Facing the Storm
To face the storm, it’s here we stand
wind blowing strong, in full command
as if on cue, huge waves perform
surf crashing hard, against the sand
filled with anguish, while void of form
It’s here we stand, to face the storm
As life goes on, we stand in awe
recalling all the things we saw
paths before us not neatly drawn
rising back up after each fall
gaining fresh strength with each new dawn
we stand in awe as life goes on
——
Image: The Surf of Praia do Norte — Nazaré, Portugal, October 7, 2021 (aka Day 24 of 42 Days On The Iberian Peninsula)
Linked to dVerse Poets Pub – Poetry Form: Sparrowlet, where Grace is hosting and introduced us to a new poetry form — sparrowlet.
Sparrowlet
The Sparrowlet is an invented stanzaic form created by Kathrine Sparrow that she calls a variation of the Swap Quatrain. The defining feature is the inversion of the 2 hemistichs of L1 in L6 of each stanza. The elements of the Sparrowlet are:
- stanzaic, written in any number of sixains. (A stanza of 6 lines).
- syllabic, lines of 8 syllables each. (Often written in iambic tetrameter.)
- rhymed, rhyme scheme BbabaA.
- L1 and L6 of each stanza is written in 2 hemistichs. (Hemistich means a half a line of a verse).
- The 2 halves of L1 are inverted and repeated as a refrain in L6. The last line MUST be the EXACT SAME as line 1, just switched around. You cannot change any of the words. (Punctuation may be changed to accommodate the meaning).
The pattern of the 6 line stanza:
RRRA, RRRB
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxa
RRRB, RRRA
We do…and a wonderfully literate and positive way of saying so..
Neat image, and there is a feeling of peace in it even knowing what’s coming.
We are thankful for each new dawn specially after the storm. Thanks for joining in.
We do indeed face storms and stand in awe. Nicely done!
I hope we can continue to stand against the storm… the war is close.
Very well penned, Ron. I like this!
-David
Nice work with the form, which is pretty demanding. I especially like “..surf crashing hard, against the sand/filled with anguish, while void of form..” That gives a real visual of the sea, and the metaphor it represents here.