Prompted by Poet's Place Cafe

Two Deputies Form of the Week Rondolet

Two Deputies

Their mothers weep
Our safety, their priority.
we mothers weep
Pledged to protect, a vow to keep.
charged with our security
the law as their authority.
A mother weeps.

We mothers weep
when our brave protectors are killed,
more mothers weep.
We worry the price is too steep.
A simple traffic stop, life stilled.
Domestic call, one more death willed.
All mothers weep.
                    ~~Judi Van Gorder

Notes ▼

n the space of two weeks, two deputies in my son's department have been shot and killed in the line of duty. I've always trusted that my son's common sense and training kept him safe. I've always taken pride in his bravery and service with integrity. But these were senseless killings, both officers were ambushed under different circumstances, all of the training in the world couldn't have saved them. I grieve for the families of these young men and I grieve for the officers who continue to go out on the streets to ensure our safety.


The Rondelet is a relatively short poem using the entire opening line as its refrain. It is French in origin, another member of the 13th century Rondeau Family of Forms which is recognized by its use of the rentrement. The elements of the Rondelet are:

a heptastich, a poem in 7 lines.
in French syllabic. Syllable count per line is 4-8-4-8-8-8-4 In English tends to be iambic in pattern.
composed with a rentrement, in the Rondelet the entire L1 is repeated as refrain in L3 and L7.
rhymed. Rhyme scheme interlocks between the refrain AbAabbA.