Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Sestina, Pantoum, Ottava Rima

Your assignment is to review the formats of the Sestina, Pantoum, and Ottava Rima.  You will have to know the formats from memory for the midterm.  Construct  one example for each. 

9 comments:

  1. There are many
    Things in the world
    That are incapable
    Of reading a piece
    Of literature or even
    A newspaper; Shall I throw out names?

    To begin with the list of names,
    I will first mention the many
    Inanimate objects in my house, even
    Though my television can give me news of the world
    That literature cannot. Although a piece
    Of writing can describe wondrous places, you cannot ever get there—emphasizing things of which you are incapable.

    Oftentimes I feel incapable
    Of giving names
    To everything that cannot read a piece
    Of literature because there are so many!
    Also, the world
    Is filled with so many that you could spend your entire life never even

    Completing the list. Therefore, even
    If the list is long and you feel incapable
    Of completing it, it is easy to at least ponder all the things in the world
    And their names,
    For though there are many,
    They are easy to point out. They simply are not like us in our ability to read a writing piece.

    But for a moment, let’s put that piece
    You are reading aside—even
    If that piece you are reading is this. There are just too many
    Things to think about, and you and I are incapable
    Of giving names
    To everything deserving of them in the world.

    In this great big world
    That we inhabit, a piece
    Of literature seems to bring it all together—all the names
    Of all the things that matter and affect us, even
    If we have yet to know of them; because that is the purpose of reading: to learn of things so we are no longer incapable
    Of knowing. We will know a little about everything, no matter how many.

    There are so many things to think about in the world
    And we are lucky to not be incapable of appreciating a piece
    Of literature even if we have yet to learn the names of the things of which we are reading about.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The cat’s tail was burned off
    But no one really cared
    And if anyone cared enough to say something,
    Their voices were muted as if no words produced no problems.

    But no one really cared
    And the bobcats ran rabid in the streets.
    Their voices were muted as if no words produced no problems.
    What a magnificently peculiar evening!

    And the bobcats ran rabid in the streets
    While cheetah-fichus hybrids blew out birthday candles.
    What a magnificently peculiar evening!
    But maybe we should turn the lava lamp off…

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ottava Rima

    When I play basketball it feels
    Just so great
    Like when a cut finally heals
    I do not understand how someone could hate
    The game that so many love
    The game that makes me feel like I am flying above

    Pantoum

    I see her everyday
    And it kills me all the time
    To see someone so perfect
    I just want her to be mine

    Nobody truly understands
    And it kills me all the time
    You have to honestly be in my shoes
    I just want her to be mine

    This pain cannot be real
    And it kills me all the time
    I have never wanted something so bad
    I just want her to be mine

    ReplyDelete
  4. Pantoum
    1. In the light of day
    I feel like I’m not strong
    I walk up still trembling
    Why can’t I be strong?

    I feel like I’m not strong
    I slowly walk up
    Why can’t I be strong?
    It’s now time to change that

    I slowly walk up
    I’m scared
    It’s now time to change that
    Time to show the change within me

    I’m scared
    It’s time to grow up
    Time to show the change within me
    Time to prove everyone wrong

    Ottava Rima
    1. Too many feelings fill my body up
    Sometimes I want to crouch in and just cry
    I look up and see the cheers of cups
    I get asked so many questions, I just lie
    They treat me as if I’m a new born pup
    They annoy me like a small tiny fly
    Can they just leave me in peace and let me go
    They all think I’m okay, but they don’t know

    Sestina
    1. A thousand words can kill
    Nothing hurts like someone say they don’t love you
    Everything can turn dark within
    There is nothing that can pick you up
    You have a feeling of wanting to cry
    But you know that you have to be strong

    You can no longer be weak, now it’s time to be strong
    But those words you feel like they kill
    You want to go in you room and just cry
    Nothing can help you
    You just want to be a baby for you mom can pick you up
    But you know the strength comes from within

    Everything that you feel comes from within
    This is where you know you have to be strong
    But all you have to do is look up
    At times it may kill
    But it will help you
    Few times you will have the urge to cry

    Your emotions make you just want to cry
    You fight everything that comes from within
    It’s all up to you
    Little by little you get strong
    Then you feel like you can then kill
    But always try to get better and put your goals up

    All you have to do in life is look up
    Now you won’t want to cry
    You will have no urges to kill
    But you will within
    Show that you are strong
    Make sure they see the true you

    Everything depends on you
    Look at the sky, it’s up
    It will make you feel strong
    It may make you cry
    It’s the beauty from within
    But it won’t kill

    Words can kill but it’s up to you
    Find the strength within and pick yourself up
    It’s okay to cry because then you will later on be strong

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sestina:
    Take a look at what we did
    I refuse to wash away all these sins
    Things will never be the way that they were before
    There is no coming back
    This is just something that we have to live with and accept
    We just can’t have them all know

    We both know very well that they would all judge us if they were to actually know
    Don’t regret it now, we wanted to do it, so we did
    It may take long, but you will soon be understanding of it all and accept
    What we did wasn’t right but we all sin
    The quicker you take it all in the easier, like I said there’s no going back
    I rather things like this then the way they were before

    You are no longer the little angel you were before
    The devil has been released within and they will all know
    You have scars now, but they aren’t the same as the ones from way back
    I want you to be satisfied with what we did
    I understand why you’re thinking like this, it’s because they taught you not to sin
    It’s coming to the point where you just need to take it all in and accept

    You’re at the point where you aren’t even happy with yourself anymore because you just can’t simply accept
    Now I’m coming to the point where I just wish things were the same as before
    At this point, if I could I’d take away every single sin
    Let’s just act like it never happened so that there is nothing for them to know
    What we did, we will never do again so we can just forget what we did
    I just want to take it all back

    I thought we said that we would do it and never look back
    We were going to love what we did, and accept
    Doesn’t look like you’re fit for what we did
    I should have seem this coming before
    There was just something that made me think you could take it, you know?
    This is the end because I’m a sinner, that can’t be with someone who can’t sin

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pantoum:
    It’s as if we are dancing in this world alone
    It’s just you and I
    People are talking
    We just close everyone and thing out, it’s only us

    It’s just you and I
    We get lost in this world of ours
    People are talking
    What they say means nothing to us

    We get lost in this world of ours
    To the point that we forget it’s not just us
    What they say means nothing to us
    We will just live past them


    Ottava Rima:
    You are what I crave
    That thought of you runs on in my mind
    But I have to be brave
    It is time for me to go off and look for someone that is worth the find
    I can’t be with you and I will take that to the grave
    You put me in a big bind
    It is time for me to leave
    And I need to be me

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pantoum:

    You are not invisible
    Your live has meaning
    Don't give up now
    Soon it will be better

    Your live has meaning
    They may not see you now
    Soon it will be better
    Someday they will notice

    They may not see you now
    One day the pain will be invisible
    Soon it will be better
    You're not alone

    One day the pain will be invisible
    Someone has been were you are
    You're not alone
    You are not invisible

    Ottava Rima:

    The sun will always raise on every new day
    Don't be afraid to change how you feel
    Don't let yourself hear the hate that they say
    Your exterior is as hard as steel
    Almost remember to pray
    Be thankful for every meal
    don't let yourself get lost
    the pain is part of the cost

    ReplyDelete
  8. The leaves in the water
    Sit almost perfectly still
    With each coarse ripple
    They tremble and shake
    Inching closer to the shore
    And our gently rustling boat

    When we step into the boat
    We went out in the water
    Going further out from the shore,
    Into the middle of the lake the air was still.
    Our boat creak and shake,
    Sending towards the shore a ripple.

    The leaves can feel each ripple
    That connects them to our boat,
    Through our movement when we shake
    And rock in the dark water.
    We’ve been here for years, but we still
    Have not noticed the leaves that drift to shore.

    When we row back to shore,
    The rotting ores create a whirlpool and a ripple.
    With every stroke, we dip into the still
    Waters that we cut with our boat.
    This is not our water.
    We’ve paid this lake a visit on a boat, but we shake.

    Like leaves when we dip our toes in, we shake
    Even worse when we step onto the shore
    After we’ve submerged our entire bodies in the water.
    We wrap ourselves in towels and step inside, but the lake will still ripple
    Without us and our boat.
    This water never lies perfectly still.



    ReplyDelete
  9. The Pit seemed like it would just never end
    But that gave him unsettling delight
    He knew that they would break and they would bend
    He showed no mercy, he ignored their plight
    They thought a helping hand he might just lend
    But he denied them everything but light
    He grinned and heard the tolling of the bell
    And sent them plummeting straight down to hell

    The field was empty
    The flames were rising
    He saw them watching
    The heat grew more intense

    The flames were rising
    The sound of crackling
    The heat grew more intense
    He struggled in the blaze

    The sound of crackling
    He didn’t dare yield
    He struggled in the blaze
    He finally broke free

    He didn’t dare yield
    He took off and didn’t look back
    He finally broke free
    He was safe, for now

    ReplyDelete