It's been a while since I've tackled a poetic form, but as you know, I love the French forms. The rondeau is no exception. It has a refrain and rhymes--two elements I love in many French poems. The traditional rondeau is a poem consisting of 3 stanzas, 13 original lines, and 2 refrains (of the first line of the poem) with 8 to 10 syllables per line and an A/B rhyme scheme.

The skeleton of the traditional rondeau looks like this:

A(R)
A
B
B
A

A
A
B
A(R)

A
A
B
B
A
A(R)

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I recently visited Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia. It's this mountain that is basically a huge granite rock. If you're interested, here's some more information on the mountain and park: http://stonemountainpark.com/.

As part of my visit, I hiked to the top of the mountain, which was exposed to very strong and very cold winds. If my boys were with me, I'd've been afraid they might blow off the mountain top. But as you'll see in my rondeau example, I'm masochistic enough to have enjoyed getting a windburnt face and sore muscles.

"Rounding Stone Mountain"

But I suppose that wasn't so bad,
finding our way to the triad
of Confederate Generals
who fought to maintain protocol
in a war that drove people mad--

when even sons fought their own dads
and the deaths of the myriad
Americans grew mystical.
But I supposed that wasn't so bad.

We saw the granite picture and
followed the yellow path, our hands
holding our hands against a crawl,
knowing we had no chance to fall,
still we fell and said, with hearts glad,
"But I suppose that wasn't so bad."

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As you can see, my A rhymes were: bad, triad, mad, dads, myriad, and, hands, glad.

My B rhymes were: Generals, protocol, mystical, crawl, fall.

Yes, there was a little slant in my rhymes, but there's nothing wrong with that.

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There are variations of the rondeau, including the rondeau redouble, rondel, rondel double, rondelet, roundel, and roundelay. Of course, poets tend to break the rules on each of these as well, which is what poets like to do. Because rules and poets don't get along sometimes, right?

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Here are a couple other online resources on the rondeau:

* Wikipedia entry

* from Alberto Rios

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In Southwestern Ohio, we've been receiving consistent doses of snow this month. The totals have not been overly impressive (usually 1-4 inches per storm), but the snow has hit a rhythm with the morning and afternoon rush hours--causing some interesting commutes. And it has been bone chilling cold (for this part of Ohio anyway--as I'm sure this blog has readers from further up north).

Instead of spending an entire blog post complaining, I thought I'd link to some poems available online that deal with the cold. So here you go.

* "Cold Poem," by Mary Oliver

* "Good-by and Keep Cold," by Robert Frost

* A couple snow poems, also by Frost

* "Snow Day," by Billy Collins

The editors at Pebble Lake Review offer a sample cover letter. This specific example is for fiction, but it's easy to see how it could be modified for poetry.

http://www.pebblelakereview.com/samplecoverletter.htm

A word of advice: Any time editors go out of their way to give you specific tips or samples of ways to prepare your submission, you should pay attention and follow their guidance. Trying to get overly "cute" or "creative" can get you an auto rejection slip.

"Windham Poetry Group Overcomes Adversity," by Heather Murdock from The Daily Campus, reports on a high school poetry group that's been performing locally and competing in poetry slams since early 2004.

As someone who founded and published a little lit zine in the mid-90s, I think high school is a perfect time for getting young adults interested in poetry. With all the fear, self-doubt and optimism that comes with being a teenager, this is the perfect age to record thoughts and emotions on paper (or computer screen).

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But just because high school is an opportune time, it doesn't mean that you need to wait for kids to grow complex emotions and apply for college. For instance, junior high works just as well.

"Poetry comes alive for some 7th-graders," from the Post and Courier, reports: "For the seventh-grade students of River Oaks Middle School, poetry will never be just a few boring rhymes they had to memorize in school."

And poetry never should be just some lines to read or learn. It should be something to experience and enjoy--whether the poems are funny, sad, difficult, or scary.

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I don't think you can ever start too early on building an appreciation of poetry in children. As the father of two boys aged four and six, I've been reading them poems since before they could talk themselves. Their favorite is probably "The Raven," by Edgar Allan Poe (they love everything spooky).

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So today is Valentine's Day. Some people love it; some people hate it; and some people think it was invented (or at least promoted) by greeting card and chocolate companies. Here's a fairly detailed Wikipedia link about the holiday: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day.

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Love and poetry are classically linked. What is The Odyssey but a very long love poem?

Also, poets such as Ted Kooser have openly admitted their early attempts at poetry were to woo potential partners (that's how yours truly got wrapped up in poetry). By the way, check out this review of Kooser's Valentines book.

Even the reclusive Emily Dickinson has been known to write a love poem or two. In fact, here are 57: http://www.bartleby.com/113/index3.html.

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And poets always seem to be hooking up, though it should be noted not all poet couples stand the test of time (for instance, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes). Perhaps, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning are the most popular example of romance between poets--but they are not the only example.

Even today, there are plenty of couples: C.D. Wright and Forrest Gander; Dorianne Laux and Joseph Millar; James Cummins and Maureen Bloomfield; etc.

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And as part of the Valentine's Day celebration, I'm going to share a poem I wrote recently to mark the day. It was inspired by those stale Sweethearts candy with those little messages, the longing for youth, and, of course, the love I feel for another poet (she knows who she is).

"At the Arboretum"

From his box of Sweethearts, he hands
her candy that reads CUTIE PIE
before eating his own WILD LIFE.
They walk the paved path to a pond
filled with sleeping koi. A sign warns
KEEP OFF GRASS, but she leads him there
anyway. In high school, this is where
he would run across the frozen pond and
wander off the trails and into the summer
creek water. He hands her CLOUD NINE
and pops a CHILL OUT. He remembers
being young and cold in February, but
a sweater feels just right today. He's
not in high school anymore he thinks and
starts to move back toward the path.
But then, she touches his arm, whispers, "Stay."

I received a couple questions over the weekend as part of my Writer's Market thing I do. And I thought they both would work well as things to ponder here. In fact, I'm opening myself up to poetry specific questions at my work email (robert.brewer@fwpubs.com) if you put "Poetic Asides Poetry Question" in your subject line AND if you refrain from asking me to critique your poetry (while I'd be honored, I just don't have the time to critique everyone's work).

If I get enough good questions, I'll try and answer some here from time to time.

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Question 1 had to do with planning ahead. The writer was ashamed she didn't know where to start with writing and getting published. This is a common problem, and the answer is very simple: Start by writing and not worrying about the other stuff.

Too many writers, including poets, worry about making money and finding fame before they've actually finished their manuscripts. Don't trouble yourself over all the riches and awards your writing is sure to earn you. Just write and enjoy the writing process.

As you're writing, you can (and should) read as many literary journals as you can. This is where you will be trying to place your poetry, so you should be studying these journals to have a good idea which journals match up well with what you're writing.

After you've got a lot of great material, read up on the do's and don't's of submitting your poetry. Then, read the specific guidelines of where you're submitting. As soon as you pull the trigger on submitting, don't wait around for a response: Get your butt back in your chair and craft some more poems.

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Tied to that 1st question I received this email (name omitted for privacy): "I am a very accomplished author and writer and I have written eleven poetry books to date now in a series. But I cannot seem to be able to land a good agent to represent me with my poetry books. They keep saying that they don't do poetry. I know that there is a big market for good poetry books. My newest two-book set of 600 poems is going to be a hit. Please help!"

Okay, so that's not really a question. It's a call for help.

The problem here is that this "very accomplished author" has an unrealistic view of the poetry market. Most bookstores reserve very little room for poetry. And then, the space in that rare shelf space is dominated by "the classics" and major award winning poets. So, there's usually no room for "good poetry books" by other poets--whether they are accomplished or not (in non-poetry fields).

Poetry is not a "get rich quick" method of writing. And literary agents are usually going to have no interest in representing poetry, because agents make 10-15% of what their authors make. And no agent is interested in working for 15% of 2 free contributor copies or even $50 (for those poets who do hit it big).

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So the message of this post (I really should try to have a message, shouldn't I?) is that you shouldn't get caught up in wondering what's going to happen to your poetry after you write it; you should just write it.

Even though Nancy Breen has left the blog officially, she still shares various news she finds. And she's literally on the other side of cubicle wall--so she's still very close to Poetic Asides HQ (both in spirit and physical location). Here are two bits she shared with me this past week:

"Heath Ledger And The Poem To Remember Him By," by John Lundberg from The Huffington Post, discusses Ledger and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.

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Sandra Soli, a contributor to the in-progress 2009 Poet's Market, was recently notified that her chapbook collection Trees has been chosen as a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award.

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Of course they should!

Read: "Poet-mania: Mary Oliver's sold-out appearance sparks a ticket frenzy on Craigslist," by John Marshall from SeattlePI.com

The article reports on the popularity of Mary Oliver in the Pacific Northwest with tickets selling out at venues in both Seattle and Portland. And the demand is still so high that tickets have been traded on Craigslist for as much as $100 each. That's incredible!

As you'll notice in the article, Oliver has managed to make an emotional connection with her fans. So while it is essential to study the craft and technique of poetry, never forget to inject a healthy dose of heart as well.

While it's doubtful poets will re-shape popular culture into a poet-centric society with tabloids following the personal messes of contemporary poets (a la Britney Spears and Michael Jackson), Mary Oliver's success in the Pacific Northwest is helping keep the dream alive.

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