Ballade: Mindful Poetry's form-of-the-month for June, 2012

 

 There seems to be no end to the flow of form poetry. This month's form has a very classic, formal feel to it, perfect in light of all the commencement ceremonies and nuptials to be shared.

Last month's double-dactyls started out strong with several submitted. I have not even read them all yet. Seems like May was a shorter month than February! Please be patient if I haven't commented on your form-of-the-month for May poem. But don't hesitate to ask for a comment. Help me keep my word to read and leave a remark on every FOTM submission.

Here is a ballade I wrote this morning to help you learn about June's form-of-the-month.  

I found the form in my Patterns of Poetry, an encyclopedia of forms by Miller Williams. It also describes a ballade with double refrain. Take a look at my teaching poem and after the poem, I will lay out the details in another format.
 

A Teaching Ballade

The ballade for Mindful Poetry
Appears to be our form for June
As you write and tap each key
The rhyming scheme will shape a tune
A regular meter’s not picayune
Keep the time the guidelines state
Your success induces me to swoon
May your ballade illuminate!

Three stanzas and an envoy, see?
If you write less, you’ll end too soon
Pattern your rhymes of A, B, and C
Line eight repeats like a blue moon
In this French form that surfs the dune
Use rhymezone to navigate
Above reproach, you’ll be immune
May your ballade illuminate!

Sometimes I’m slow, but guarantee
To your ballade, I’ll be attune
I’ll leave a note, some repartee
To be sure, I’ll not impugn
A few more points I must harpoon
So keep your course, do not conflate
Repeated rhymes a big boo-boo!
May your ballade illuminate!

The envoy works like a cocoon
Written in four lines instead of eight
To draw attention like a loon
May your ballade illuminate!

 

Ballade

• 28 lines total
• three stanzas of 8 lines plus envoy of 4 lines
  (three octaves and a quatrain)
• the last line of all four stanzas is a refrain
• lines of any (but equal) length
  (use a syllabic count)
• no rhyme word is repeated
• rhyme scheme is as follows:
  a-b-a-b-b-c-b-C  --stanzas 1-3
  b-c-b-C               --envoy

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Please recommend this post. Crosspost to your other social networks. Read other submissions by visiting our homepage. And if you submit a ballade this month, it will be featured!