Ottava Rima Poem

Giovanni Boccaccio

Today I've gone Italian with an Ottava Rima poem. An Ottava Rima is a poetic form made up of eight lines that rhyme. Each line consists of eleven syllables.The Ottava Rima in its current form was first created by the Italian poet, Giovanni Boccaccio. It is based on a poetic form then used in Sicily, incorporating an alternating rhyming scheme throughout its eight lines. The double rhyme in the last two verses was introduced later on.

An Ottava Rima poem is made up of an octave with the rhyme pattern:
ab
ab
ab
cc

This poem presented an interesting challenge, but then again a challenge is a good thing for a poet. I kept returning to it across a couple of weeks. 

Distancing myself from the words allowed me to return with a clearer vision about what my poem needed in order to settle. Sometimes making a poem is akin to working with Lego pieces. When the word arrangement works, you hear everything click into place. 

Some tinkering and line movement proved quite useful in the end. I would recommend Ottava Rima poems for older students or practised and confident younger poets. The poem itself was inspired by some recent reading about the lives of Eskimos.

Eskimo Summer


The Eskimo's life changes in Summer too
Paddling kayaks while blue water entrances
White whale and bearded seals are a coup
Caribou rush with hope of unnoticed glances

Seeking out the fleeting herds is a quest so true

They search and explore across the vast expanses
Eskimos hunt with precise animal skill
A backdrop of ice, while stalking their kill.