Hello all, Gayle here as your host tonight and welcome to dVerse’s Meeting the Bar where we will be trying our hand with a form called The Alouette.

The Alouette was created by author, Jan Turner, who has created numerous poetry forms, some of which we’ve covered at dVerse. You can find many of her forms at Shadow Poetry.  This form consists of two or more stanzas of 6 lines each (sestets) with the following set rules: Syllables/Meter: 5, 5, 7, 5, 5, 7 Rhyme Scheme: a, a, b, c, c, b The name is a French word meaning ‘skylark’ or larks that fly high.  The word ‘alouette’ can also mean a children’s song (usually sung in a group), and is reminiscent of the style of short lines used for their lyrics. Preference for the meter accent is on the third syllable of each line but I won’t hold you to it.  Here’s an example:

Spring Eternal

See pink parasols
blown against the walls…
pleated pinwheels turning ‘round.
In the springtime breeze
fragrant floras tease
as new bulbs pop from the ground.

Cherry blossoms fall…
petals from the tall
tree that stands on Potters Lane.
There’s a wishing well
where I sit a spell
and I prop my wooden cane.

Though the autumn years
of my life bring tears
for old friends who now are gone,
my heart’s here in spring
where the robins sing
in these early hours of dawn.

I am in the pink
as I sit and think
underneath Yashino’s shade,
for I feel them near…
ones who were so dear,
who now in the ground are laid.

See the world renew!
See the heavens brew
up a palette full of joy;
someone’s swinging now
underneath that bough…
just a happy little boy!

Copyright © 2009 Jan Turner

Among other sites, Rhyme Zone is one of my favorites for finding rhymes, almost rhymes and much more.  It comes in very helpful when needing to rhyme words.

So, as a recap, we’ll be counting syllables and doing some rhyming in the format of a sestet for each verse. Write as many verses as you would like (but at least two) for your poem.

• Leave a small comment below, or please join us in our discussions.
• Click on Mr. Linky and enter your name where indicated, copy the URL of your poem and enter it into the space provided and then click “Enter.”
• There you will find links to all the other poets. Others will join during the next 48 hours so check back for more reading.
• Read and comment on other poet’s work, we all come here to have our poems read and to be acknowledged.
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• Enjoy and have fun!