Self-reflection has always been a purpose of this challenge. Giving someone a topic they can then either look inward or out into the world, think about it, and then put it down in a poem. Tragedy is a tough one. Or is it? If you don’t want to look inward, the media gives you plenty to look at out in the world, because tragedy gets viewers and clicks. It’s a bit sad that happiness and positivity isn’t more of a focus or at least given equal time. Maybe if it were, people would feel like there is hope and good in the world.
OVI POETRY
Ovi is a syllabic/metre poetry form. In this case, Ovi is from India, originating in the Marathi language. The Ovi has been in use in written form since the 13th Century, but the women’s ovee/ovi predates the literary form by at least the 12th Century.
The Ovi are in general, lyrical folk songs expressing love, social irony, and heroic events. They are written in the following scheme.
4 line stanzas, as few as one stanza and up to as many as you like.
8 syllables or less per line
Rhyming is AAAb. The second stanza would be CCCd. The third, EEEf. And so on. Meaning nothing in one stanza must rhyme with anything in the previous stanza. The fourth line does not rhyme.
Example:
Roly Poly by Judi Van Gorder
The big toothed tot with golden hair
picked up a bug on Sister’s dare,
it rolled into a ball right there
and won her springtime heart.
Notice the rhyming pattern is AAAb or
A
A
A
b
My Attempt
Blue flowers continue to grow,
with the shadow’s making them glow,
giving life to darkness and woe,
dying each year to yet return.
