To read a poem it takes time.
How long? I do not know.
Enunciate
and punctuate;
how long? I do not know.
I scan the pages to and fro;
my timing can't run late.
A minute long?
Is something wrong?
My timing can't run late.
Invited to participate;
my reading must be strong.
Is there a chime?
A clocking crime?
My reading must be strong.
Ten minute slot, I must prolong;
five poems picked, in rhyme.
If I read slow
will my lines flow?
Five poems picked, in rhyme.
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Author Notes
The Poetic Asides inaugural Poet Laureate, Sara Diane Doyle, developed this form. The form is called the Roundabout. In this form, the rhyme scheme comes full circle while offering repetition of one line in each rhyme set. (lines 2 and 5 are the same)
The Roundabout is a four stanza poem, with each stanza consisting of 5 lines.
The poem is written in iambic and the lines have 4 feet, 3 feet, 2 feet, 2 feet and 3 feet respectively. The rhyme scheme is abccb/bcddc/cdaad/dabba. 4 stanzas of 8-6-4-4-6 in iambic meter Today's Poetry Potlatch topic is... a clock (incorporated any way we'd like.)
Alaska Women Speak journal published one of my poems in their spring issue. They also invited me to participate in a poetry reading that was held at Barnes & Noble, here in Fairbanks, AK, the evening of April 8th. I was given a ten minute time slot and asked to read my poetry. Not only did I have to decide which of my poems I wanted to read (in addition to the one they published, that was a given) I also had to figure out how to fill that ten minute slot.
I got the idea to record myself reading in order to figure out how many poems it would take to fulfill my obligation. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it only takes about one minute to read my average poem. I chose one of my longer hockey poems and was thrilled to find that reading it aloud took 4.5 minutes. In all, I chose five of my poems to read.
Not only did I record them, I read them over and over, practicing in front of the mirror. I'm happy to say that they were all very well received. Participating in my first poetry reading was a fantastic experience and I've also been invited to the next meeting of the Alaska Writer's Guild.
Of the seven readers tonight, three read essays or short stories and of the four of us who read poetry, I was the only one whose poetry rhymed. Other than the invitations to participate in future readings and events, the best comment I received after the reading was complimenting my smooth rhymes. (Yes, I was thrilled!) I replied that my goal is to write 30 poems this month in celebration of NaPoWriMo. To which she says, "All rhymed poetry?" (She already had indicated that she feels that writing rhymed poetry is a difficult undertaking.) I'm pretty sure she thought I was crazy. Tonight's poetry reading was the perfect end to week 1 of NaPoWriMo.
The five poems I read are all in my portfolio:
A Frosty Night
March (by my calendar) Published in the spring 2017 issue of Alaska Women Speak
Governor's Cup 2012
Lauranelle: For Poetry
Thoughts of a Poetess on Emerson
I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed and given me feedback over the years, helping me get to this point. I'm very appreciative. The poem above is based on this experience. I'd also like to extend a very special thank you to fellow FanStorian, Alaskastory, who I was delighted to see in attendance at the reading. Her compliments were greatly appreciated.
Kim
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