10 Days of Heat: STORY 3: New York (Day 10)

The City of Skyscrapers

The city that never sleeps
Manhattan, New York, many peeps
My dear friend lives in Manhattan
Shops, parks, restaurants, always fun
Where Hudson River meets the Atlantic Sea
There is a merging of cultures in the city

Skyscrapers are so awesome
I took photos for my album
I cycled along Central Park
Children playing in the ballpark
Met lots of actors, chefs, waiters and bachelors
Went on top of some of the skyscrapers*

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

* The Wrapped Refrain, created by Jan Turner, consists of 2 or more stanzas of 6 lines each; Meter: 8,8,8,8,12,12 and Rhyme Scheme: a,a,b,b,c,c.

Refrain rule: In each stanza the first 4 syllables (or 4 single-syllable words) in the first line must be the last 4 syllables (or 4 single-syllable words) at the end of the last line. This is what wraps each stanza with a repeated refrain …thus, the Wrapped Refrain.

Optional: The first stanza refrain and last stanza refrain can be joined (or loosely joined) together for the title of the poem.

For: 10 Days of Heat: STORY 3: New York (Day 10)

10 Days of Heat: Best summer memory (Day 9)

Chill on the best summer ever
Sand, sea, sun and cool drinks
Swim with friends in the cool azure
Singing fun songs in syncs
Long days, short nights and the warm breeze
Cooling under the shade of trees
Long days, short nights
Long days, short nights
Don’t want this to end, one agrees

Chill on the best summer ever
It’s the smile and the kiss
Happy to share with our laughter
Watch the sunset, such bliss
I’m just here, counting my blessing
Picking up flowers and biking
I am just here
I am just here
In the sea swimming and diving

Chill on the best summer ever
Don’t let the colours fade
Because I am such a dreamer
The waves are like cascade
Footprints in the sand and all marks
Listen to the songs of skylarks
Footprints in the sand
Footprints in the sand
Walk hand in hand along some parks*

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

* The Trijan Refrain, created by Jan Turner, consists of three 9-line stanzas, for a total of 27 lines. Line 1 is the same in all three stanzas, although a variation of the form is not to repeat the same line at the beginning of each stanza. In other words, the beginning line of each stanza can be different. The first four syllables of line 5 in each stanza are repeated as the double-refrain for lines 7 and 8. The Trijan Refrain is a rhyming poem with a set meter and rhyme scheme as follows:

Rhyme scheme: a/b/a/b/c/c/d,d refrain of first 4 words of line five /c

Meter: 8/6/8/6/8/8/4,4 refrain/8

For: 10 Days of Heat: Best summer memory (Day 9)

 

10 Days of Heat: Fireworks (Day 8)

Ricardo was celebrating one New Year’s Eve in Manila. The whole city was loud with different fireworks and spare tyres left burning in the middle of the road. People couldn’t see because of the smoke. Ricardo and his friends were in the street lighting some fireworks. They were having fun.

That’s when he felt something, he thought he was stung by a bee. Or was it? Actually, a stray bullet passed him by his neck and had he moved an inch, he’d surely be hit big time. So, after the shock, he was very grateful for his new life! Three cheers!

For: 10 Days of Heat: Fireworks (Day 8)

10 Days of Heat: STORY 2: Camp Life (Day 7)

Camping life is never for us
Tried it once and it didn’t work
Uncomfortable and what’s the fuss?
Camping life is never for us
End up fighting, sorry for cuss
So disastrous, came home berserk
Camping life is never for us
Tried it once and it didn’t work*

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

* A Triolet is a poetic form consisting of only 8 lines. Within a Triolet, the 1st, 4th, and 7th lines repeat, and the 2nd and 8th lines do as well. The rhyme scheme is simple: ABaAabAB, capital letters representing the repeated lines.

Make writing a Triolet more challenging! Make each line 8 syllables in length (4 metrical feet), written in iambic tetrameter (the more common way), or try it in pentameter (English version) where each line only has 10 syllables (5 metrical feet).

For: 10 Days of Heat: STORY 2: Camp Life (Day 7)

10 Days of Heat: STORY 2: Anchorage, Alaska (Day 6)

O Anchorage, sweet Anchorage
Dog sledding is quite fun
Place as cold as being in fridge
We met and we both run
Such adventure, fuels daydreams
Eating strawberries with some cream
Such adventure
Such adventure
Made my life better than it seems

O Anchorage, sweet Anchorage
Glacier and wildlife day cruises
Saw whales, otters along the bridge
Such a show with all the fuzz
Thunderous roar, blue ice crashes
We also stayed in some barges
Thunderous roar
Thunderous roar
All these things are at their aces

O Anchorage, sweet Anchorage
Unexplored wilderness around
All these things good for our knowledge
Four wheelers or no wheels snowbound
Everything else is a bonus
Good for all terrain awesomeness
Everything else
Everything else
Being here is so fabulous*

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

* The Trijan Refrain, created by Jan Turner, consists of three 9-line stanzas, for a total of 27 lines. Line 1 is the same in all three stanzas, although a variation of the form is not to repeat the same line at the beginning of each stanza. In other words, the beginning line of each stanza can be different. The first four syllables of line 5 in each stanza are repeated as the double-refrain for lines 7 and 8. The Trijan Refrain is a rhyming poem with a set meter and rhyme scheme as follows:

Rhyme scheme: a/b/a/b/c/c/d,d refrain of first 4 words of line five /c

Meter: 8/6/8/6/8/8/4,4 refrain/8

For: 10 Days of Heat: STORY 2: Anchorage, Alaska (Day 6)

10 Days of Heat: Beach life (Day 5)

 

Beach life is such fun
With friends and family
Lying in the sun
Lovely day to be free

With friends and family
Children mess around
Want some shopping spree
Sand is their fairground

Lying in the sun
Don’t forget the sun cream
Dizzy as she spun
Splashing by the stream

Lovely day to be free
Lovers say sweet things
Wish they were in Bali
See what life springs*

(c) ladyleemanila 2017

* Created by C. G. V. Lewis, the Quadrilew is a form of quatrain poem with an abab rhyming scheme, repeating lines, and contains an alternating syllable structure.

In the first verse, the poet may either start with a five or six syllable line. If the choice is five then the ‘sounding’ syllable count is (and opposite if the count is six):

VERSE ONE,
Line 1, 5 syllables.
Line 2, 6 syllables.
Line 3, 5 syllables.
Line 4, 6 syllables.

VERSE TWO,
Line 1, (which is a REPEAT of line 2 of the FIRST verse) has 6 syllables.
Line 2 new line of 5 syllables
Line 3 new line of 6 syllables
Line 4 new line of 5 syllables.

VERSE THREE,
Line 1, (which is a REPEAT of line 3 of the first verse) has 5 syllables.
Line 2 new line of 6 syllables.
Line 3 new line of 5 syllables.
Line 4 new line of 6 syllables.

VERSE FOUR,
Line 1, (which is a REPEAT of line 4 of the first verse) has 6 syllables.
Line 2 new line of 5 syllables.
Line 3 new line of 6 syllables.
Line 4 new line of 5 syllables.

If the first line of verse one has 6 syllables then the pattern is
Verse 1, 6565,
Verse 2, 5656,
Verse 3, 6565,
Verse 4 5656: (the rhyme pattern still being abab.)

If wishing to create a longer poem then the next verse (5) must be a completely fresh set of four lines, these being used as before in the following three verses. Etcetera, etcetera.

For: 10 Days of Heat: Beach life (Day 5)

10 Days of Heat: Diving into the deep end (Day 4)

Who will you make peace with?
Is it wrong to search my soul?
So I know what indeed is my role
When I wonder deep down its meaning
And forgiveness I am begging
When I pushed the cobwebs of lies
And each one has his lows and highs
Is it wrong to find atonement?
When there was a creepy silent?
For all who I’ve offended
Out with the truth blurted
For all who are suffering
And the tension it brings
For all who are in pain
Like being in chains
What’s clear is I want peace
All misgivings to decrease

snorkelling under the sea
deep silence of nature
admiring life down under
fishes and corals
sharing experience
happy with
you!

For: 10 Days of Heat: Diving into the deep end (Day 4)