh yes.

I RELATE.

beautifully written.

Erin said...

Beautiful!

Munchkins and Music said...

I like it!

Laurie said...

That was amazing! You have a life's worth of tales to tell, I hope you keep sharing.

Jaime said...

Good job, Angie. Loved it!
I wouldn't even know where to begin!

Anonymous said...

wow, i am so impressed!! that was great!! you are truly talented!! hugs and prayers...

Anonymous said...

I thought this was a GREAT poem! Good job. :-)

Danyele Easterhaus said...

i am tipping my coffee to you right now! wow! i feel like i might know you better now.

Vicki said...

So amazingly good. I think the quarern is now my favorite form of poetry.

Mrs Anne said...

thank you for sharing that with us.
i loved it.

Tonya Staab said...

Angie, you did such a beautiful job with this. There is no way I could whip something like this up.

Cheffie-Mom said...

Thank you so much for sharing this poem. So well written - beautiful.

Mark and Kiss said...

poignant :)

Susie said...

Really beautiful!!

Aubrey said...

Whatevs! Poetry is SO your thing. That was amazing!

Are You Serious! said...

♥ Whatever is RIGHT!!! That was really good!

Cristin said...

That was great... I'm glad you didn't follow the rules..

Live.Love.Eat said...

I loved what Deb said in her comment, 2nd one down. I agree about the kind of lady you are and that this is a large piece of your soul indeed. I am honored you took a chance on me once too and shed a little more light on who you are or more so what made you who you are.

girlytwins said...

I love what a window this is into your heart. I think it is beautiful Angie.

Natalie said...

great poem. i usually don't follow directions either...well, unless i made them! :-)

tiarastantrums said...

Beautiful - thanks for sharing!

Cecily R said...

For someone who isn't totally comfortable with poetry, you sure wrote a beautiful piece. Really Angie, its very good.

Jenni said...

Hey that was AWESOME Angie! All I can write is bad Haiku!

Lula! said...

Amazing...

You need to write a book. Of poetry. For real. Please.

Anonymous said...

That was absolutely beautiful. Really beautiful.

J Cosmo Newbery said...

Beautifully done. Extra marks for following a form. I had never heard of a Quatern before.

Casey's trio said...

For not being much of a poetry writer, you sure knocked this one out of the ballpark.

Tabitha Blue said...

I think this was beautiful and shares so much in the short 16 lines!!

Touching! :)

Gunnisac Sandersons said...

That was beautiful. I really loved it!!!

Anonymous said...

That is the best "I don't write poetry" poem I have ever read. I agree...you are incredibly talented..keep writing!

Kiki and Lele said...

For you, the same price as normally advertised... but one little favor...??? you could take a pic after you get it and post a link back to us... Pretty Please with cherries on top...

jori-o said...

That was deep, sister! I had to read it a couple of times to let it sink in---just like with any really good poetry! Very nice.

Gwen said...

Beautiful & Powerful!!!

Jessica said...

Wow..that was amazing. I would say poetry might just be your thing. Beautifully written!

Stu Pidasso said...

That is an awesome poem. I like that you even gave the grammar/mechanics breakdown within the poem, but the content is even better. When an author can draw empathy out of the audience with mere words, the connection has been made. I can almost picture you working to keep it together as you draw this out of yourself. WAS it that hard to write?

Stephanie said...

Brilliant! I imagine it was challenging sticking to the eight syllable per line part, and I love the type of poem you chose to write - the echoing line in your piece continues to speak as to where your life began.

Talented indeed.

Sam_I_am said...

check out my blog today :-)

Kiki and Lele said...

Wow, that was great... You are really good at poetry... I am not so great in that area... Haave a great weekend,
Leslee

Liz {Learning To Juggle} said...

Beautiful...

Tracy said...

has this wonderful poem inspired you to write more?

Kally said...

Some of the best things come from not following the rules. Love your poem.

Laura said...

I enjoy reading all your writing. For you to say poetry isn't your thing is crazy. You scrolled out an amazing poem which was surely a window to your soul.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful beautiful poem.

Brenda said...

Beautiful Poem

I found you on BATW. My friend is having twins soon. Maybe you could (or maybe you have) do a post on how friends can help new moms of twins. I would appreciate any tips!

Wendelyn DeMoss said...

Very nice!! A good writer is a good writer..in my opinion!

Susie said...

Hey guess what? I have something for you on my blog:-)

KatBouska said...

And I was so proud of myself for figuring out the "style" before you named it.

Angie this is unbelievable. I love love love love love it! So powerful, I re read it like five times to take it in. Beautiful. I love it! Great work mama.

Joy said...

You lost me at Quatern, but I enjoyed reading your poem. Very moving.
Joy

Threeundertwo said...

Wow, a lot was said in 16 lines.

Thank you for sharing it!

Alicia @ Oh2122 said...

Wow! Excellent!

Thanks for posting this to Best Posts of the Week!

Rhea said...

Nice!! Not bad for a non-poetic kind of gal. I like it.

Kim said...

Wow, Angie. That was amazing! You are so very talented!

Jennifer said...

I am just getting to know all of you and this definitely helps. Beautiful work and from it i can tell I like you as a friend.