This year’s DFC has a bit of something different from all the past years. In the wake of the chaos in our world, I thought I’d offer a uniting DFC, where we celebrate the heritage of major world regions in an effort to understand where we all came from. The areas highlighted will be our main focus, though just because a region isn’t highlighted, doesn’t make it unimportant. African and Polynesian nations base their historical poetry through songs and stories and there weren’t enough for me to make a region for them. A similar case can be said for Russia, so I apologise if I offend anyone with this. Love beats in the hearts of all of us and it will until the end of time. Love binds us. We cannot let hatred divide and conquer us all. December Form Challenge – DFC 2015 December 1st: The Americas December 12th: The British Isles December 21st: South East Asia December 2nd: The British Isles December 13th: Europe December 22nd: The Americas December 3rd: Europe December 14th: The Middle East December 23rd: The British Isles December 4th: The Middle East December 15th: South East Asia December 24th: Europe th December 5 : South East Asia December 25th: The Middle East December 6th: The Americas December 26th: South East Asia December 7th: The British Isles December 27th: The Americas December 8th: Europe December 17th: The Americas December 28th: The British Isles December 9th: The Middle East December 18th: The British Isles December 29th: Europe December 10th: South East Asia December 19th: Europe December 30th: The Middle East December 11th: The Americas December 20th: The Middle East December 31st: South East Asia December Form Challenge – DFC 2015 2 Muzdawidj Quintina Blues Sonnet Urjuzah Qataa Deten Sardine Wayra Kimo Marisya Spenserian Quintilla Dabali Shairi Retourne Dinggedicht Dansa Zéjel Strambotto Romagnuolo Ronsardian Ode English Madrigal Pathya Vat Tawddgyrch Cadwynog Awit Ya Du Casbairdne Yeats Octave Ch’i-Yen-Shih Metre Inverted Hexaduad Abhanga Luc Bat Cywydd Llosgyrnog December Form Challenge – DFC 2015 3 Suddenly, a wild unicorn appears. It presents you with a form to complete. “Complete this” she says “and I can make you un-see the Anus Cloud I arrived here on”. Utenzi/Utendi Utenzi/utendi verse is a traditional Swahili form consisting of 8 syllable quatrains with the rhyme scheme: aaab cccb eeeb. There is no limit to how many stanzas can be written. I couldn’t find any English examples, so the following example is in Swahili. Highlighted are the appropriate rhymes. Utenzi wa Vita vya Wadachi Kutamalaki Mrima (excerpt) BISMILLAH! Ghafari alWahidi ‘lKahari mwinyi kuhui shajari na jinni na insiya Yu pweke ARRAHAMANI Wala hayuko wa thani Mruzuku duniani Ila ni yeye mmoya Bahaha… “JUST KIDDING” December Form Challenge – DFC 2015 4 The Americas Sardine Spenserian Quintilla The Sardine or Sonondilla was created by “The Dread Poet Roberts”. It The Spenserian Quintilla, attributed to Howard Nemerov is a quintain features 14-lines of tetrameter (preferably iambic) with the following rhyme form featuring four 8 syllable lines and one 12 syllable line with the schemes. rhyme scheme abacc. abbacddceeffee or abbaabbaccddcc Ambiguity by Lawrence Eberhart Excerpt from The Second-Best Bed by Howard Nemerov In ambiguity there’s hope Consider now that Troy has burned that your misstatement may make sense ---Priam is dead, and Hector dead And great Aeneas long since turned to someone sitting on the fence Away seaward with his gods who’s neither voted yep nor nope. To find, found or founder, against frightful odds Thus politician’s often cope And figure to yourselves the clown Who comes with educated word with lack of what’s called common-sense To illustrate in mask and gown by merely giving no offence. King Priam’s most illustrious son And figure forth his figure with many another one If you don’t get it, you’re the dope. Of that most cremented time You cannot fact check what’s not said In times have been or are to be Thus inferences that have led Inhearsed in military rime And will recite of royal fates to contrary conclusions are Until, infamonized among those potentates non-specific, sometimes bizarre. Turn off the TV, go to bed, or watch grass grow; you’ll be ahead. December Form Challenge – DFC 2015 5 Blues Sonnet Quintina The Blues sonnet is comprised of 4 Blues stanzas and an ending The Quintina was created by Steven Owen Shields and is rather similar to the Heroic couplet. Blues stanzas are 3-lined stanzas featuring sestina, only shorter. It consists of five quintains and a two line envoi containing the iambic pentameter. 5 end words used in the piece. No specific meter or rhyme. The scheme is A, A, a | B, B, b | C, C, c | D, D, d | e, e with the The structure is as follows: second line in each stanza being a slight variation of the first. ABCDE | CDBEA | BEDAC | DAECB | ECABD + Envoi [ABC/DE or AB/CDE] Blues Sonnet by NathanielFlyingOwl As I Bid My Last Farewell by Gomopy 2 Why do the shadows seek to cause me pain? To feel my heart breaking, Why must the shadows strive to inflict pain And have my hands shaking, "Darling, my sweet, must I say farewell? And taint the time I spend with the spring rain? To say my farewell. I'm sorry your heart may be breaking, My goodbyes and sorrow, But my sadness, my sorrow, With the last shake of my hand. Is too much to bear. I shake my hand Can hope take root within a desert's soil? Farewell, sturdy and strong, but still shaking." Will hope take root amid a desert's soil I remember when you held my hand, And spring forth with help of proper toil? Kissed my forehead and said, "Farewell, Bow I stand up, legs shaking, My love, I shall see you tomorrow," My world now breaking. And let myself know what will happen, sorrow I remember that memory, now my fist shaking Getting to me, my hand Why do I dream only in nightmares black? in anger. Tears down my face, in sorrow. Reaches up, and I say my last farewell. Why must I dream nightmares always black? My world no longer breaking. My spirit cannot take another crack I always looked at your face, no sorrow, But now that's all mine is full of, pen in my hand, My heart breaking, words shaking, Writing this, letters shaking. I bid farewell with my sorrow, with one last – When all my efforts are in vain I weep Your heart may be aching, but never breaking, When all my efforts are worthless I weep Why must you say farewell? shake of my hand. And dread my dark and necessary sleep Amid eternity that is tonight I fear I may not see the moon so bright December Form Challenge – DFC 2015 6 Deten Wayra The Deten was created by Johnn Schroeder and features three The wayra is of South American origin and features syllabic counts not quintains. There is no set meter but iambic tetrameter and unlike some of the Japanese forms we’re used to. pentameter are always helpful. The syllabic scheme is: 5, 7, 7, 6, 8. The rhyme scheme is: a, b, c, a, b |d, e, c, d, e | f, g, c, f, g Thrust Upon You by Lawrence Eberhart Cold by Carol R. Ward The time to write a masterpiece That moves another person’s soul Is when your mind is well content, Dark of night descends – But this must be a faster piece; It won’t fulfil that lofty goal. Wolf howls on autumnal winds. But look! The form I’m using here, The chill that is in the air I’ve never seen or used before Has so little to do So this could be a non-event. The rhyme scheme might appear unclear With the coming of the winter. It’s not one I’d choose to adore. I came, I saw and then I tried I took advantage of your trust I hope you found the time well-spent. At least I think I’m satisfied, Another form has bit the dust December Form Challenge – DFC 2015 7 The Middle East Muzdawidj (Arabic Mathnawi) Urjuzah The Urjuzah is a popular Arabic form written in rajaz rhyming couplets. Rajaz is very The Muzdawidj is the Arabic version of a Persian form called the different from iambic meter. It features lines of 24 syllables, divided into two half lines Mathnawi. It features 11 syllable lines in rhyming triplets. with a break between them. Each half line contains three metric feet of four syllables each. Rajaz meter count is “dum dum di dum”. In the case of the Urjuzah, a rhyming couplet becomes a quatrain rhyming abcb. Strawberry Days by Llunamarigolde Just as April showers bring May flowers told Mirage by Bob Newman So comes the June bugs and the fireflies gold Snow goose flies home scarred from Dunkirk over the marsh, All creatures great or small renew in each wold Airborne she soars beneath the moon, wing and a prayer. Sheet rain cascades on starlight ride, like other nights. Deer wander far and wide no matter the land At rainbow’s end in lunar seas, waves fill the air. Even where the city dwellers make their strands Of houses, shops and businesses they think grand Breathless with love, coming of age down on the farm, Dream girls will smile, capture your heart, then pass you by. She was the one - straight to the heart through dust and dreams.