Thanks for a wonderful August Poetry Challenge; 6 fabulous Nonets. This month we will write rhyming poetry; Blues Sonnets! Ethel Waters is a famous blues singer and actress from the 1920s. Her photo is featured on this post. (Para el reto poético en español mira adelante.)
Blues Sonnet
- rhyme scheme AAa BBb CCc DDd ee
- each line is around 12 syllables
- the rhyme is consistent within the stanza
- each stanza has two identical lines, and a third that rhymes with the twins
- the final couplet has a resolution to the problem talked about in the song
Example: Broken Down Washer Blues
My washer it can jiggle, but it cannot spin.
My washer is can jiggle, but it cannot spin.
It honks, stops and grates my nerves making quite a din.
Limped along for two weeks, then called for a repair.
Limped along for two weeks, then called for a repair.
Got told too old no parts exist buyer beware.
Everything’s dirty, I’m down to my last sock.
Everything’s dirty, I’m down to my last sock.
Got to get some clean clothes or I’ll get writer’s block.
I know how to hand wash, but it sure does get old.
I know how to hand wash, but it sure does get old.
Only so many pairs of shorts one sink can hold.
New washer in the basement, clean smile every day.
New washer in the basement, clean living is the way.
–Rebecca Cuningham 8/31/20
The Poetry Challenge
Write a blues sonnet. See description above. Your theme is: something lost or broken. Paste your poem in the comments by Labor Day Monday 7 September. I’ll publish the sonnets Tuesday the 8th!
Gracias for reading Fake Flamenco! I appreciate your comments and poetry entries. ¡Olé! –Rebecca
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Reto poético de septiembre en español
Gracias por un Reto poético de agosto maravilloso; 6 poetas fabulosas. Este mes haremos poesía con rima; Sonetos de Blues Sonnets. Ethel Waters era una cantante famosa de Blues, cantante y actriz de los años 1920. Su retrato esta arriba y al pie de este artículo.
Soneto de blues
- El esquema de rima es: AAa BBb CCc DDd ee
- Cada línea tiene 12 sílabas
- El rima está uniforme dentro de la estrofa
- Cada estrofa tiene dos versos idénticos y uno más que rima con los gemelos
- Se resuelve el problema del lamento en la última copla
Ejemplo traducido: Lamento de la lavadora rota
Mi lavadora se agita, dar vueltas no.
Mi lavadora se agita, dar vueltas no.
Pitu pitu, para y hace ruido.
¿Arreglo después de 15 días aguantar?
¿Arreglo después de 15 días aguantar?
Sin repuestos unicamente puede fallar.
Todo sucio, hasta mi último calcetín.
Todo sucio, hasta mi último calcetín.
Sin ropa limpia, escribir llegó al fin.
Sé lavar a mano, hasta el cansancio.
Sé lavar a mano, hasta el cansancio.
Usar un lavabo está arrancio.
Por fin llegó la nueva y sonrio yo.
Por fin llegó y ropa limpia tengo yo.
–Rebecca Cuningham, 31 agosto 20
El reto poético
Escribe un soneto blues. Mira la descripción arriba. El tema es: algo perdido o roto. Pega tu poema en los comentarios abajo antes del Día Laboral el 7 septiembre. ¡Publicaré los sonetos el 8 septiembre!
Gracias por leer Fake Flamenco! Aprecio mucho sus comentarios y sus poemas. ¡Olé! –Rebecca
Fake Flamenco 
I like this blog because I never know what to expect. Butterflies, poetry, flowers, and Latin American History and that’s a partial list. It reminds me to lift my head and look around.
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Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it. Could be the excellent liberal arts education my parents supported me through. 😉
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Thanks for your poem! It’s perfect for the season:
End of Summer Blues
Waiting for the sunrise takes longer every day
Waiting for the sunrise takes longer every day
Summer seemed so short as we see it slip away
No more lovely sunsets lingering past nine
No more lovely sunsets lingering past nine
I miss those languid evenings, a favorite time of mine
No longer are mosquitoes eating us alive
No longer are mosquitoes eating us alive
Neither are the bird songs waking us at five
Flashes of color on trees around the lakes
Flashes of color on trees around the lakes
They shortly will be covered with a blanket of snow flakes
In some distant future birds will come again to sing
We await those tiny harbingers of the extravagance of spring
John and Sally
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Wow! Amazing challenge this month Rebecca! I look forward to reading the entries! ❤
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Thanks, so do I. 🙂
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House Key Blues
Where the heck’s my house key? It must be here someplace.
Where the heck’s my house key? It must be here someplace.
Been looking all around, but I can’t find a trace.
Stuck it in my pocket? I’ve searched through all my jeans.
Stuck it in my pocket? I’ve searched through all my jeans,
The laundry and the closet, the dirties and the cleans.
Dropped it on the table when I heard that phone ring?
Dropped it on the table when I heard that phone ring?
I’ve tidied every surface, but I can’t find a thing.
Lent it to a neighbor, so she could come inside?
Lent it to a neighbor, so she could come inside?
She swears she doesn’t have it, and I doubt she lied.
Hey, the key is hanging on the hook where it belongs!
If I’d looked there in the first place, I’d have no subject for my songs.
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Hurrah, well done, Sarah! I’ve sung that song before…
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Baby Lace Blues
The baby’s eyes look up at me and I smile back.
The baby’s eyes look up at me and I smile back.
Our conversation without words is right on track.
This little girl she catches on, oh so fast.
This little girl she catches on, oh so fast.
I smile at her, she smiles at me – or is it gas?
She wants to move, she wants to see – it’s all brand new.
She wants to move, she wants to see – it’s all band new.
‘Cause I don’t want to hear her cry I’m movin” too.
She loves the kiss of gentle breeze upon her face.
She loves the kiss of gentle breeze upon her face.
Much better than the itchy scratch of baby lace.
We dance, we sing, we laugh, we snooze – no big event.
Baby time is wonder time, an hour well spent.
—-
I did it! Although now that I read it, this isn’t particularly blues-toned. Oh well. It was a fun effort!
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Lovely! I like the discoveries the baby and parent make in the poem. Thanks.
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Thanks! Susan Podebradsky
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Thanks for participating, Susan! Welcome to the Monthly Poetry Challenge.
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