Last week I was looking through an old notebook and came across a notation for 4×4 Poetry. I learned about it on Margaret Simon’s blog who was introduced to it by Denise Krebs. Basically, the “rules” are:
- 4 syllables in each line
- 4 lines in each stanza
- 4 stanzas
- 4 times repeating a refrain line – line 1 in the first stanza, line 2 in the second, and so on.
I began by reading some journal entries to pick out a refrain line. I chose the phrase “moving forward.” I sometimes think of the transition from season to season as a restart or an opportunity to reset goals. Nature is always my go-to for ideas, so as we move from this wondrous time of summer into fall, I let nature inspire my words. This form wasn’t as easy as I had expected, but I came up with something I felt was worthwhile sharing.
Summer to Fall
Moving forward
Summer’s goodbye
Drops dewy tears
On petal blush
Birds gorge on seed
Moving forward
To a warmer
Winter dwelling
Maples transform
To red, gold, brown
Moving forward
Into deep sleep
Warm days, cool nights
A reminder
To reset goals
Moving forward
You can find out more about Poetry Friday here. Irene has the round-up today, so head on over there for more poetry inspiration and fun.
Imagine the Possibilities 
Rose this is wonderful! I love how you’ve used your refrain, not only in each stanza, but effectively bookending the poem with it. Thanks for sharing this today! It’s lovely and contemplative – just like fall.
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Thanks, Elizabeth!
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Moving forward beautifully done, Rose! Thank you for sharing and celebrating inevitable change.
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Thanks, Elizabeth!thanks for reading, Irene.
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Good job, Rose. Love the momentum in your poem. “Moving forward” was a great choice. 🙂
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I really enjoyed discovering this form — it’s deceptively easy looking, but takes a little work! I like the linking thematic arc of moving forward — always moving, isn’t it? Lovely.
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We move with the seasons so moving forward is the next step. I think I am in the in-between stage because I am decorating my house inside and outside with artifacts of fall while still unveiling my summer galleries. Your movement throughout the poem is smooth so I know it took much contemplation to reach your goal of creating a 4 x 4. If you would like to offer this poem plus photo as an image poem for my fall gallery collection, I would be thankful, Rose. Let me know.
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Thanks, Carol. I’ll see what I can come up with. I’m not sure how to embed a poem in an image but I’ll try to figure it out.
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Wow, Rose, this is just beautiful. “Moving forward” is a refrain to produce a winner. It saying so very much, and your poem is a homerun. It sounds lovely when you read it aloud.
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Thanks, Denise! And thanks for the introduction of this form. I appreciate your encouragement.
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Thank you for this look at the 4 X4 prompt and form, Rose. I like it a lot and think your poem is beautifully done. I am going to try this for sure. Your line of moving forward really gave you a beautiful way to keep the poem growing and changing. I am curious if you had the idea of your poem in your mind or if it grew on the page. I re-read your post and think I see it was a combination of both ideas. I would love to try this out with students if I was still teaching or subbing. (No subbing due to Covid and my age….) Your poem really does work so nicely. And the photo is glorious.
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Thanks, Janet. I wish I could take credit for the photo but it was a stock photo I pulled from Google.
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Well-done! Now I want to try this form! (And three — or four — cheers for mining your notebook!)
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