Rhyme and Reason

Quatern Poems may frolic through fields and swing on monkey bars, but they are anything but childish. Often referred to as the “beginner friendly” version of more complicated forms like the rondeau and villanelle, Quaterns are indeed simpler, but certainly shouldn’t be overlooked. 

Most believe that Quaterns were established in the Middle Ages (France to be exact). Quaterns share similarities to its many siblings from the time: retourne, rondel, kyrielle, villanelle. They all contain refrains, it just depends on where that refrain is placed within the stanzas.

Quaterns are full of the number 4. The name directly derives from ‘quaternion’, a word that simply refers to poems that are split into four parts. There are four stanzas, and four lines per stanza, for a grand total of 16 lines. 

However, the form only calls for 13 completely original lines. A refrain is implemented throughout all four stanzas. The refrain begins as the first line of the first stanza, then becomes the second line of the second stanza, and so on and so forth. 

With one-fourth of the entire poem dedicated to repeating the same line, the refrain has to be flexible, in that it can be used in many different contexts and perspectives. An easy example of this would be to use a dependent clause, one that can both start off a stanza or fit within one. 

Other than the refrain, the poem is relatively straightforward. There is no required meter (but some brave souls may try to use iambic pentameter), and there’s no required rhyme scheme, although one can be used. However, there is a constraint for the amount of syllables per line.

 Quaterns are octosyllabic, which means each line is composed of eight syllables, not one more, not one less. A task that may not seem daunting for practiced poets, but beginners may find it challenging. Just remember that a poem can enjamb–or start a new line–at any spot the writer wishes. This makes it easy to fit within those eight-syllable rules. 

As for the topic, Quaterns lend themselves nicely to themes of paranoia and anxiety, since the refrain is woven throughout and can represent the cyclic nature of those mindsets. But really, any topic can work just fine, as long as the poem moves forward in some way. 

The form itself seems relatively stagnant, especially with four lines of the poem being reserved for the refrain, so it’s imperative the poem keeps its momentum moving forward, even by just a little. 

Quaterns, by and large, are a great form for novice writers looking to experiment with structure. There’s a special type of liberating freedom only found within the confines of structure, and that is where creativity thrives. 

I Sing, I Sing, I Sing

Serafina Kubersky

 

because i did not sing, i sat,

gloves my new heart. fingerprints on 

ice. hands–feet crossed–folded. stifling

air–room–dress. lead covered kleenex.

 

black as evening winter tie, torn,

because I did not sing. i sat.

memories were birds flocking south.

as scrambled words rose, i still sat

 

long after it was done, on a

passerby couch, mulling like wine.

because i did not sing, i sat,

two feet–one mind sat on the couch,

 

for a moment- minute- hour- day,

just sickness exhaustion for the 

perfectly healthy. praising west.

because i did not sing, i sat.