A real challenge today from http://www.napowrimo.net to”compose a poem in Sapphics. These are quatrains whose first three lines have eleven syllables, and the fourth, just five. There is also a very strict meter that alternates trochees (a two-syllable foot, with the first syllable stressed, and the second unstressed) and dactyls (a three-syllable foot, with the first syllable stressed and the remainder unstressed). The first three lines consist of two trochees, a dactyl, and two more trochees. The fourth line is a dactyl, followed by a trochee.” Well then, here’s my effort! (Just the one quatrain. I was in a grad school class from 9 am to 4 pm today, and my brain is unwilling to do more work tonight!)
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There is nothing underwear can help, although
Lace and satin brassieres up-standing bestow
dignity of private pleasure, of secret
slitherings below.
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(This theme is completely because ‘underwear’ is such a nice dactyl, lol)
Shawn L. Bird 