Poetic Form 80: Kyrielle

 

Doesn't Know

Late on a January night,

blizzard conditions are in sight.

Bitter cold drops to stake a claim.

The winter wind doesn’t know my name.

The snap hooks on a flagpole keep

uneven time for those asleep.

I hear Mother Nature’s fierce claim.

The winter wind doesn’t know my name.

The rumble of long vowels tells me

I am an outcast to these trees,

swaying outside my window frame.

The winter wind doesn’t know my name.

It is darker on the other

side of the window. The covers

no shield against this dark night’s aim.

The winter wind doesn’t know my name.

Poetic Form #80: Kyrielle

The kyrielle is a French four-line stanza form that uses a refrain in the fourth line.

Each line contains 8 syllables. Traditional kyrielle poems are written in iambic

tetrameter. The rhyme scheme is flexible and really up to the poet. Some common

schemes are (B is the refrain): 

• aabB

• abaB

• aaaB

• abcB

The poem can also be as long as the poet wants.