Quatre-par-Huit (Four-by-Eight) Octa-Quad, new form by Cleo - Jan 01 2006 Options

[Cleo_Serapis]

Quatre-par-Huit (for those who enjoy tetrameter) – created Jan 01 2006 by Lorraine M Kanter

In the tradition of the Trois-par-Huit poetic form I created last December, I’ll call this variation:  Quatre-par-Huit

This 'Four by Eight’ or ‘Octa-Quad’ has similar rules as that of the Trois-par-Huit in that it is a poem containing 8 lines, displayed visually with three stanzas of either tercet, tercet, couplet  (3, 3, 2) OR tercet, couplet, tercet (3, 2, 3) and looks best when center aligned as follows;

1. The title is also the final line.

The line length requirements:
Line 1 ~ 4 syllables
Line 2 ~ 8 syllables
Line 3 ~ 12 syllables

Line 4 ~ 16 syllables
Line 5 ~ 16 syllables

Line 6 ~ 12 syllables
Line 7 ~ 8 syllables
Line 8 ~ 4 syllables (is the title and summarizes the meaning of the poem)

The rhyme scheme requirements:
Line 1. A
Line 2. A
Line 3. B
Line 4. B
Line 5. B
Line 6. C
Line 7. C
Line 8. C


 

Quatre-par-Huit

Tetrameter
makes this form all the more sweeter
like it’s sister, the Trois-par-Huit, this eight line verse

begins with four, the ovation at sixteen; each line will traverse
two tercets and one couplet: with a mid-point turn back to disperse
in a diamond-like shape and a triple-rhymed beat

it’s title once more will repeat…
Quatre-par-Huit

Why not give this a try?
~Cleo  

[AMETHYST]

We're born from light,
that inspirits flesh to take flight
into worlds of subconscious awareness; we yearn.

Each moment spent experiencing, dims this kindling, still we learn
till our mass is but an empty shell of shadows. Can we return

to purity--and clear this nebulously stark
state of soul? I'll follow God's spark
out of the dark!

Hi Liz.

I am impressed with your first Octa-Quad (as I am with Ron's too)!  

This will make a wonderful poem in your chapbook!

If I may:

We're born from light,
that inspirits flesh to take flight
into worlds of subconscious awareness; we yearn.

I like the opening, tells us someting is about to 'emerge' - great contrast with your title. I LOVE L2 and inspirits is a great word! Subtle alliteration there adds to the appeal too! I also like how you've taken our yearnings for survival and tapped the sub-conscious too. A unique approach Liz.  

Each moment spent experiencing, dims this kindling, still we learn
till our mass is but an empty shell of shadows. Can we return

Dims the sub-cons. level? I'm just trying to grasp the word 'experiencing' in this context? As we 'learn through experience'?

Can we return to purity--and clear this nebulously stark state of soul?

Well done! This is very impactful Liz!

I'll be back again,,,,,

Lori

Hi Lori,

Your newest creation has touched on some sleeping muse of my...And I thank you for this. I like the outcome of Out of the Dark and I agree, it will be an excellent opening poem for the Chapbook.

The chapbook idea, and atlas, the poems intention is...

We are born filled with a brilliant light that feeds our soul. It is full of innocence, warmth, compassion and connects us to our individual subconscious awareness of our journey of the lives we are given. We enter into this life with the purpose of learning and growing, so either we can go forward or as others might believe, become one with the universe and earn our way into heaven. I personally believe that we are energy, our souls are what 'inspirits' (yes, I was glad to use it as it fit the meaning and the sound quality I was hoping for) our bodies.

However, as we 'experience' or are exposed to lifes lessons, our 'flame' that brilliant light that we are born from, slowly dwindles away...perhaps... that "GOODNESS" and naivity we feel is slowly lost...sort of stripped from our innerselves and it leads us into a dark place. Some remain in this dark place, or misplaced state of spirit for as long as it takes for each of us to come to terms with what we need to learn or make change within our selves or to discover. Sometimes, a bad place brings about much needed change to lead the person into a more adaptable way of living... (example; someone who is too much of a giver and doesn't take care of themselves, might often experience hurt and be taken for granted over and over until they learn when to say no or to pick and choose what they give of themselves what they do for others) Sometimes, we go through our lives not really knowing what it is that 'we' ourselves truly like or dislike, what we want or don't want... we live believing our choices our are own until we are stripped away of all we know and during this 'DARK TIME" we begin to discover what it is that we really choose... anyway.

In the poem, the reference to experience is what life exposes us to. The kindling that dims is that fiery light inwhich we are born with (Perhaps our passions) and the subconscious awareness is the unseen forces that guide us through this life and the experiences until we learn...

The poem is to show that when we find ourselves in this darkness, we often feel what we knew is nolonger liveable, and yet, we don't see the road ahead and we are unsure of the foundation we presently stand on until, we let go and allow a spark to ignite and begin to lead us 'out of that dark' ...

Hmmm, keeping these intentions in mind, I wonder what changes I can make to offer this to my reader (in the reader's digest short form!) LOL ..

Thank you for the gracious compliments. It has been a long while since I wrote anything I felt had substance and your forms do that for me!

All my love, Liz