Writing Exercise - the triolet

As some of you may be aware, I’m currently compiling an anthology of poetry, Coming Together: In Verse.  The call for submissions is listed here: http://ashleylisterauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/call-for-submissions-coming-together-in.html

For those of you wanting to submit, but lacking inspiration or ideas, below you’ll find one of the poetry writing exercises I’ve previously shared on the blog for the Erotic Readers and Writers Association (http://erotica-readers.blogspot.co.uk). I'm going to try and share them here on a weekly basis until we reach the deadline date.

My fingers slip between your thighs

You part your legs and beg for more

Desire burning in your eyes

My fingers slip between your thighs

And as I listen to your sighs

And feel you dripping from your core

My fingers slip between your thighs

You part your legs and beg for more

The triolet is a one stanza, eight line poem with a distinctive rhyme scheme of ABaAabAB. Usually it’s written in iambic tetrameter (in other words, it typically includes eight syllables per line). Note here that the capital A and B refer to refrains: lines that are repeated later in the poem.

My fingers slip between your thighs You part your legs and beg for more Desire burning in your eyes My fingers slip between your thighs And as I listen to your sighs And feel you dripping from your core My fingers slip between your thighs You part your legs and beg for more

A B a A a b A B

In the above example we can see that the refrain lines are:

My fingers slip between your thighs

and

You part your legs and beg for more

That the poem keeps returning to these lines gives them a sense of gravitas and importance. This helps to give the triolet a hypnotic feel that adds to the appeal of this often overlooked form. Note also that the musicality of the form can help writers to include par rhymes, as with the example below:

You kiss the riding crop’s flat tip

And promise not to err again

You licked the leather on the whip

You kiss the riding crop’s flat tip

You swear you didn’t mean to slip

And beg me for your punishment

You kiss the riding crop’s flat tip

And promise not to err again

If you do want to submit to the current anthology, information can be found on: http://ashleylisterauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/call-for-submissions-coming-together-in.html