- Inverted
Refrain is an invented form found at Shadow Poetry, created by
the winner of their 2007 Chap Book Competition, Jan Turner and published in Faery Folk and
Fireflies.
I believe the form took its name from the rhetorical device, "inverted refrain", originally used by the ancient Greek poet Sappho. “Inverted refrain” is a writing technique in which the syntax of a line is reversed. eg ..the Sapphic line "I know not what to do". I am not sure that the composition instruction at Shadow Poetry exactly fits the literary definition of “inverted refrain” but the form could still be a fun challenge to conquer as long as it enhances the delivery of the poet’s thoughts,
The Inverted Refrain as an invented verse form is: - stanzaic, written in any number of sixains, made up of a quatrain followed by an indented couplet.
- syllabic, all lines are 8 syllables.
- rhymed, rhyme scheme ababab or ababba, cdcdcd or cdcddc etc….
- composed in the following manner, "the first four lines of a stanza create a statement from which the last 2 lines extract the meaning, and invert the way it is said." Jan Turner @Shadow Poetry
- Finding
Faeries by Jan Turner (stanza
1) the whole poem can be read at Shadow Poetry.
A sprinkling shine of faery dust
is mica-layered on the rocks
Pretending to be nature's crust
It really is a paradox:
--------- A paradox of mica rocks
--------- From faery dust on nature's crust.
Many thanks to Judi Van Gorder of PMO (PoetryMagnumOpus) for maintaining a wonderful resouce site.
Example
Poem
White
Man's Heaven (Inverted Refrain)
He
didn't know about the Lord
so
was exempt from Cath'lic hell.
The
church tried bringing him aboard
but
he was fallible and fell.
Instead of finding Lord's reward
he now in mortal fear must dwell.
©
Lawrencealot - November 28, 2013
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