Rondeau Contest Winner: Spring 2013

Here's another contest winner from the Forms of Poetry class:

The river and the sea

Why mother ocean do you fight,

With father river on this night?

Such a pair do you both make,

Your true feelings you cannot fake.

You should be holding each other tight.

You both protected me with your might,

Keeping me safely out of sight.

Comforting me on the nights I lay awake,

The river and the sea

Do you remember when I wore my gown of white?

And how we thought it would be all right.

Now I live in constant heartache;

I could not bear it if you made my mistake.

So I shall help you protect your loving light.

The river and the sea.

Amber Keener

Rondeau Contest Winner: Spring 2013 edition

Here's another winning rondeau from the SIU English Dept's "Forms of Poetry" class:

Night of Wonder

I take a breath of the night air

in a night gown, in a chair.

Beneath me, the dog lies still.

The heat lasts as long as it wills.

Soaking up sounds; just to be there.

I wonder if he has his feet bare

under the stars and has mussed hair.

Or looking out by the window sill.

I take a breath.

Dreamily the grin’s there, but where

is his mind? I don’t know with care.

Is it with flowers on the hill?

Is it here with me and the thrill?

I shall not ever ask or dare.

I just take a breath…

Alyx Morgan

Poems from English 352: Spring 2013 edition

Every time I have the honor of teaching Forms of Poetry at my university, I run an in-class rondeau contest. Here is one of the winning poems from today's rondeau battle:


Lose Ourselves

We lose ourselves inside the night,
Understanding only from neon lights.
Communicating with bar room ghosts
Doesn't leave you white as a post.
An easy win, because you don't fight.

The light that shines from you is bright.
Yours is one that diminishes fright.
I know that you would not boast.
We lose ourselves.

I am trying to stay out of your sight
because to you, I am the blight.
I want to be with you the most
because your spell has me lost
And now I am unaware of what's right.
We lose ourselves.


Amanda O' Connor