A repost of a poem from last year for A2LSM who is interested in form in poetry.
The Awdl Gywydd is a Celtic (Welsh) poetry form that complicates the end rhyme scheme by interlacing an internal rhyme throughout the poem on the second and fourth lines of each stanza. The end rhyme scheme is as follows: a,b,c,b… d,e,f,e, etc.. however, the internal (cross-rhyme) can be placed in either the 3rd, 4th, or 5th, syllable position.
Awdl Gywydd: Raku
Crickle, crackle, raku glaze,
Shattered craze of crafted pots,
Bisque ware fired in burning kilns,
Potters film, peel-off slip shocks.
Excitement lifts temperature,
Glaze is sure to be red hot,
Post fire unpredictable,
Flames a miracle new pot.
Polly Robinson © 2012
Raku ware is the type of Japanese pottery seen in the form of tea bowls in the Japanese tea ceremony. This type of pottery is tricky to fire relying on a complex process that many potters find exciting because it is unpredictable. Raku is more generally recommended for decorative purposes as it is delicate and can crumble if not properly glazed. To find out more about raku click here.