Slide Ballad

This form was invented by Larry Eberhart, aka, Lawrencealot and dedicated to Victoria Sutton, aka, Passionspromise, inventor of the Slide Sonnet.

Slide Ballad consists of six or more quatrains in common meter

Rhyme pattern

(ax)axa (bx)bxb (cx)cxc (ax)axa (dx)dxd (ax)axa

Where (ax) indicates that end-line is unrhymed, but that there is interleaved rhyme from the first section of the first line to end following end-rhyme.

(There need not be multiple stanzas with the same rhyme, but there may be)

Where the a-lines in the final stanza are made up of segments from the preceding a-lines, see template and example.

Feminine rhyme is permitted as exception to common meter.

Example Poem

Soldier   (Slide Ballad)

There was no way he'd fail to join

the fight, and stay and play

while others wore the uniform

and gave their lives away.

His parents' view, was fearful but,

all hoped he'd make it through.

His Margie said "You'll come back, Joe,"

I'll wait until you do.

The war ground on, relentlessly,

'til many friends were gone.

Some missing limbs went home.  Some stayed,

interred 'neath foreign lawn.

Joe suffered grave injuries twice,

from those who would enslave.

He returned to fight each time - saying,

"It's not because I'm brave.

I want to stay until we win,

We shall ,I hope and pray.

I cannot set aside my role

while evil still holds sway.

He was the last left living now

behind the lines when fast

advancing  enemy took charge,

and then the battle passed.

'Twas only he the farmer found

a live, but bound to be

a corpse if left. The farmer cared

with quiet dignity.

Another year elapsed; he healed,

and hid and helped them clear

their crops,  He learned some French and learned

the end of war was near.

There was no way to thank his friends

who'd risked their lives that way.

I'll fetch my Marge, then we'll return;

We shall ,I hope and pray.

  © Lawrencealot - January 8, 2013

Visual Template

Duotrain

Tuesday, March 05, 2013
9:11 AM

Duotrain is a form invented by Bhaskar Datta of Allpoetry

It is a four stanza poem
It has no metric requirement
but each stanza alternates between 8 and six syllable lines.
Each Stanza is required to begin with the same character of the alphabet.
Rhyme Scheme:  xaxa xbxb xcxc xdxd

Example Poem

Let's Write a Duotrain

To write a Duotrain today
use keyboard or a pen.
Find rhyming word to end line two,
and on line four again.

There are but two rhymes in each verse,
how easy can it be?
Eight syllables in line number
one, and again in three.

Take two away (syllables I
mean), leaving six right here.
For on even numbered lines, that
is all that should appear.

Take care that the same letter starts
the stanza every time.
That defines the Duotrain, that
and its specific rhyme.

© Larry Eberhart, aka, Lawrencealot, Oct. 14, 2012


Visual Template

Rannaigheacht bheag (ran-á-yah voig)

A traditional Irish quatrain of 7-syllable lines ('old-school'),

 or 8-6-8-6, ending in 2-syllable words all linked by consonance 

(in its old meaning, 'having the same vowels'),

 with at least two cross-rimes in each couplet

 (can be consonance in first but should be rime in second) 

and alliteration in every line, which in the second couplet

 must be between the last two stressed words in each line, 

and with the dunedh, of course (ending in the same word, phrase,

 or line it began with).

Poem Example

Ron-a'yach Rhyme

Writing rhyming words, giving

living lines, fit for fighting

biting boredom while living

in style with witty writing.

 (c) Lawrencealot - May 16,2012

Visual Template

As with the other Irish forms, a template can show you the syllable count and a bit more, but cannot be definitive as so much variation

is possible while meeting the formal  requirements.

In the example below some words not hi-lighted could have been as serving one or more rules.