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Group Poem XV

Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:34 am
by saparris
Group Poem XV will be a poem written in honor of Pope Francis, the newly elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

The poem will be in the form of an Italian sonnet, in deference to Rome. However, instead of the customary iambic pentameter (5 beats per line), we will use iambic heptameter (7 beats per line), being that the number 7 is more "ecclesiastically prophetic.” The poem will consist of 14 lines--8 lines rhyming abbaabba and 6 lines rhyming cdecde.

The title of our poem is “The Vote,” and should tell an imaginary tale of Francis’s election to the office of Pope. Each line must incorporate a word (in bold type) relating the Catholic faith in particular (e.g., cardinal) or to Christianity in general (e.g., cleric).


The Vote

And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:42 pm
by Perry Lassiter
E'er I put my genius to this, I need explication. You said septameter defined as seven beats per line. Now I am both poetically and mathematically challenged, but I count 13 beats in your example. Did I miscount? Did you mean seven stressors, thus 14 accented beats? Or what do I miss. I got half a line in mind...

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 9:43 pm
by saparris
Sorry to confuse you. By "beats per line," I mean stresses. Here's my take on line one, with underlining indicating stress:

And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots.

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:05 pm
by Perry Lassiter
And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots,
While poperazzi mass outside laying down their bets

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2013 11:03 pm
by Philip Hudson
I envy those of poetic bent. I read poems and sing them, but I cannot write them. I know this group poem will go well. I prosaically welcome the new Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 10:59 am
by Audiendus
And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots,
While poperazzi mass outside laying down their bets.
The Holy See is rife with speculation, deals and threats

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 12:19 pm
by LukeJavan8
And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots,
While poperazzi mass outside laying down their bets.
The Holy See is rife with speculation, deals and threats
And nepotism, murder, bribes, purchase,and stealth, as well placement by kings



(As Perry said, I'm not much for writing them. So I'll
stop, Audie or Saparris: please clean up my contribution.)

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:21 pm
by Perry Lassiter
That was Philip, not me. I like what you started. Can you restructure it to end on the seventh beat, now "well," and rhyme it with lots?

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:32 pm
by Audiendus
Here's my suggestion:

And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots,
While poperazzi mass outside laying down their bets.
The Holy See is rife with speculation, deals and threats
And nepotism, power, cash, and dark dogmatic plots

I wrote the above before I saw Perry's latest post.

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 5:12 pm
by LukeJavan8
Sorry for the confusion,Perry and Philip. I've read many collections about the lives of the popes, and this
poem could go a long time if I contributed to much.

Good job, audi, go for it.
I just wanted some of their nefarious history to get
into it, before the praise, and saintliness, which
will undoubtedly come, as most were holy men.

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:08 pm
by saparris
The Vote

And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots,
While poperazzi mass outside laying down their bets.
The Holy See is rife with speculation, deals and threats
And nepotism, power, cash, and dark dogmatic plots
While we, Christ’s blessed concubines, have unrepentant thoughts

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:33 am
by gailr
The Vote

And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots,
While poperazzi mass outside laying down their bets.
The Holy See is rife with speculation, deals and threats
And nepotism, power, cash, and dark dogmatic plots
While we, Christ’s blessed concubines, have unrepentant thoughts
Watched by Matthew's march of antecedents from lunettes.

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:07 pm
by saparris
The Vote

And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots,
While poperazzi mass outside laying down their bets.
The Holy See is rife with speculation, deals and threats
And nepotism, power, cash, and dark dogmatic plots
While we, Christ’s blessed concubines, have unrepentant thoughts
Watched by Matthew's march of antecedents from lunettes
But, then, no frescoed saint can vex the first of man’s estates


p.s. Half rhymes are permissible

Important note: There was a typo in the directions. The rhyme scheme of the last six lines should be cdecde. I changed this in the directions as well.

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 7:38 pm
by Audiendus
The Vote

And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots,
While poperazzi mass outside laying down their bets.
The Holy See is rife with speculation, deals and threats
And nepotism, power, cash, and dark dogmatic plots
While we, Christ’s blessed concubines, have unrepentant thoughts
Watched by Matthew's march of antecedents from lunettes
But, then, no frescoed saint can vex the first of man’s estates
God guides our choices, contrary to some unkind reports.

Re: Group Poem XV

Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 11:53 pm
by Perry Lassiter
The Vote

And now it comes to this: we agèd clerics casting lots,
While poperazzi mass outside laying down their bets.
The Holy See is rife with speculation, deals and threats
And nepotism, power, cash, and dark dogmatic plots
While we, Christ’s blessed concubines, have unrepentant thoughts
Watched by Matthew's march of antecedents from lunettes
But, then, no frescoed saint can vex the first of man’s estates
God guides our choices, contrary to some unkind reports.
We Mark the vision of the Grail, the ballot choice in sight