Upon the surface of the placid sea
there swept a squall that made the ocean whirl
until each sleeping billow woke to free
the power of still waters now unfurled.
As wave on wave rose if by wind's decree
to whip the whitecaps to a frothy swirl,
I spied a fairy tern swoop through the air
as if the raging swells weren't even there.
In spiraled flight on snow white wings she soared,
unflappable to harm placed in her path
though right below the rising waters roared
as if they could consume her with their wrath.
Then swift as squalls began, peace was restored,
serenity reclaimed, storm's aftermath,
while snowy tern, where once the waters stirred,
resumed her hunt for dinner undisturbed.
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Author Notes
My Fan Story friend Dawn of Tomorrow recently suggested I try the challenging ottava rima form. Rhymelord, God bless his patient soul, has been tolerating the rictameter and cinquain in hopes I will get back to more rhyming forms. My daughter Miranda has wanted me to write more story and rhyming poems with nature themes. So, this goes out to all of them :-)
The ottava rima form is written in 8 line stanzas with each line having 10 syllables in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme is abababcc dededeff and so on depending on the number of stanzas. The most famous example of this Italian form in English poetry is Lord Byron's Don Juan. Byron's poem has dozens of stanzas - two is as ambitious as I could get this first time out! :-) Robin Gillow's gorgeous painting of Fairy Terns Fishing was a true inspiration.
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