In a Roundabout Way

I offer you the Roundabout:
a little form sublime.
Tough? Au contraire!
But do beware:
you must be in your prime.

Don’t simply trust to whether I’m
correct; just take the dare.
It helps to score
some pithy fours
that add a certain flair.

Abandon care; let down your hair.
Ideas waltz the floor:
A fine brook trout,
beer brats and kraut,
Or silly, countless more.

And so, dear poet, I implore:
creative juices out!
For fun with rhyme,
it’s party time:
the Roundabout, no doubt!

—————

My second Roundabout: 86446, abccb/bcddc/cdaad/dabba

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/new-poetic-form-the-roundabout

you have to have a heck of a drawl to pronounce contraire as three syllables, IMHO... Sticking with the original - PoetrySoup counts as 2, RhymeZone counts as 3, but I'm going with 2, as that's how I hear it in my head.

Copyright © | Year Posted 2022



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Date: 10/15/2022 12:19:00 PM
Contraire definitely has 2 syllables. I still prefer counting on my fingers as I taught third graders to do. Since the creation, poets have wrestled with syllables. Ugh! This is why I prefer forms that do not specify syllable counts. Admittedly, this one was fun.
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Hankins Avatar
L Milton Hankins
Date: 10/15/2022 1:17:00 PM
I'm with you, Jeff. I hear "ev-ry" and "ree-ly," too. This is one of the reasons I avoid syllable counts in my contests. Sometimes it's hard to say which is correct. Should we take P.S. or H.M.S.? Or, some third party? I go with the good ol' finger count, always.
Kyser Avatar
Jeff Kyser
Date: 10/15/2022 12:38:00 PM
must not be every, that's two, oops! :-) There's another lurker that gets me!
Kyser Avatar
Jeff Kyser
Date: 10/15/2022 12:36:00 PM
I get tripped up with every and really - I hear them as ev-ry and ree-ly, but they both get counted as 3 syllables. I was drawn to math, and I guess I enjoy the feet, the different meters, etc., for the same reason. Can make for an interesting puzzle sometimes!
Date: 10/15/2022 8:27:00 AM
Loved your poem although for me it's complicated. Occasion I write in rhyme, but I prefer free verse.
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Kyser Avatar
Jeff Kyser
Date: 10/15/2022 8:59:00 AM
That's why I love poetry - so many forms, and each finds his/her muse in some, not in others. I've always had trouble with free verse, like it is too much open space. Thanks for reading/commenting!
Date: 10/15/2022 6:59:00 AM
You are a MASTER!!
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