Snowflake ~ Revised 12/12/06, Atarlis Fileata Options

[Guest_Cathy_*]

Snowflake ~ Revision 1

Tat lace
of frosty flake
in five-point grace;
a crystal-flocked snowy wake
of wintry white embrace
in frosty-flaked
tatted lace.

Cathy Bollhoefer
copyright Dec 2006


Snowflake ~ Original

Tat lace
of frosty flake
in five-point grace;
a crystal-flocked snowy wake
that winter winds embrace
in frosty-flaked
tatted lace.

Cathy Bollhoefer
copyright Dec 2006


Atarlis Fileata [At’-ar-lee’ Fee-lee-ah’-tay] (Gaelic for "repeating poetic") is a 7-line poem with 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2 words per line, and only one rhyme — in the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th lines: ABacaBA, the first two lines reversing as the last two lines. (There may be a very slight variation in line 6 and 7, usually only changing one word or rearranging the words already used, but saying basically the same thing.)

There may be any # of stanzas, but each stanza must be able to stand alone.

[AMETHYST]

Hi Cathy,

I have no nits for this one. I've stopped in dozens of times wanting to leave a real critique, only to sit and read the poem several times just for the loveliness and enjoyment. Then, a fleeting inspiration would arise and I would rush off to get it onto paper, attempting to tackle this wonderful form (and it disappears before I can make sense of it) ...

So, finally instead of having your poem inspire me to other tasks, I wanted to stop in and tell you that I've been watching this and think it is a fresh, poignant poem - The form is quite new to me and hopefully I will soon have that musing captured and readily at bay to try one.

I wanted to let you know that your word choices, for both their sound qualities and meaning interlace lovely within the poem and I think you've got a beautiful treasure of a poem here.

Hugs, Liz