Pensee

I have a folder on my computer that holds all the forms I’ve found that I’ve come across in my research and haven’t explored yet. The problem is, I don’t cite sources, so when I pick one of these forms to explore, I end up having to do a whole new search for information.

Such is the case with the Pensee. I checked my usual sources and found that it’s a syllabic form with five lines, originally created as a short prose poem. So then I did some more digging and a single source added that it’s an invented form introduced by an American by the name of Alice Spokes. So far I haven’t been able to find out any more regarding Ms. Spokes, so whether or not she really did invent this form is unconfirmed.

The structure of the Pensee is as follows:
Line 1: subject – 2 syllables
Line 2: description – 4 syllables
Line 3: action – 7 syllables
Line 4: setting – 8 syllables
Line 5: final thought – 6 syllables

As you might have guessed by the fact I produced three examples, I found this form both easy and enjoyable to write in.


Summer Romance
the moon
shining softly
perfumed breeze wafting gently
summer garden filled with magic
romance is in the air

Caught
true love
as I know it
is not for the faint of heart
you chase it until you are caught
too late to change your mind

Winter
darkness
all enfolding
souls in torment reaching out
hell is nothing like expected
no fire, just the cold

Hump Day Hunk

Here you go, something to keep you warm on a cold, winter morning! ;-)

Home Remedies - Part Seven

Whether it's grandpa's secret recipe for a hot toddy, or Uncle Bob's sure fire cure for the hiccups, home remedies have been around for a long time. Between the rising cost of medicine and the length of the lines in the waiting rooms, more and more people are turning to home remedies for their minor illnesses. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. It should go without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.

Sore Throat

Take a sock you have worn into a boot and worked in for almost a week so that it has a bad odour. Tie it around your neck. ~ Appalachian Folk Remedy

Get three toads and tie them by the legs with a string. Let them stay in the sun until they decay away; wear the string around the neck. It is a simple and certain cure. ~ A Number of Receipts For Curing Man and Beast, 1855

Honey has long been used as a sore-throat remedy. It has antibacterial properties, which can help speed healing. It also acts as a hypertonic osmotic, which means that it draws water out of inflamed tissue. This reduces the swelling and discomfort. Add several teaspoons to 1 cup of hot water or herbal tea.

Chamomile tea is one of the best natural remedies for a sore throat. Its analgesic properties can provide rapid relief for throat pain and headaches. Administered every few hours, chamomile tea can also reduce fever and prevent dehydration.

An old home remedy for sore throats is a tea made with lemon, apple cider vinegar, cayenne, and honey. It is made by adding one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper, the juice of 1/4 lemon, and one teaspoon of honey to a cup of hot water.

Honeysuckle flower is one of the most commonly used sore throat remedies in traditional Chinese medicine. Health food stores occasionally carry it, but it is primarily sold in Chinese herbal stores. Make a honeysuckle tea by bringing one quart of water to a boil using this method: add one cup of honeysuckle flowers (not the leaves), steep for at least 10 minutes, covered, and then strain. Up to four cups a day are typically recommended.

Marshmallow, a herb that grows in North America and Europe, has been used for centuries as a sore throat remedy. It contains mucilage, which is thought to coat and soothe sore throats. Make a marshmallow root tea by adding one tablespoon of the dried root to a cup (8 ounces) of boiling water, steeping it covered for at least 10 minutes, and then straining. Herbalists usually suggest drinking up to three cups a day.

Take two new-laid eggs roasted moderately hard, and the pap of two well roasted pippins. Beat them well together and add to them as much curds of posset made with ale. Having incorporated them all very well, apply the mixture very warm to the part affected, shifting it, if need be, once in five or six hours. ~ The Family Magazine, London, 1741

Sage is another effective cure for a sore throat. Half a litre of boiling water should be poured on a handful of sage leaves. When moderately cool, a little vinegar and honey should be added according to taste. This mixture should be used as a gargle. A teaspoon of this mixture call also be taken internally at the same time. Sage is highly valued because of the oils and tannins in it that give it its antiseptic and astringent properties.

A gargle prepared from fenugreek seeds has been found to be a very effective remedy for treating a sore throat. To prepare this gargle, two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds should be put in a litre of cold water and allowed to simmer for half an hour over a low flame. This should then be allowed to cool to a bearable temperature, strained, and then used entirely as a gargle.

Gargling with salt water can fight against bacteria and reduce throat inflammation and pain.

Tamarind is also beneficial in the treatment of sore throat. Tamarind water should be used as a gargle. A powder of the dry leaves and an infusion of the bark can also be used for preparation of a gargle for treating sore throat.

Tie a bag of red ants around the neck. After the ants are all dead, the throat will be well. ~ Avery’s Almanac, 1837

Apply a flannel sprinkled with spirits of hartshorn to the throat, rubbing Hungary water on the top of the head. Or, snuff a little honey up the nose. ~ Reverend John Wesley, Primitive Physick, 1747.

Cinnamon is regarded as an effective remedy for a sore throat. One teaspoon of coarsely powdered cinnamon, boiled in a glass of water with a pinch of pepper powder, and two teaspoons of honey can be taken as a medicine in the treatment of this condition. Two or three drops of cinnamon oil, mixed with a teaspoon of honey, also give immense relief. You could also use ginger along with cinnamon and honey to prepare one of the most effective sore throat remedies for quick sore throat relief. Both ginger and cinnamon are highly valued for their healing properties and have been widely used among naturalists and in traditional medicine to aid the treatment of sore throats and throat infections in a variety of sore throat home remedies.

Liquorice is a recognized home remedy for sore throat in all parts of India. A small piece of raw liquorice should he chewed or sucked for treating this condition. The healing property of the herb soothes inflammation quickly.

Slippery elm was once a popular drugstore remedy for sore throats in North America. The herb was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia, a compendium of drug standards, until 1960. A member of the elm family, the slippery elm tree (Ulmus Rubra Muhl) grows primarily in the eastern region of North America. For sore throats, herbalists use the inner bark of the tree. The inner bark contains mucilage, a gel-like substance that swells when it is mixed with water. The mucilage is thought to coat the throat, reduce irritation, and soothe sore throat. Steep 1 teaspoon of the inner bark in 2 cups boiling water, strain and drink.

Megachiropteran Monday

megachiropteran ~ of, like or pertaining to fruit bats

Last week did not, in any way, shape or form, go as I had planned. The good news is, this is a brand new week and I have every reason to expect things to go better. :-)

If you’ve been following my series on Home Remedies you’ll notice I switched last week's topic to frostbite. This was in anticipation of the Snowmageddon that befell so many on Wednesday night. It wasn’t so bad here – yes it was stormy and very windy, but we actually got more snow Saturday night in a gentle, steady, fall.

Got my posts all up as scheduled, however I did not get an original example of the Rondeau Redouble written, and furthermore, I don’t feel guilty in the least about it.

I actually did get some reading in, but it was on Saturday while I was waiting for the hubby at a bowling tournament. All I can say is, thank goodness there was a Chapters with a Starbucks close to the bowling centre. ;-)

My facebook friends might have noticed I wasn’t around much last week, that’s because I was spending a lot of time on Twitter. If you tweet too, look me up. I’m CarolRWard on Twitter.

This Week’s Goals:

Tuesday: Part six of my series on Home Remedies. This week will be another winter related one, this time remedies for a sore throat.

Wednesday: Another Hump Day Hunk for your viewing pleasure.

Thursday: The poetry form of the week will be the Pensee.

Friday: Chapter 10 of Fire. Will Pyre agree to the Mother’s last request? Will he tell Rayne about it?

Elsewhere in my week:

I really have to take some time to catch up on my e-mails. I’ve been putting it off for over a week now. I don’t know why . . .

Must find a balance between Twitter and Facebook and “getting things done”. My multi-tasking skills appear to have atrophied and I need to whip them back into shape. Until then I need to spend less time tweeting and facebooking and more time writing.

There’s a shiney new idea poking around my brain, begging to be let out but I’m making it wait until I get Forever and For Always printed out for line edits. Hopefully, that will be this week. Once that’s done it’s all down hill from there.

I have a Scribes meeting tonight and I believe the topic is “the wedding”. Still not sure what I’m going to do with it but I’m sure I’ll come up with something before the meeting.

I need to do at least two posts for Random Writings. I haven’t posted anything since the blogfest and that poor little blog is starting to look neglected.

This week looks a little light on the goals, but I’ll be filling in the gaps with the usual writing, editing, and reading. Maybe once I’ve regained my focus I can start setting proper writing goals for the week instead of the vague ‘get some done’.

And that’s it for my week ahead. How about you? What are you up to these days?

Rondeau Redoublé

The Rondeau Redoublé is not an easy form to write. It has twenty-five lines and like the Rondeau it uses only two rhymes throughout, repeats whole lines, and has an awkward repeated half-line at the end.

To write one of these, start with the final half-line, then do the opening stanza, and you're half-way there. The first stanza is the key to the whole poem. Its four lines reappear in turn as the final lines of the next four stanzas, and the first part of the first line reappears again as the half-line at the very end.

Rhyme Scheme:

1st Stanza: (RA1)B1A2B2
2nd Stanza: babA1
3rd Stanza: abaB1
4th Stanza: babA2
5th Stanza: abaB2
6th Stanza: babaR


The following example of the form was written from the point of view of one of the RAF officers carrying the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales to the plane that was to carry it to England.

Guard of Honour
by Paul Hansford

The burden I bear is more heavy than lead.
The physical weight is a thing that I share,
but the loss that I feel will not leave my head.
Why did you have to die? Why is death so unfair?

I am close to you now. Yes, touching my hair
the flag with its lions of gold and of red
that wraps round your coffin. I know you are there.
The burden I bear is more heavy than lead

My comrades move with me in slow, solemn tread.
Our eyes are all fixed in an unseeing stare.
Our shoulders support you in your oaken bed.
The physical weight is a thing that I share.

As I feel the world watching I try not to care.
My deepest emotions are best left unsaid.
Let others show grief like a garment they wear,
but the loss that I feel will not leave my head.

The flowers they leave like a carpet are spread,
In the books of remembrance they have written, "Somewhere
a star is extinguished because you are dead.
Why did you have to die? Why is death so unfair?"

The tears that we weep will soon grow more rare,
the rawness of grief turn to memory instead.
But deep in our hearts you will always be there,
and I ask, will I ever be able to shed
the burden I bear?


Rondeau Redoublé
by Dorothy Parker

The same to me are sombre days and gay.
Though joyous dawns the rosy morn, and bright,
Because my dearest love is gone away
Within my heart is melancholy night.

My heart beats low in loneliness, despite
That riotous Summer holds the earth in sway.
In cerements my spirit is bedight;
The same to me are sombre days and gay.

Though breezes in the rippling grasses play,
And waves dash high and far in glorious might,
I thrill no longer to the sparkling day,
Though joyous dawns the rosy morn, and bright.

Ungraceful seems to me the swallow's flight;
As well might Heaven's blue be sullen gray;
My soul discerns no beauty in their sight
Because my dearest love is gone away.

Let roses fling afar their crimson spray,
And virgin daisies splash the fields with white,
Let bloom the poppy hotly as it may,
Within my heart is melancholy night.

And this, oh love, my pitiable plight
Whenever from my circling arms you stray;
This little world of mine has lost its light ...
I hope to God, my dear, that you can say
The same to me.

Hump Day Hunk

This guy's hot enough to help melt all that snow! ;-)

Home Remedies - Part Six

Whether it's grandpa's secret recipe for a hot toddy, or Uncle Bob's sure fire cure for the hiccups, home remedies have been around for a long time. Between the rising cost of medicine and the length of the lines in the waiting rooms, more and more people are turning to home remedies for their minor illnesses. This series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to home remedies. It should go without saying that the remedies in this series are for entertainment purposes only.

Frostbite

For frosted feet or limbs, take hog’s lard and snow, equal parts and grease three evenings with it. John Stoner’s Sympathy, 1867

A remedy for frozen feet is to wrap the feet in the skins of rabbits killed in the dark of the moon. The Farmer’s Advocate

If you have an aloe vera plant or bottled aloe vera gel, gently apply it to the frostbitten area. Aloe work against thromboxanes, substances that constrict blood vessels, When the vessels relax, the frostbitten area heals faster.

Bandage fresh sliced beets onto the frostbitten area to ease pain and tenderness. Leave the beets on until they are dry. Repeat as necessary.

Cover the frostbitten area with the inner side of a banana peel.

A horsetail bath is soothing can help rebuilding skin tissues because of its silica content.

Bury a crooked penny at the northeast corner of the cabin outside where water drops from the eaves. Kentucky Superstitions, 1820

Kill a chicken and soak the damaged feet or hands in the warm blood.
Texas Folk Medicine

Boil and mash potatoes. Add salt and apply the mixture to the frostbitten areas. If you're hungry, eat the potatoes and apply the warm water (in which the potatoes were boiled) to the frostbitten areas.

An old Norwegian remedy suggest you apply a cold mashed onion poultice.

Massage the affected area with camphor oil if the frostbite is not severe

Alternate between a hot compress (as hot as you can stand it) and ice cold compress to treat frostbitten skin. Apply a hot compress for three minutes followed by a cold compress for 30 seconds. Repeat three times each – ending with the cold compress.

Components found in cayenne pepper work towards boosting circulation and reliving pain associated with frostbite.

As soon as you feel "pins and needles" or you notice a white area on your skin, warm up the affected area slowly. Immerse the affected part into comfortably warm (100 – 105 degree Fahrenheit) water and keep replacing warm water when necessary.

Mix cow manure and milk, place in a cloth and apply to frost bitten area.
Texas Remedies

Take a white woolen cloth which has never been used before, burn it to ashes, strew these ashes upon the afflicked feet and they will heal. Albertus Magnus

Warm frozen toes by filling up a 1- to 2-liter soda bottle with hot water and rolling it back and forth underneath your feet.

Steep a teaspoon of sage in a cup of hot water for five minutes and drink it. Sage tea will help improve circulation.

Warm some olive oil and gently dab it on the frostbitten skin or apply it with a kitchen pastry brush.

Soak mullein flowers in olive oil for fifteen minutes and apply to frostbitten area.

Apply garlic oil to the infected area to prevent or help heal infection.