Seguidilla: Poetic Forms
I'm a big fan of French forms, but there's something special about the Spanish forms I find from time to time. That includes this week's form: seguidilla.
Seguidilla Poems
Seguidilla is one of those poetic forms that started off as a song before eventually settling on an established poetic form. Specifically, seguidilla began as a dance song.
So here are the basic rules:
- 7-line poem
- Syllable count for each line is 7-5-7-5-5-7-5
- One assonance rhyme between lines 2 and 4; another one between lines 5 and 7
- Pause between lines 4 and 5--usually an end stop
- Also, the tone or focus changes between lines 4 and 5 as well
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Play with poetic forms!
Poetic forms are fun poetic games, and this digital guide collects more than 100 poetic forms, including more established poetic forms (like sestinas and sonnets) and newer invented forms (like golden shovels and fibs).
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Here’s my attempt at a Seguidilla Poem:
The Darkness, by Robert Lee Brewer
When the clouds capture the moon
never to release,
I wander without purpose
solitary streets.
Each song sung in Spain
reminds me why darkness
surrounds me again.
