Alexadrine Poetry

"Alexandrine Poetry Type is a line of poetry that has 12 syllables and derives from a medieval romance about Alexander the Great that was written in 12-syllable lines. An alexandrine is used to describe a line of poetic meter." Most of the examples I could find were in French, but I'm still pretty sure it rhymed and only the last line was 12 syllables.

An Alexandrine look at Libya:


How hard for Gadhafi, he's all alone;
The allied forces just increased the no-fly zone.
The US issued targeted air strikes,
Libya will be fighting on camels or bikes.

I enjoy structure, not to contradict,
but alexandrine poetry is just too strict...

ABC poem

An ABC poem has a series of lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines are made up of words and phrases. The first word of line 1 begins with an A, the first word of line 2 begins with a B etc. 

Another poem for Lance:

Before we once again

Count the days since   

Dawn has seen you dancing,

Energetic and full of voice,

First we should rejoice, and

Grant that whatever our

Hopes may be for tomorrow,

In your mere existence is

Joy. 

Keen as we are for 

Laughter to spring from your

Mouth, we cannot force

Nature to render you whole.

Oh, to be sure we pray for

Patience, but even in your

Quiet we will wait, 

Relentless, 

Strong, and

Tired. 

Unable to fix you, your 

Vigorous family is a troop of

Warriors, who will fight for

X number of days, months or

Years until you laugh again.

Zestfully yours, Trish

Next project: poems for Lance

Dear Lance,

It's been a good minute since I've written. I kind of explained why when I saw you at UK hospital a couple weeks ago, but sometimes I feel like the worst side effect of my drug regimen isn't the nausea, lack of appetite or crankiness, but the blinders it puts on my creativity. While it's a blessing to be able to focus on simple tasks and have control over my impulsivity, it's much more difficult to think outside the box.  All the same knowledge is there, but it's like the difference between ballet and running.  I want to tell you how I feel about Libya and Yemen, but I'm having difficulty stringing my thoughts together with flow or voice. It's more than just mildly frustrating.

Happily, adding structure should help. My new goal is to try different types of poetry to see if that will aid me. These four websites have different examples of the various structures available to me. I think I'll attempt to write them alphabetically by type.

Wish me luck,

yours, etc.

For Lance's Birthday

Lance turns 25 years old on Thursday (3/10), which normally we would've celebrated by going to the Beer Trappe or a movie marathon (or an actual marathon, ew), but this year is a little different. Lance is back home in Vanceburg and doing great, but he could still use everyone's support. Here are a few things that you can do to let Lance know that you are still thinking about him:

1. Make a YouTube video. It doesn't have to be elaborate or high quality, but let Lance see and hear you. Tell him a joke, sign him a song, introduce him to your cat/dog/grandma/spouse. With our crazy cool computers, this takes five minute to shoot and another one or two to upload. Heck, go to an Apple store and use their stuff. Then once the video is on YouTube, send the link to livethelion@gmail.com (and me!).

"All I want for my birthday is this guy's hat."

2. Send Lance a birthday card by snail mail. He is reading a little, so include a message (written fairly large, like size 20 font) that he can read. His address is:

PO Box 609
Vanceburg, KY 41179

3. Send Lance a present. Photos of yourself (and especially with him) are good. Send a CD of music or podcasts. Maybe he could use some sweatbands for all that biking and PT he's going to be doing.

4. Send an email. His family reads him whatever you send, so go ahead and let him know that you're out there, thinking about him. Try to make him laugh or get a rise out of him. Challenge him to get better. Send an essay or short story to keep him amused. Send those to livethelion@gmail.com

5. Keep thinking about him, include him in your prayers (if you do that sort of thing), donate blood, sign up for a 5k you've been considering, and keep on keeping on.

T

P.S. The O'Culls are making shirts which will be grey with red letters. If you guys want to order through me you can, otherwise let Chelcee know (chelceeocull@gmail.com) and she can leave yours with me in Lexington or we'll figure out how to mail it to where you are. I guessing they will be $10 plus any shipping. I was thinking of wearing this at a few road races this spring/summer.