Words seemed to elude me,

Blank was my clueless mind,

I was struggling to find

My lost muse that’d abandoned me sadly,

Parched ink in somber hues waned and I made a plea,

In a realm parallel,

I sunk ‘midst many a shadow,

My fears did grow…

A writer’s death knell?!

It couldn’t happen,

My ink would never flow

If my frozen stale brain failed to sharpen…

 

Just when my world turned bleak,

A small spark ignited,

My soul felt excited,

Harnessing hope, my muse I chose to seek,

In solemn silence words trickled in like a creek,

Grew in ways manifold,

‘Twas a deluge–a word outflow,

And sans sorrow

My wings did unfold…

It did happen,

At last my ink did flow

When my frozen stale brain strived to sharpen.

 

***

The above poem written in La Courante style for the poetry contest held by Penmancy in July 2023 secured third place.

it was first published here;

https://penmancy.com/a-writers-struggle/

La Courante

La Courante is one of France’s first classic free verse poems. Two stanzas form this poem. The first stanza is a model for the second stanza (in a way, a kind of refrain is visible in the last three lines of the second stanza).

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗲𝗺:

~𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝟭𝟮 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀.

~𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁: 𝟲-𝟲-𝟲-𝟭𝟬-𝟭𝟮-𝟲-𝟴-𝟰-𝟱-𝟰-𝟲-𝟭𝟬.

~𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀: 𝗮-𝗯-𝗯-𝗮-𝗮-𝗰-𝗱-𝗱-𝗰-𝗲-𝗱-𝗲.

~𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗮 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗮, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 (lines with refrains) 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗮.

~𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗮.