Poetry in Motion Poems

The Ballade and Anapestic Tetrameter

There are Poets

There are poets seeking inspiration,
From the music echoing with star light,
They use scarlet inks of perspiration
To inscribe verses color by the night
That surrounds the reverberating light,
As it ricochets through cold hydrogen,
Transporting to Earth these songs so bright,
Which arouse the curiosity of men.

There are poets, who shout with elation,
When they look at the unpolluted night,
And can write descriptions of creation,
Unsullied by civilizations light,
Verses that proclaim God’s creative might:
There are poets, who think it is a sin,
To ignore the radiance of stars so bright,
Which arouse the curiosity of men.

There are poets, who pen consternation,
In words dark as nebulas that hide light,
Or detonate terror’s degradation
In stanzas that mirror a novas might:
There are poets, who write in ink so bright,
That their lines echo through deeps space and then
Pierce galactic parsec producing light,
Which arouse the curiosity of men.

There are verses typed in the rainbow’s light,
Posted on molecules of hydrogen,
Creating metaphors in the soul’s night,
Which arouse the curiosity of men.

Line Count: 28
Form: The Ballade and Anapestic Tetrameter: The Ballade is a French verse. The English version of the French form contains three eight-line stanzas with a four-line envoy. The rhyme scheme of the eight-line stanza is ababbcbC where C is the refrain. The rhyme scheme of the four-line envoy is bcbC. All lines use the same meter and syllable count, which is either iambic or anapestic tetrameter. Anapestic tetrameter is composed of four anapestic metrical feet per line. An anapestic foot consists of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable.

Note about this poem: In this poem, men refer to humanity as a whole and not just the male gender.