To Mairi, in “Byr a thoddaid” form
by cricketjeff on February 15, 2008. © Jeff Green, All rights reserved
Inside my head I think in rhyme
I live in couplets all the time
I rhyme for friends and for myself as well
You fell upon my shelf
Your sonnets are a joy to read you know
They show us all the lead
You also write in verse more free
That strangely still appeals to me
I like to find a friend that’s new
Who’ll teach me in the way you do
Advice is given with a smile each day
I play around a while
You asked if I could write a verse like this
Well miss, I’ll never curse
Because I find this scheme is fun
What do you think now I’ve begun?
Author notes
Mairi_bheag Asked me if I had ever written in this form and gave me a link
explaining it, in a horribly complex way!
Essentially it said it was a rhymed poem of 4 line stanzas of two 8 syllable
lines followed by a 10 and a six syllable line. BUT the 10 syllable line rhymes
on the 8th syllable and the next two syllables link to the first two of the
short line, either rhyming or alliteration or similar. The next verse does
10,6,8,8, the 10 and the six similarly linked.
I couldn’t get my head around it until it occurred to me to think of it as 4 8
syllable lines with in alternate verses the 4th and 2nd lines starting with an
internal rhyme or some such. Then a little care to make those weak line breaks
and there you are!
Thank you very much Mairi, I hope I got it right and I’ll be doing some more.
Everyone else read Mairi’s poem Here then have a go, it’s a really very nice
form and I think you will enjoy it.
English