Throughout April (National Poetry Month), I'll be posting poetry-themed Wednesday Writing Workouts.Today's form is a triolet, which contains eight lines. Two of the lines repeat (one of them twice), so a poem includes only five different lines. Some variation is allowed within the repeating lines.
Because of the repetition, it's a good form to use when you want to remind readers of a certain point or make a strong impression. The form looks like this:
A
B
a
A
a
b
A
B
A and B are the repeating lines.
a rhymes with A.
b rhymes with B.
I didn't set out to write a triolet about the form itself; that just sort of happened as I tried to explain it. Here's my triolet triolet:
Self-Referential EncouragementA tricky form, the triolet,relies on two lines that repeat,reinforcing what they say.A tricky form, the triolet—keep trying, and you’ll find a wayto manage this poetic feat.A tricky form, the trioletrelies on two lines that repeat.
More information about the form is at Poets.org. Give it a try, and do let us know how it goes!
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JoAnn Early Macken
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