Bina

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Bina
Type:
Structure, Metrical Requirement, End Word Requirement, Isosyllabic
Description:
Bob Newman has taken the general idea of the sestina and extended it both upwards and downwards from the six-line stanza it normally uses. The Bina is the two-line stanza version. Like the sestina, it is preferable to use isosyllabic lines.
Attributed to:
Bob Newman
Origin:
England
Schematic:
End word repetition pattern:
12
21
Envoy: (12)
Strengths:
It is much shorter and more practical that the sestina.
Weaknesses:
Having shorter stanzas, the end words come back very quickly, so while it isn’t as repetitive and possibly monotonous as the sestina, they will be a very strong presence in the poem. This could make the poem somewhat comic, intentionally or not.
Starting Point:
Because it is only five lines, the flexibility of the end words is not nearly as important as in the sestina; however, they should be chosen well enough that they can be used three times each in five lines and not grate on the nerves.
Rhythm/Stanza Length:
2
Line/Poem Length:
5
Status:
Complete
Bina
An even smaller variation with just 2 keywords and 5 lines is possible; we may as well call this the bina, then we can have:
Wry Bina
When young Michelle was thirsty, she would long
For “that blackcurrant drink – is any left?”
I wonder, now that she’s grown up and left,
If maybe I indulged her for too long.
When in the tooth she’s long, she’ll have none left.
A big thank you to Bob Newman

My Example

Trained Wives     (Bina)

The earning of money has been up to me,

the spending of it’s been up to my wives.

I’ve tried adjusting by taking new wives

but they’ve all done their jobs better than me.

The question for me is who trains those wives?

© Lawrencealot – December 26, 2013

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