S - Setina
The Setina is the form that I struggled with the most. First off, I found I needed to make a chart to keep the words straight! Then, I misread the rules and only had 5 stanzas with all 6 words, instead of 6 and had to make a new chart to figure it all out! It sounds straightforward, and it really is, but you will need be careful!
Pick any 6 words (read the rest of the rules first, you don't want to be "stuck" with "sucky" words)
6 words
Rotate
them as end words in 6 stanzas
Then...
a last stanza of three lines, using 2 words per line
My words were breeze, scent, mountain, air, herbs, and cooling. I'll tell you, by the time I was done writing it, I was sick to death of those mountain breezes and cooling herbs! Too much repetition for my taste. If you see an error, don't tell me.
The theme of the poem works well for today being Earth Day.
https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2021/
Breeze from the Mountain
I lift my face to feel the breeze
that blows down from the mountain,
bringing with it the scent
of many herbs,
perfuming the air
with a peaceful cooling.
High on the mountain
the stream water is cooling
in the hot summer air.
In the breeze
I gather herbs,
breathing in their scent.
I gather these herbs
when the morning air
is still cooling.
The valley and the mountain
are ripe with scent
carried on the breeze.
I breathe in this air
and feel the breeze
on this mountain
with the fragrant scent.
But the day is cooling
and I must pick these herbs.
All night my home carries the scent
of these fresh wild herbs.
A restful soothing breeze,
peaceful and cooling,
blows in from the mountain
to refresh the air.
As the room is cooling
I wonder... is the scent
of my herbs
on this very air
or still on the breeze
high on the mountain?
In my dreams, the cooling waters of the stream and the scent
of the wild herbs on the air
carry me on the breeze once again up the mountain.
©2021 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved
I've written a couple of sestinas and really enjoyed them. It's fun to figure out how to use the words in a variety of different ways. I think yours came out beautifully.
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Ha! Fun? I'm glad you had fun, I didn't care for it! Thank you for the compliment on mine.
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