Welcome to the Décima Poetry Challenge. Each week we’ll be attempting a Décima, also known as an Espinela, poem.

If you don’t know how to write a Décima, click HERE to go to a post on how to write one.

Or…

Keep reading and find out, with an example included.

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One last thing before we jump in the creativity pool, check out my weekly Haiku Challenge that often has prompts (Chimpanzee&Kiss this week) that share a central theme, at least in my head, with the Décima Poetry Challenge prompt.

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Back to our schedule Décima Poetry Challenge how to and whatnot.

If you can’t come up with a Décima using the given prompt, you can use a Synonym instead. I don’t want to stall your creativity, and with the possibility of a synonym, you will certainly write something amazing…or in my case, something that rhymes.

Sites to help:

RhymeZone.com
Thesaurus.com
HowManySyllables.com

Here is the quick description of a Décima:

There are 10 lines of poetry that rhyme. 8 syllables.
There is a set rhyming pattern we must stick to. abbaaccddc

The prompt word given (in the post heading) must appear at the end of one of the given rhyme lines, either A, B, C, or D.

Let’s look at the rhyme pattern once again and you will see what I mean.

The rhyming pattern is abbaaccddc.

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For example, if I say, “(NAME) This week it’s the A rhyme line” in the post heading, my Décima might be:

You took time, with a deadeye aim,
because you saw me scratch an itch,
this wound to my head needs a stitch.
Feel so bad, don’t know my own name.
Not hiding, because there’s no shame.
Get ready for when I get healed,
for your ending will be revealed.
It’s too late when you hear the crack.
That’s when it’s time for some payback.
Then I’ll be carried far afield.

Notice the example prompt word ‘name’ is in the fourth line A spot, and its rhymes are in lines one and five, matching the rhyming pattern of abbaaccddc.

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For today’s challenge, the word KIND must be one of the B line words. Then the other B line(s) word(s) must rhyme with KIND.

Sometimes you break the rhyme into two stanzas using the following rhyme pattern. abba/accddc.

Once you complete your poem and post it on your blog, copy the link and place it in the comments in this post. That way other people can visit your post and check out your poem. You can also put the link of this challenge in your post to let your followers know where to go if they want to participate. This is called a Pingback. This is not mandatory to join in or to put your post link in the comments. Click HERE to find out how to do a Pingback.

Reblogging is great as well.

Some people like to copy and paste the challenge image into their posts. That’s okay with me.

© 2020 Ronovan Hester Copyright reserved. The author asserts his moral and legal rights over this work.