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A good sestina is a difficult poem to excel ! But always a good exercise to do. I've tried about twenty of 'em and achieved nothing. John Ashbery has a great one and Tom Shapcott wrote a complete chapbook of them ... And of course Altaforte by Ezra Pound ... See the Sestina examples in 'The Making of a Poem' by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland (a Norton anthology). Great book! Andrew On 16 February 2017 at 07:56, Bill Wootton <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Thanks, Doug. I was 'winging it' of course and couldn't resist a dig at > permickety arrangers with the 'anal' appellation. > > Bill > > On Thu, 16 Feb 2017 at 3:30 am, Douglas Barbour <[log in to unmask]> > wrote: > > > Did a pretty good job, Bill, even if slightly bending some rules. A story > > emerged, & the final 3 lines did a good summation. > > > > On the other hand, ‘Anal gardeners’ had a suggestive overtone… > > > > Doug > > > On Feb 15, 2017, at 2:56 AM, Bill Wootton <[log in to unmask]> > > wrote: > > > > > > Plonk in words or flowers, P? > > > > > > Vase appears 7 times as do five other words acc to the 'formula' for > this > > > style which I picked off the internet for a challenge. Last word in > each > > > stanza must be last word in first line of succeding stanza. Probably > > broke > > > some rules. > > > > > > Agapanthus are common as muck here but offer bright blue/purple flowers > > for > > > most of summer. > > > > > > Cheers, > > > Bill > > > > > > > > > On Wed, 15 Feb 2017 at 8:43 PM, Patrick McManus < > > > [log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > > > >> wow and to think I just plonk them in!!!cheers P > > >> > > >> ps trying to remember agapanthus!!perhaps I need > > >> > > >> a fresh palette in my vase > > >> pps vase appears quite a lot of times ?? > > >> > > >> > > >> On 14/02/2017 21:57, Bill Wootton wrote: > > >>> Capture flowers in a vase > > >>> What have they done to warrant freedom? > > >>> Keep water up or see them list > > >>> Pop on sideboard or table the usual custom > > >>> Remove from rooms their blankness > > >>> Think of flowers and vases in terms of height > > >>> > > >>> Use agapanthus for lots of background height > > >>> Choose clear glass or opaque patterns for your vase > > >>> Seek advice from a florist if you draw a blank > > >>> but let your head go, relish the freedom > > >>> to mix and match, don't feel bound by custom > > >>> Even take pen and paper - make a list > > >>> > > >>> Group by colour or go for contrast on your list > > >>> Bold irises or green gum twigs also offer height > > >>> Bluebells and lavender can be customised > > >>> to lean out or rocket out of top of vase > > >>> Use garden cuttings, both fresh and free > > >>> even at the risk of leaving some blankness > > >>> > > >>> Cluster bright colours low but leave some blank > > >>> spaces for the eye to fill the floral list > > >>> Leave for beholders some freedom > > >>> Arrangements can reflect outdoor heights > > >>> even within the indoor vase > > >>> Anal gardeners started this custom > > >>> > > >>> No reason not to subvert a custom > > >>> Challenges defy a stultifying blankness > > >>> Apply a fresh palette in your vase > > >>> Add metal and coloured plastic to your list > > >>> Non-flowers can give a stable height > > >>> Unshackle constraints, experiment with freedom > > >>> > > >>> There are no arbiters, you should feel free > > >>> to develop your own brand new custom > > >>> Imagine wildly. Climb new heights > > >>> Fill household blankness > > >>> Shuffle up your ingredient list > > >>> Eschew static art - embrace the vase > > >>> > > >>> Flower arranging is hardly the height of freedom > > >>> But vases abound and call for new customs > > >>> Minds turn to blank so soon lest you liven your to-do list > > >>> > > >>> bw > > >> > > > > Douglas Barbour > > [log in to unmask] > > https://eclecticruckus.wordpress.com/ > > > > Recent publications: (With Sheila E Murphy) Continuations & Continuations > > 2 (UofAPress). > > Recording Dates (Rubicon Press). > > > > > > In the new dispensation, conspiracy > > Will be replaced by > > Collusion, the diction of the age > > Filtered through the great sieve of particulars > > To be sorted out later, > > > > Ann Lauterbach > > > -- Andrew http://hispirits.blogspot.com/ Books available through Walleah Press http://walleahpress.com.au