First-and-Last-Rhyme
This form was created by Mary Lou Healy, who writes on Allpoetry.com as MLou.
It was patterned after her own poem Scented Medicine.
Scented Medicine … (A first-and-last rhyme)
Leaving a signature,
weaving so wondrous pure
a fragrance to fill this room…
a flagrance, such heavy bloom!
Showering air with scent,
flowering there, rose lent
glamor to plainest day,
clamoring, “Won’t you stay
a bit of a while? You’ll find
a bit of a smile in mind.”
Stopping, I lost my frown.
Dropping sweet petals down,
rose begins to shatter;
knows that it won’t matter,
for her short life has gifted
more than my spirits lifted!
Pasted from http://allpoetry.com/poem/10017005-Scented-Medicine—…—-A-first-and-last-rhyme–by-Mlou
This poet required the help of the author to properly present the metric specifications for this form, because Mary Lou used ascephalous feet predominately, but not exclusively throughout.
The form is:
Stanzaic: consisting of 4 stanzas, a quatrain, a sestet, a quatrain, and a couplet.
Metric: All lines are trimeter. The first 12 lines consist of an iamb, an anapest, and a iamb. The final 4 lines are all iambic trimeter.
Rhymed: Head rhyme and End Rhyme exist in a couplet pattern throughout the poem.
Rhyme pattern is independent for head and end rhyme: aabbccddeeffgghh. The final 4 end-rhymes are feminine.
My example
I Need No Promises (First-and-Last-Rhyme)
I pondered the cleric’s verse
and squandered my time, and worse;
I gave weight to other men
who raved and then said “Amen.”
If fables that stood for fact
enabled priests to extract
behavior and tithing to
a savior who’d then save you
those men wearing “truth’s” own cloak
again can promote a joke.
I’ll die as will all of us.
So why pray tell, make a fuss?
My soul finds “now” appealing.
My role requires no dealing.
No Hell you’ll find me fearing;
it’s well this life’s endearing.
© Lawrencealot – November 2, 2014
Visual template
Note: I found it more convenient to present the poem
as quatrain, sestet, couplet,quatrain because of the continuity of meter.
