
Zoe – Photo by MCB – 2015 (Zoe is my grand-daughter <3)
in luminescent innocence
she dances on her chubby toes
humming a tune she just made up
punctuated by sweet giggles
tumbling into a slump of joy
in luminescent innocence
wide-eyed wondering why’s and what’s
to feed her curiosity
i could watch her hours on end
play pretending teatime for two
in luminescent innocence
how she captures fully, my heart
on this plane for only three years
how did we manage without her
cute curly top with attitude
in luminescent innocence
kat ~ 7 January 2016
A new poetry form to practice. This one called a Quatern. A Quatern is a sixteen line French form composed of four quatrains. It is similar to the Kyrielle and the Retourne. It has a refrain that is in a different place in each quatrain. The first line of stanza one is the second line of stanza two, third line of stanza three, and fourth line of stanza four. A quatern has eight syllables per line. It does not have to be iambic or follow a set rhyme scheme.
line 1
line 2
line 3
line 4
line 5
line 6 (line 1)
line 7
line 8
line 9
line 10
line 11 (line 1)
line 12
line 13
line 14
line 15
line 16 (line 1)
Thank you to Jane Dougherty for this inspiring and beautiful poetry style and challenge. I do hope I did it justice. If you would like to read other Quaterns or try writing one yourself, please visit Jane’s blog by clicking HERE.




January 7th, 2016 at 10:00 pm
How could think less than “How adorable,” about that precious child. The poem is very appealing and a wonderful form for this subject. I’ve never written this style. Looks interesting.
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January 7th, 2016 at 10:02 pm
Thank you Oneta. I agree. This is a lovely poetry form. Zoe was my muse! 🙂
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January 8th, 2016 at 1:04 am
What a gorgeous doll of a grand daughter
She is truly beautiful 😇
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January 8th, 2016 at 5:36 am
Thank you! She is quite the bright spot in our lives! I just found out I have another grandbaby on the way this summer! Being a grandma is the best! ❤️
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January 8th, 2016 at 6:03 am
Wow! Babies are simply the best. You are one lucky grandma Kat 🙂
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January 8th, 2016 at 1:10 am
Oh that taxes my brain to have to think how to do that, but the photo of Zoe and the quatern is priceless!
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January 8th, 2016 at 5:42 am
It was not really too bad. As Jane suggested, start with a good opening line and then launch from that. It had me counting syllables using the fingers of both hands. I was a sight while writing it! Haha!
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January 8th, 2016 at 3:22 am
Gorgeous, Kat. Both poem and granddaughter 🙂
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January 8th, 2016 at 5:46 am
Thank you Jane. I took your advise and started with a strong first line…inspired by my muse. It flowed easily anchoring off that line. I like this format a lot!
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January 8th, 2016 at 8:17 am
I like the idea of the refrain, and the way it slips in with a slightly different emphasis each time.
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January 8th, 2016 at 1:18 pm
Yes, that is my favorite part of this format. I really do like that I can build around that beginning line in each stanza. 🙂
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January 8th, 2016 at 10:10 am
Wonderful poem Kat! And, your granddaughter is adorable!
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January 8th, 2016 at 1:20 pm
Thanks PJ. She is a heartbreaker for sure. 🙂
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January 8th, 2016 at 1:47 pm
She sure will be when she grows up!
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January 8th, 2016 at 3:55 pm
Her brother is a real doll too! 😊❤️
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January 8th, 2016 at 4:02 pm
I can imagine that he is!
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January 10th, 2016 at 7:27 am
So sweet I just adore this one! sweet
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January 10th, 2016 at 7:32 am
Thank you Lynn. ☺️
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January 10th, 2016 at 7:37 am
lovely Kat!
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January 10th, 2016 at 7:39 am
😊
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January 12th, 2016 at 4:23 am
[…] Zoe | like mercury colliding… […]
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January 12th, 2016 at 11:48 am
A warm loving poem. Your refrain is almost invisible, and each stanza, its own.
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January 12th, 2016 at 11:51 am
Thank you so much. This is a lovely poetry format. I believe I will write many more quaterns…:)
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January 12th, 2016 at 7:25 pm
Perfect tribute to your granddaughter. I guess you’ve heard that she has a major resemblance to you! 🙂
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January 12th, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Oh yes Janice, I have heard it, as well as hearing how much her mom (my daughter) resembled me before her. 😊
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