Hi everyone!

I hope you are having a good day. We are learning a new poetry form today – sparrowlet.

The Sparrowlet is an invented stanzaic form created by Kathrine Sparrow that she calls a variation of the Swap Quatrain. The defining feature is the inversion of the 2 hemistichs of L1 in L6 of each stanza.

The elements of the Sparrowlet are:

• stanzaic, written in any number of sixains.  (A stanza of 6 lines).
• syllabic, lines of 8 syllables each. (Often written in iambic tetrameter.)
• rhymed, rhyme scheme BbabaA.
• L1 and L6 of each stanza is written in 2 hemistichs. (Hemistich means a half a line of a verse).
• The 2 halves of L1 are inverted and repeated as a refrain in L6. The last line MUST be the EXACT SAME as line 1, just switched around. You cannot change any of the words. (Punctuation may be changed to accommodate the meaning).

The pattern of the 6 line stanza:

RRRA, RRRB
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxa
RRRB, RRRA

(I made the A in bold, and the B in italics so you can see the pattern-Grace)

Deer in Winter

In winter’s cold, as moonlight beams
and snowflakes drift like crystal dreams–
a sheltered place, beneath the fold
of pine tree branches, where it seems
a covered cave, my fawn may hold…
as moonlight beams in winter’s cold.

My little fawn, be safe and warm,
inside our nest, out of the storm.
Sleep close beside me ’til the dawn,
as all the woods to white transform.
I’ll wake you when the moonlight’s gone–
be safe and warm, my little fawn.

Sources:   Here and here.

Today’s writing challenge:  To write the sparrowlet poem using the guidelines as described above.

Here is how to join us if you are new:

• Write a poem based on the writing challenge as described above. Post it on your blog or website.
• Enter your name and direct link to your poem in Mr. Linky.
• Remember to check the box re: privacy policy.
• Follow the links to other poets. Read and comment on other poems.  We all appreciate feedback on our poems.
• Link back to dVerse so others can find us too.
• Have fun!