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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4 comments:
I tried my hand at a triolet last week. It was fun, but certainly not easy. Thanks for the good example!
I like doing a triolet with my novice Creative Writing students. If you let them brainstorm about their name, possible nick names, and some significant character traits they have, you end up with fun introductions of students.
What a great example, JA. In addition to demonstrating the form, it reminds readers who to pronounce the word triolet!
LOVE your triolet, JA!
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