The squirrels were out in abundance, scurrying about, up and down trees in the Fall foilage as my wife and I walked along the river path. At one point I counted 9 about a tree and yard. This up and down activity reminded me that there is a poetic format that goes up, then down, too. I wrote this poem inspired by the squirrels in splender, and the perfect poetic format. Hope you think they blend together well too.

This poem is a Diatelle.
A diatelle has a set syllable count and a set rhyme.

The syllable count is: 1-2-3-4-6-8-10-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1,
Usually this format has 3 rhymes with a rhyme scheme of:
abbcbccaccbcbba.

I used that syllable count here, but for this poem, I changed the scheme just a bit, giving it a fourth rhyme to:
abcdcddaddcdcba

Also, the first and last word are typically the same word, but that is not a firm requirement.
A Diatelle is usually displayed centered.

The author took this photograph along the East River Road of the Mississippi in October, 2014.

You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.