The Rictameter poetry form was created in the early 1990s by two cousins for a poetry contest that was held as a weekly practice of their self-invented order, The Brotherhood of the Amarantos Mystery. The order was inspired by the Robin Williams movie Dead Poets Society. The Rictameter is a nine line poem with a specific syllabic count of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 where the first and last lines are identical. There is no rhyme or meter requirement.

Spring Comes
Winter lingers
Bringing snow in April
Robins puffed up against the cold
Yet I trade my coat for a spring jacket
Shifting my sweaters to storage
Certain the sun will shine
I am hopeful
Spring Comes

This is pretty self-explanatory. We have been waiting for spring. There was great excitement when the first robin was spotted followed by freezing rain and snow. The crocus and daffodils had dared to poke up through the dirt only to be coated in ice. The weather roller coaster that was March in Michiana was a brutal ride and I WANT OFF.

Appetite for life possess
Believe that all is good
Choose fun, avoid excess
Decorum is understood
Evict all vulgar thoughts
Find the ways to live
Go and find the peaceful spots
Hatefulness outlive
Instant gratification shun
Just as joy you hold
Keep close the victories won
Live life free and bold
Measure out the troubled days
No ill thoughts retain
Open the heart to kinder ways
Pursuing vengeance refrain
Quiet the mind to find sleep
Refuse addictions grasp
Silence angry critique
Take another’s hand and clasp
Until the danger leaves
Virtue of patience cultivate
While planting tolerance’s seeds
Xenophobia abrogate
Yearn to learn all your life
Zest retain for the afterlife

So this is an Abecedarian poem which is a poem of 26 lines where the letters of 1st word in each line are in alphabetical order starting with the letter A. The poem does not have to rhyme but I decided to do it anyway. I was working on a presentation to give to my coworkers on some new standard operating procedures - specifically safety processes. I read over some of my slides and realized it sounded like platitudes (a flat, dull, or trite remark, especially one uttered as if it were fresh or profound). It was a short step to this poem. I'm thinking that I should rename this to "proverbs" (a wise saying or precept) instead but that would be too much effort.

Use these eyes and heart
And my voice and will
To do my part

Finish what I start
Keep my promises
Use these eyes and heart

Build not tear apart
Bind up wounds
To do my part

Ethics sharp dart
Seek your love
Use these eyes and heart

Rewards listed on a chart
My duty and pleasure
To do my part

When Christian love demands
Take my voice and hands
To do my part
Use these eyes and heart

This is a villanelle. It is a poem with 2 rhyming sounds. The 1st and 3rd lines of the 1st stanza are rhyming refrains that alternate as the 3rd line in subsequent stanzas and form a couplet at the close. The poem is 19 lines long in 5 tercets (that is 3 line stanzas) with a concluding quatrain (4 line stanza).

It is Lent and that means I've been reading scripture every day. There is a reflection and a prayer along with a short description of the saint commemorated on the day. I've noticed a couple things about the saints that they all have in common. First they followed God's plan and not their own (this was not without struggle on their part) and secondly they didn't take the credit for successes - all their success, all the miracles, visions, etc. all belonged to God and it was by His power and love that they were able to save lives, build churches, cure the sick or drive out demons. They professed that they were weak but God was strong. Yep. That exactly.

Discarded
Disfigured exterior carefully examined
Deftly finger the anomaly
Determine the likelihood of repair
Details written in a plan
Damages weighed and analyzed
Decide if it is worth the effort
Deformed in body but not in soul

The above is a Pleiades. Pleiades is a type of poem invented in 1999 by Craig Tigerman. The format is that the title is a single word followed by a single 7 line stanza. The first word in each line starts with the same letter as the first letter of the title. There is no specified meter, rhyme, or syllable count. As is my usual style I am going to discuss what prompted this poem.

You see I was scrolling through my feed on Facebook when I went to one of those quiz sites to see what kind of mythical beast I would be. At the end of the quiz there are a ton of additional sites all trying to get you to click and visit them. Being a bit bored, I clicked on one about the miraculous and life saving efforts of several people to rescue a dog that had been trapped in a collapsed sewer drain. I'm a veterinary technician so I am always interested in the animal stories. Well, one click led to another and pretty soon I'm reading about a snake that has tried to swallow a child. On this journey through the backwaters of the internet I start to see these stories about Doctors Without Borders, Americares, Operation Smile, and International Medical Corps. It was so overwhelming. The number of people, especially children, who needed medical attention and the limited resources available was heartbreaking. It made me realize how fortunate I am when I watched the doctors examine the children and have to decide which ones they could help - based on choosing the ones with the best chance of a successful outcome....

Today is April Fool's Day. I really don't much care for practical jokes. Most of the time they aren't funny. I've been on the receiving end on several occasions. Sparky learned quickly that he had better not prank me. He thought it very funny when a coworker put Saran wrap over the toilet below the seat. His pregnant wife didn't find it amusing when she had to use the bathroom and ended up cleaning the toilet, floor and changing her clothes. I was not at all surprised when she filed for divorce. The boys put salt in the sugar shaker once. They thought it great fun to watch me put "sugar" in my Cream of Wheat cereal. I again was not amused. That was the last time they tried a "practical joke" on me... Life has more than enough opportunities for us to make fools of ourselves. I do not need any help, thank you.

Today is also the first day of National Poetry Month. I will be posting a poem a day (except for Sundays when I don't blog). Because it is April Fool's Day I give you this foolish piece:

In the can wiggle, wiggle
On the hook jiggle, jiggle
Take a bite nibble, nibble
Reel it in dribble, dribble
Caught a boot giggle, giggle

I'm poking fun at my coworker, Mr. Fudd. He is anxious for the weather to get warm enough to go fishing. He took his daughter fishing. She was very relieved when she didn't catch a fish because she is a vegetarian and didn't want to have to eat it! This is a constant perturbation for Mr. Fudd who's greatest joys are hunting and fishing...