Thursday, April 16, 2015

PAD Day 16: Vinegar and Baking Soda

Today's prompts from Poetic Asides and NaPoWriMo:
(1) Write a "science" poem, and 
(2) Write a terzanelle. 
A "terzanelle" is a hybrid of the terza rima (the interlocking tercet rhyme scheme used in Datne's Inferno) and a villanelle. Like the villanelle, there are five tercets and a final quatrain. Here's the rhyme scheme:
A-B-A1
b-C-B
c-D-C
d-E-D
e-F-E
f-A-f-A1
or
f-F-A-A1.
(The repeated lines in caps, the non-repeated in lower case - A and A1 are the only repeated lines that rhyme with one another.)

I've written a few of these, but I was rather daunted by it today, because I put a lot of sweat equity and late hours into a sonnet just two nights ago, plus I'd already decided on a theme after reading Robert's prompt (which always goes up earlier than Maureen's) and thought it might be hard to squeeze my idea into that form.  I suppose it worked, though. You be the judge:


Science Fair Volcano

As a teacher, I've seen them many times
the peaks of conical and homemade plaster
backed up by the obligatory signs.

It doesn't take a lot of skill to master
this impressive demonstration - inside
the peaks of conical and homemade plaster,

a vinegar-and-baking-soda bromide
two strong conflicting forces that react -
an impressive demonstration inside

the gym.  Fourth-grader Tyler did, in fact
make a project like this. Under pressure,
two strong conflicting forces did react,

exploding from his model house.  He'd measure
all the damage done, but didn't keep a chart.
He made a science project under pressure

of a home about to blow itself apart.
The damage done, nobody kept a chart.
As a teacher, I've seen it many times,
backed up by the obligatory signs.

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