Prompt:

Grá Reformata

Developed by Michael King, this form is based upon the Villanelle form, only that it has extra couplet between each tercet. The couplet can either be rhymed or free verse, but always in iambic pentameter.

This is the format:
a-b-a
x-x
a-b-a
x-x
a-b-a
x-x
a-b-a
x-x
a-b-a
a-b-a-a

Notes:

• The x consists of the rhymed or unrhymed iambic couplet.
• Only the couplet will have strict meter, which is iambic pentameter. But, the rest of the lines will always have 10 syllables each.

A sample poem by the creator himself

𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵,
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬;
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵.

𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘹, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯’𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦,
𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩.

𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦,
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥; 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬.
𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴,
𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬;
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵.

𝘏𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦, 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘵. 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦,
𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺, 𝘢 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦.

𝘐 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩,
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬;
𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵.

𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴.
𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥.

𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵,
𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬;
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵.

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵,
𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬.
𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵,
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵.

• Send in your entries,  as an attachment in a word document (.doc/.docx, any other file will not be published), to penmagica@gmail.com along with a 2-3 line bio (not required if previously sent).
• The subject of your mail should be Entry for #PenMuse-55 (compulsory).
• Along with your entry please send a suggested cover for your poem. (please send it as a separate attachment. Make sure it is a stock photo, no watermarks, and of high resolution –800 pixels and above). The elves at Penmancy are mighty pleased if a poem is accompanied by a cover.
• Check your syllable count here.

Rules:

1. The submitted poem must have a title (Keep it simple with no punctuation marks; all words more than 3 letters must be capitalised)
2. There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit –though only the first submitted poem will be qualified for contention.
3. Previously published or plagiarised works will not be considered for contention.
4. Poems found to have been shared on another platform or blog before the declaration of results stand disqualified from the event, and the writer of such content stands to be disqualified for the next Penmancy event.
5. In case a poem is received after the submission deadline, it shall be considered as a guest entry and shall not qualify for the event.
6. Entries that don’t follow rules will be published and shared on the page and group but are disqualified for winning.

Winning criteria:

• The winner will be chosen on the basis of the judges’ scores (out of 10)
  • creativity/content and originality, [12 points]
  • coherence of form and structure (harmony of words, presentation), [12 points]
  • clarity of imagery and language/grammar, [10 points]
  • emotional impact, [10 points]
  • topic/relevance to the theme, [6 points]
• The entries adjudged by a panel of judges and event organisers shall be binding. Judges’ scores to be deemed final and may not be contested. Final scores are not disclosed to the participants.
• The entries adjudged through this process shall be binding. No scores will be shared with the participants.
• All writers are required to read and comment on 5 stories other than their own and encourage their fellow writers with valuable and constructive inputs. Comments like “nice”, “good work”, “brilliant piece”, etc. do not provide the necessary critique and are not helpful for anyone.

•  Timelines-
  • The last date of submission is September 20, 2023 
  • Winners shall be announced on September 27, 2023

The announcement of winners may be postponed or preponed depending on the number of entries received.

The winners of the event shall receive the book “Classic Tales from Shakespeare” by Deepti Menon.

This book was extended for #BookNook Author Spotlight program.