Italian Sestet

A Sestet can best be described as any six-line stanza. The Italian Sestet originally had no set meter and was rhymed abc abc. The first documented user of this form was the Italian poet, Petrarch, who eventually incorporated it into the Petrarchan Sonnet.

Spenser brought this form to England and eventually the poets there began to use iambic tetrameter or pentameter. They gave the Sestet new rhyme schemes and, following in Petrarch’s footsteps, it was soon expanded into their Sonnets – Spenserian, Shakespearean, and Miltonian.

Today, very few poets consider the Italian Sestet a form in itself and it is seldom used. I actually found the rhyme scheme interesting to follow, but I find the six lines with which to complete my poem somewhat limiting. I can understand why the Sestet was abandoned for the lengthier Sonnet.





Does history dare repeat itself
By turning back the hands of time
And cause the world to backwards spin?
I have witnessed this myself
And wonder, is it such a crime
To reach the end and thus begin?

~ * ~ ~ * ~ ~ * ~

Ah, sleeping cat curled in a ball
I wonder what goes through your mind
When you’re awake and shadow-stalk
Along the floor and down the hall
Seeking prey that’s undefined
With green-eyed vision like a hawk.

Hump Day Hunk

I think this video speaks for itself. And you don't even need to hear the music in the background to enjoy it.



This is the making of the new Dieux du Stade calendar. French rugby guys nekkid!

Mogigraphia Monday

mogigraphia ~ writing only with difficulty

My week last week can best be summed up in a series of Dids and Did Nots. (See below) I’m sure I could use meetings, unexpected company, extended shopping trips, etc. as legitimate excuses for my lack of accomplishment last week, but I’m not going to let myself off that easily.

I have a bad habit of biting off more than I can chew and then choking on it. This seems to be what’s happening to me lately. I have a great many projects that I’m trying to do all at the same time, and I’m not getting anything accomplished because I’m too scattered. I am no longer the master multi-tasker.

In brief, I:

DID
• get one good day of writing in, but only one.
• attend my Scribe’s meeting and made it to the Thursday night poetry reading.
• finally come up with a title for my on-line serial (c’mon, you didn’t really think I was going to call it Space Opera, did you?)
• sign up for a new blog-fest which involves posting a picture of my writing space on November 1. Find out more about it HERE
• create a separate blog for my poetry, which was totally a spur of the moment, impulsive thing that happened when I was updating my form links. You can check it out HERE
• start having second thoughts about my NaNo idea (this is what I get for having one in advance).

DID NOT
• do any reading
• figure out how to use my cell phone (other than turning it on and off)
• get my business website up and running
• spend an over-abundance of time on games

This Week’s Goals:

Tuesday: There seems to be a lot of people with allergies and colds right now, so Part III of my superstition series will take a look at sneezing.

Wednesday: Since it’s almost “Trick or Treat” time, I thought I’d give you a real treat for this week’s Hump Day Hunk. You won’t want to miss this! ;-)

Thursday: This week’s Passion for Poetry is the Italian Sestet.

Friday: Chapter 61 of the Space Opera. Um, didn’t they get blown up last week? Maybe there won’t be a chapter 61 . . .

Elsewhere in my week:

I’m almost afraid to plan anything for my week, cause it might invite the apocalypse. Seriously! Every time I made plans to do something lately, it gets all thrown out of whack. That’s probably why I’m a pantser when it comes to my writing. :-)

Okay, there’s a couple of things I need to get done this week. First, I need to get some serious writing done. I’ve been slacking off outrageously in the writing department lately. And second, I need to get my business web site up and running. This would be a lot easier if I didn’t keep getting errors. *sigh*

I have a poetry meeting tomorrow night, which I’m looking forward to. I might even take a couple of new poems to read to the group.

And finally, I have a huge basket of ironing to do. We’re talking several days weeks months worth. It’s strange, but the more I put it off, the larger the pile grows. :-)

And there’s my week in a nutshell. You notice that no where does it mention playing games. I should print this out and post it over my monitor.

So how about you? What are you up to this week?

Redondilla

The Redondilla is a Spanish form, one of the most popular Castillian stanzas since the 16th century. The name is derived from the Spanish redondo, meaning “round.”

Ezra Pound experimented with this form and brought about a resurgence in popularity in the 20th century.

It is an eight-syllable quatrain rhyming either abba or abab. In the latter rhyme scheme it is usually called serventesio. A Redondilla can also be referred to as Redondilla Mayor, Cuarteta and Cuartilla.

The Redondilla is:
syllabic, usually written in 8 syllable lines.
stanzaic, written in any number of quatrains.
rhymed, most common rhyme scheme abba.
called the Serventesio when rhyme abab is used.

Schematic:

xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxa



Thief

You steal my thoughts, without a care
They’re unimportant in your view
It doesn’t matter what I do
Why did I not know to beware

You steal my words to make your own
As if it all were just routine
Misunderstanding what I mean
Your coldness cuts me to the bone

You steal my life, subdue my mind
A subtle shift and it was done
I used to think you were the one
But I am learning I’ve been blind

You steal my heart to set astray
It clearly was not meant for you
And now I need to start anew
I can’t compete with yesterday

Hump Day Hunk

This one's for all you True Blood fans out there. ;-)

Superstition - Part II Black Cats

It is believed that the life giving rays of the sun rest in the cat’s eyes at night for safe keeping. ~ Egyptian superstition

Originally, the black cat represented good luck. This began in Egypt with Bast, the official deity of Egypt in the 22nd Dynasty. It was believed that by bringing a black cat into the household Bast would become part of the cat in spirit and bless the home with riches and prosperity.

A strange black cat on a porch is considered to bring prosperity. ~ Scottish superstition

In the 1600’s, Charles I of England owned a black cat. He was so attached to the it that he kept it under constant guard. When the cat fell ill and died, Charles proclaimed, “Alas, my luck is gone.” The next day he was arrested and charged with high treason. Ultimately he was put to death.

"Whenever the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers will have no lack." ~ English Proverb

In the Yorkshires, a black cat was believed to bring fishermen home safely from the seas. During the height of the fishing industry in this village, black kittens were often catnapped and sold to the highest bidder. In other parts of Europe, if a black cat crosses your path, you are considered to have good fortune. If a black cat walks into your house or home, you are truly blessed.

While dreaming of white cats is considered lucky, seeing one in the night is bad luck. ~ American superstition

Many people believe that a black cat brings good fortune and also, that anyone who finds the one perfect, pure white hair in an all-black cat and plucks it out without being scratched, will find great wealth and good luck in love.

A black cat in the audience on opening night portends a successful play.

In the English Midlands, a black cat as a wedding present is thought to bring good luck to the bride.

Any one who hears a cat sneezing is considered to be blessed with good luck. ~ Italian superstition

Fear of cats, particularly black cats, first arose in Europe during the Middle Ages, mainly in England. The cat characterizes independence, willfulness, and stealth. Alley cats were often fed by poor, lonely old ladies, and when witch hysteria struck Europe, many of these homeless women were accused of practicing black magic. Their cat companions (especially black ones) were deemed guilty of witchery by association.

Netherlands: Cats were considered to be evil and weren't allowed in a room where private conversations were taking place. It was believed that they could spread the gossip around.

The Pilgrims brought with them not only a devout faith in the Bible, but also a deep fear of anything considered to come from the devil. They were a very suspicious people. Black cats were viewed as a witch’s familiar. A black cat was considered to be part demon and part sorcery. Anyone caught with a black cat would be severely punished or even killed.

A black cat crossing one's path by moonlight means death in an epidemic. However, killing a cat brings 17 years of bad luck.
~Irish superstition

As the Christians gained a foothold in America, they perpetuated the belief that black cats were an integral part of witchcraft. Black cats were often sought after and killed. If a farmer believed his land had a spell cast on it, the only way to break that spell was to shoot a black cat with a silver bullet.

All Hallows Eve is believed to be the time when an opening is created to the Otherworld and the black cat is considered the catalyst for that driving force.

The belief that a black cat crossing your path is unlucky depends largely upon what country you’re in. In Japan it is believed to be good luck. So the next time a black cat crosses your path, just say “Konichiwa” and turn your luck around.

If you have a favourite superstition you’d like to find out more about, send me an e-mail at carolrward(at)gmail(dot)com.

Mumpsimus Monday

mumpsimus ~ view stubbornly held even when shown to be wrong

In case you missed it, the lovely Dolly Garland featured yours truly on her site Friday. You can check out my interview HERE and it’d be great if you left a comment. Hint, hint! :-)

So. What did I do last week? Good question, actually. I have to admit I was not as productive as I would have liked to have been. I was a little on the disorganized side, as well as distracted and unfocused. I’m going to blame the grey miserable weather and the fact that it was a short week because of the holiday Monday.

I activated the cell phone I was given and designed business cards and brochures for my business, which I will talk more about when I’ve got the web-site ready to launch – a task that will be much easier now that I have a domain. ;-)

It being Fall now, I made a huge pot of turkey soup and a pot of sausage/bean soup for the freezer. Since the kid has her own house now, I figured her bedroom no longer needs to be kept as a shrine, so I cleaned up what little was left in there to turn it into a proper guest room, just in time for an overnight visit from my New Brunswick sister and her husband.

Writing-wise . . . my blog posts went smoothly and I even managed to catch up on my blog reading/commenting. Worked a little on the Space Opera to make sure I get it finished before NaNo.

I finished reading another couple of books that have been lying around for a while, and yesterday, which would have been the perfect day to get some serious writing done, I read Elphame’s Choice, by P.C. Cast. Excellent book! I highly recommend it.

In between I seem to have spent a lot of playing around with a cover for my NaNo novel, which was not a good use of my time considering my idea is still pretty nebulous. And for those of you who are not yet my friend on Facebook, I discovered Mahjong Titans on my new computer and played it until my eyes were burning and my clicking hand started to cramp.

This Week’s Goals:
Tuesday: I’ve had my first request for my superstition series, so Part II will be about black cats.

Wednesday: A new hunk for your viewing pleasure.

Thursday: This week’s Passion for Poetry is the Redondilla.

Friday: Chapter 60 of the Space Opera. So what exactly is Nakeisha going to do? What can she do against armed troops?

Elsewhere in my week:
There’s a Scribe’s meeting tonight, the topic is: “I want to be alone.” And for a change I have my 150 words already done. This week also holds the third Thursday of the month, which means there’s a poetry reading on Thursday that I’m going to try and get to.

Last Tuesday I went to the movies and saw The Social Network – it was pretty interesting to see how the whole Facebook thing started. This week I think my friend and I are going to go see Red – Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, how can you go wrong?

I’ll probably spend a goodly amount of time working on my business website - of course first I need to brush up on my web-site building skills. It’s been a heck of a long time since I played around with a web site and, as with all things computer, if you don’t use it you lose it. I used to write the html codes in WordPerfect and then up-load them to my site. It was a lot of work, but I found it easier than learning how to use a web building program. Yes, I am weird like that. :-)

And there’s my week ahead. How about you? Anything new and exciting going on in your part of the world?