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Let’s experiment with a French poetry form today called Ballade Poetry. From Brewer,

Here are the guidelines of Ballade:

The ballade is a French poetic form…with plenty of rhymes and refrains:
-28 lines
-three stanzas of eight lines followed by a quatrain (or four-line stanza) called an envoy (or envoi)
-rhyme scheme: ababbcbC/ababbcbC/ababbcbC/bcbC
-the final line of each stanza is a refrain
-each line is usually comprised of eight or 10 syllables (flexible, but consistent within the poem)

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To Be Human

truly, the time is now to be
no longer standing, but to fall
one must yield, clear up to the knees
paying close attention to all
creatures rush around you, wrens call
to the time you must not squander
better believe in days so small
to be human is to wander

the path ahead winds and runs free
beacons the feet to trees so tall
listen; the wind blowing in leaves
paying close attention to all
eagles in flight, black snakes that crawl
steady steps will lead you yonder
don’t look back or perhaps you’ll fall
to be human is to wander

amazing grace will set us free
I confess, I forget to call
and I’m lost, forgetting this key
paying close attention to all
temporary troubles befalled
but what if instead to ponder
we’re all traveling, all awol
to be human is to wander

here, take my hand, before night falls
let us step over and under
and if we must, possibly crawl
to be human is to wander

Now to you…wanna try a Ballade poem? Share a link in the comments below!

I am on a personal challenge to explore and write in 100+ different poetic forms.  To assist me in this journey is Robert Lee Brewer’s The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms where he gives the form and an example. To Be Human is #29 in this collection I’m calling, very simply, 100+ Poetic Forms.

Hey y’all, thanks for visiting the Go Dog Go Cafe and I hope you enjoyed reading today’s selection. I am Donna Matthews, a born and bred Texan who can usually be found writing, painting, taking pictures, or traveling the world on foot. I’m all about love, people, sharing, and doing life together and would love to get to know you. I host two blogs…the first, The DJ Ranch, documents my personal adventures while the second, Slay The Chaos, focuses on mindsets, technology, productivity and organization. Come on over for a visit sometime 💙