The following description and examples are reposted with permission from Poetry Magnum Opus, with thanks to Judi Van Gorder for years of work on that fine resource.
Indian Verse
Ovi is commonly known as 12th century folk-songs of the Maranthi Region of India which expressed love, social irony and heroic events.
Tukaram, a 17th Century Maranthi Poet wrote:
Because I could not lie
I named my dog “God”.
Startled at first,
Soon he was smiling
Then dancing!
Now he won’t even bite.
Do you suppose this might work
On people, too?
The elements of the Ovi are:
- stanzaic, written in any number of 4 line stanzas.
- syllabic, 8-8-8-(less than 8 ) syllables
- rhymed, with L1, L2, L3 mono-rhymed L4 unrhymed. aaax, x being unrhymed
Roly Poly by Judi Van Gorder
The big toothed tot with golden hair
picked up a bug on Sister’s dare,
it rolled into a ball right there
and won her springtime heart.
My Example
Form: Ovi
Trucker’s Life
Poppa longed for the open road
not just because the bank was owed;
always contented when he rode,
he had a land to see.
There is no state that he’d not seen!
East-coast to west, and in between,
there’s nothing like that rolling scene
to make one ‘preciate.
The Pennsylvania rolling hills,
the Gary Indiana mills,
the Alcan Highway winter thrills
all were a joy to see.
He loved Montana’s open sky
and Kansas when the corn was high
the Rockies when the roads are dry,
and then he met my mom.
He needs time with his wife and son
so now his gallivanting’s done
but our vacations sure are fun,
he knows just where to go!
© Lawrencealot – February 15, 2015
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