Do you want to try your hand at a poetic form that you have almost certainly never tried before, and may not have even heard of? Here's one for you.
The "Rimas Dissolutas" form dates back to 12th-13th centuries. It was probably the closest thing to free verse around at the time. There are no restrictions on the number of words or syllables in a line, nor on the number of lines in a stanza. Rhymes within the stanza are banned, and there is no requirement to adopt a regular metrical structure. How dissolute can you get?
But there are some rules
All lines must have the same number of syllables
Each stanza must have the same number of lines
Each line in a stanza must rhyme with the corresponding line in each other stanza.
The poem may include an envoi of two or three lines, but if it does the last line of the envoi must rhyme with the last line of the stanzas; the second-last line of the envoi with the second-last line of the stanzas, and so on.
Sylvia Plath bent the rules a bit (quite a bit, actually) and made a fine poem: Black Rook In Rainy Weather. The challenge for you is to go one better and write a good “Rimas Dissolutas” poem in English without bending the rules. Why not give it a try? At worst, it should be a bit of harmless fun; at best, trying to wrangle this unfamiliar form might lead you to somewhere you would not otherwise go.
If you come up with a poem that you think works, click on the button below and submit it to us before 18 July.
The best poem submitted will be included in the 5 Islands Press anthology to be published in November this year.
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