Whittled Words – Decima Poem

Posted by Brad Osborne on August 14, 2020 · 15 Comments 

 

 

Welcome to the weekly series, Whittled Words. A series highlighting the innumerable types and styles of poetry to challenge any creative wordsmith. This week’s selection:

 

DECIMA POEM

 

Let us look at the poetic form known as decima. There are various versions of it, but we will start with the version popular in Puerto Rico. It is a 10-liner with 8 syllables per line, in the following rhyme pattern:

 

A B B A A C C D D C

 

In Puerto Rico and other parts of Latin America, the decima is often sung and improvised. The form is also sometimes referred to as espinela after its founder, Spanish writer and musician Vicente Espinel. Those who write and perform decimas are known as decimistas or deimeros.

In Ecuador, the decima is a 44-line poem comprised of a quatrain and four 10-line stanzas. Each of the lines from the opening quatrain are repeated later in the poem. The lines still retain eight syllables, though the rhyme constraints are loosened. As, I said, there are many variations of the form. If you want a different rhyme scheme, there is also a decima Italiana with ten 8-syllable lines that rhyme ababcdedec.

Given the flexible method of counting syllables in Spanish verse, where an “Octosyllabic” line could easily have seven or nine syllables (as normally counted), in writing a decima in English it would not seem unreasonable to write in iambic pentameter (theoretically ten syllables), which comes more naturally to English verse. So, for another English variation, you could use 10 syllables per line.

 

 

 

Examples of Decima Poems:

 

 

NEVER, ALWAYS, SOMETIMES

by Susan Gentry

 

 

Never will I stop loving you

It does not matter what you say

You have a place with me to stay

No matter what you ever do

Always know what I say is true

You do not have to feel the same

You can think it is all a game

Sometimes life makes no sense at all

I pray each day that you will call

No questions asked, no one to blame

 

HEAVENLY SPRING

By Erich Goller

Colorful blooming pear and apple trees

Beautiful within the first weeks of spring

Everything is heavenly blossoming

With gentle blowing winds and humming bees

The time to plant some vegetable seeds

With the sunshine and rain all the seeds grow

Glorious rainbow putting on a show

Colorful flowers raising from the ground

Nature showing its beauty all around

With summer coming, time for spring to go

 

UNIDENTIFIED

By Brad Osborne

They seemed perplexed as to just why

Even though I was still quite shook

This armed man now a wanted crook

Was so hard to identify

No matter how hard I may try

I remember giving the cash

But it all happened in a flash

Yet when asked to give some detail

It was not memory that failed

Since now everyone wears a mask

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed this entry to the series, Whittled Words. I look forward to your comments, and if you dare, maybe share your own Decima poem. Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

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