October brings the "dansa", an old poetic form once popular with the Occitan-speaking troubadours who wandered France and Spain. There's not much to be found on the internets about them other than the basic rules, and that they were often accompanied by joyful dancing. At Tricia's suggestion, I focused on the "joyful" part. 
Apple Dansa
some for eating, some for pie:
Macoun, Gravenstein, Winesap, oh, my…
tenderly, I take them, it’s the least I owe
these trees planted, row on row;
are an orderly riot, a pugnacious reply
to bruising dark, and all that must die;
I bag them one by one, a rapacious crow.
Oh, these trees planted, row on row!
The rules are these:
-Opening quintain (or 5-line stanza) followed by quatrains (or 4-line stanzas)
-The opening line of the first stanza is the final line of every stanza, including the first
-Rhyme scheme in the opening stanza: AbbaA (capital A represents the refrain)
-Rhyme scheme in all other stanzas: bbaA
-No other rules for subject, length, or meter.
-The opening line of the first stanza is the final line of every stanza, including the first
-Rhyme scheme in the opening stanza: AbbaA (capital A represents the refrain)
-Rhyme scheme in all other stanzas: bbaA
-No other rules for subject, length, or meter.
And here are the dance steps I composed:
These trees planted, row on row
burst with Stayman, Fuji, Northern Spy—
apples, apples of my loving eye—
beauties, born from best in show:
these trees planted, row on row,
burst with Stayman, Fuji, Northern Spy—
apples, apples of my loving eye—
beauties, born from best in show:
these trees planted, row on row,
some for eating, some for pie:
Macoun, Gravenstein, Winesap, oh, my…
tenderly, I take them, it’s the least I owe
these trees planted, row on row;
spilling fruit, their rosy faces cry
they—Blondees, Ginger, York—are why
the world rejoices— above, below—
these trees planted, row on row
are an orderly riot, a pugnacious reply
to bruising dark, and all that must die;
I bag them one by one, a rapacious crow.
Oh, these trees planted, row on row!
---Sara Lewis Holmes (all rights reserved)
Creative license was taken in this portrayal of apple orchards---not all varieties of apples ripen at the same time, as I learned on our apple picking trip. For more accuracy, a fun list of apple varieties and when they are ripe is here.
Also: I tried a Blondee for the first time, and it's a new favorite. What's yours?
My poetry sisters' poems are here:
Kelly
Andi
NOTE: You're invited to our challenge in the month of November! Here's the scoop: we're creating recipe poems! Your choice of form, length, meter, or topic, but each poem will be an assemblage of elements, using recipe text/cooking instructions to create …something. From a recipe for disaster, to your favorite aperitif, you have a month to craft your creation and serve it forth on November 25th in a post and/or on social media with the tag #PoetryPals.
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Poetry Friday is hosted today by the wonderful Jone Rush MacCulloch.
