Hello fellow poets,

The other day found me on the road with a friend pedaling our bicycles across the rolling hills of Wisconsin.  During the three day trip we would bomb down the steep hills at over forty miles per hour tires screaming, wind howling and then crawl our way up to the top of the next.  Often at the top the reward was a vista of the empty road ahead as far as we could see bisecting the farmed ordered fields on either side.

There is a moment at the top of a hill, when the hint of a cool breeze or the tiniest coast leaves room for reflection.  At one crest when I looked at the ensuing miles it hit me:

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

This is a verse of a longer poem that I have always enjoyed.  There on the hill it became real to me.  It is written in eight lines,  called an Octet or Octave.  There are many forms of the eight lined verse, but this one with eight syllables per line reminds me of the grid of the country roads, an eight by eight perfect square.

So today, your prompt is to write a poem of eight lines, or comprised of eight line stanzas.  You can use any eight line form, such as a Triolet or dance anywhere your eight lined muse leads you.  If you can include the road or travel, or write a perfect eight by eight square, then that’s fun too.

Oh – if you recall a moment in your life where a verse from a poem jumped out and became real for you, I’d love to hear about that in the comments.

After writing your poem, post your link below. And in the spirit of community, visit others as well.

What to do after you have written:

• Post your poem to your blog

• Add a link to your poem via the ‘Mr Linky’ below

• Read and comment on other people’s work to let them know it’s being read

• Share via your favorite social media platforms

• Above all- have fun!