Bush Ballad Meter Sonnet

In the flavor of the “Man From Snowy River” by Andrew Barton Paterson I have set forth the following specifications for what I am calling the “Bush Ballad Meter Sonnet”.

Creator: Lawrence Eberhart, aka on Allpoetry as Lawrencealot.
Syllabic: L1 through L2 alternate 15 and 11 syllable. Lines 13 and 14 each have 15 syllables.
Rhyme pattern: ababcdcdefefgg
Metric: Primarily anapestic and iambic meter.
I guess technically all lines begin with an anapest,
the first 6 long lines then have 2 tertius paeons and 2 iambs’
the short lines have four iambs
the last two have 1 tertius paeon and 4 iambs
but the visual template is easier to understand.

Anapestic foot [da da DUM]
Iambic foot [da DUM]
Tertius paeon foot [ da da da DUM]

My example poem

Dominion (Bush Ballad Meter Sonnet)

When a chieftain comes to power, it’s because he’s acted well
in providing for the welfare of the tribe.
When a politician rises with smooth rhetoric to sell
what’s not really his to give, then it’s a bribe.
When a clique of any dogma with agenda driven goals
should encounter opposition to its plan,
that’s when greed and self-advancement will supplant more lofty roles,
and the powerful will kill because they can.

When a species such as humans has no predators to fear
yet they have the wherewithal to calculate,
it’s perhaps the plan of Gaia (causing some to disappear)
to allow cupidity to turn to hate.
For it’s certain through the ages, those in power decimate;
we can hope for what it’s worth that man awakes before too late.

© Lawrencealot – June 21, 2014
Visual Template

Bush Ballad Meter Sonnet

Sonnet Anapest

Sonnet Anapest is a sonnet form created by Lawrence Eberhart, aka Lawrencealot on AP.  It will be listed here as a  gadget sonnet as it lies outside the parameters of the standard sonnet

It is a quatorzain written the rhyme pattern of an English Sonnet.
The defining character is that lines alternate between anapestic tetrameter and anapestic trimeter with feminine rhyme.
Example Poem
Puddles       (Sonnet Anapest)
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” ~Vivian Greene


When the rainstorm brought puddles and pools to our street
and most huddled in side, warm and wary,
the prospect of some splashing invited my feet
and so nothing about it was scary.
I was bundled in rain gear, galoshes and hat
and was thrilled with the wetness and splashing
and the water went flying when my boots went splat!
Then the lightning and thunder came crashing.
When my mom called me in I complied, you can bet
(in a hurry) for fright was controlling.
But my mommy had cookies and cocoa all set
so the rainy day’s joys kept on rolling.
I was trained to be happy and happy I’ve stayed.
Just arrange the board pieces the fates have displayed.
© Lawrencalot – April 4, 2014
Visual Template