Poetic Form 84: Luc Bat

 Two Way Mirror

Life, a two way mirror. 

Yesterday’s pain is clear to see.  

Tomorrow is not free 

for us to view. When we turn our   

eyes, the heart can cower. 

Each reflection a dower of time. 

We can spend a lifetime

wanting the chance to climb again 

the paths walked. But it's vain, 

bringing a crippling pain that costs 

a life that could have crossed 

out the doubt that softly kills 

the light we try to fill 

our room with. Embrace chills from not 

seeing past the mirror slot 

that only shows your spot here and 

now. There is no refund 

to collect. No trust fund to use 

to buy a life disused.

Poetic Form #84: Luc Bat

The luc bat is a Vietnamese form that translates to "six-eight."  A poem consists 

of alternating lines of six and eight syllables. This form has an interesting rhyme 

scheme as shown below.

xxxxxA

xxxxxAxB

xxxxxB

xxxxxBxC

xxxxxC

xxxxxCxD

xxxxxD

xxxxxDxE

The poem starts and ends on a six syllable line. There are no rules for length or subject matter. 

Poetic Form 67: Villanelle

 

Today in History

It’s hard living through history

Watching the days fill the pages

Never understanding glory 

No maps for this territory

All books burn in the dark ages

It’s hard living through history

Tomorrow is an allegory

Holding lock and key to cages

Never understanding glory

Today’s prayer for purgatory

Draws the thin line for war to rage

It’s hard living through history

Yesterday left a scar’s gory

Lesson to see life in stages

Never understanding glory

Only the clock’s auditory

Echo through time pays the wages

It’s hard living through history

Never understanding glory

Poetic Form #67: Villanelle

The villanelle consists of five tercets and a quatrain using a 

simple A / B rhyming scheme. The first and third lines of the first

stanza are refrains that repeat throughout the poem, alternating 

as the last line of the rest of the tercets. The final quatrain ends 

with the refrains. I created lines with 8 syllables. I found contradicting

information about having a set syllable rule for the lines.

Poetic Form 39: Triolet

These Days

These days of living bruise my soul.

Lost in the maze of uncertainty,

following the path to a broken north pole.

These days of living bruise my soul.

Another paper line used for damage control,

tears and blood blurring the line mournfully.

These days of living bruise my soul.

Lost in the maze of uncertainty.

Poetic Form #39: Triolet

The triolet form has a unique structure. It is an 8-line poem with the 
following format: 

A - first line

B - second line

a - rhymes with first line

A - repeat first line

a - rhymes with first line

b - rhymes with second line

A - repeat first line

B - repeat second line