Book of Past Challenges

Ringing Joyful

Ring Joyful

An angel called to Mary one day.
"You will have a baby," she heard him say,
Now not yet married was Mary - however
The obedient girl just said, "Whatever."
                   The Christmas Story  
                   by William Holmes

A time, 2000 years ago
a young girl, Mary, thought to be
15 or so, would skip and jump
and danced to the joyful rhythm
of the tinkling bells on her skirt.
Making music with gentle sway
meandering about her room
and into her parent's walled yard
to stargaze at night. Then she'd pray.
An angel called to Mary one day.

Being devout, she had no fear.
No tocsin rang a warning sound
within her immaculate heart.
She saw the glory of his soul
and simply listened with her own.
She invited him in to stay
With grace he accepted and bowed
then entered to the soft ringing
of the angelus. "My Lady,",
"You will have a baby": she heard him say,

What must have travelled through her mind?
Her innocence was unblemished.
Her love for her God unquestioned.
Just how would her parents react?
Her friends were sure to be surprised.
She would not be thought to, never
would others think she would give birth
so young. Yet a joyful peal rang
from within. They prayed together.
No, not yet married was Mary - however,

She was promised to a young man
of good heart. She did not want to
break it. Unsure of etiquette
appropriate to inform him,
she was assured he already
knew and rejoiced. He'd not sever
their bond, his commitment secure
and he still loved and cherished her.
In typical teen endeavor,
The obedient girl just said, "Whatever."
                   ~~Judi Van Gorder

Notes: ▼

44 Lines
Formal Glosa  

The elements of the formal Glosa as fixed verse form are:
         1. written in five stanzas, a quatrain followed by four 10 line stanzas (Spanish 10 lines or less). The mote or text that opens the poem is usually a quatrain from another poem. It is often a redondilla.
         2. (Spanish) syllabic, 8 syllable lines or (English) metered, iambic pentameter. (I chose to use 8 syllables)
         3. rhymed, (English rhyme in the 6th 9th and borrowed 10th line. Rhyme scheme ABCD xxxxxaxxaA xxxxxbxxbB xxxxxcxxcC xxxxxdxxdD. ABCD is the refrain established by the lines of the quatrain. x can either be unrhymed or rhymed at the discretion of the poet.) (Spanish A1B 1B2A2 or A1B 1A2B2 ababababA1 cdcdcdcdB1 ect.) or abbaabbaA1 cdcdcdcdB1

"day 22- edited!"  
Theme: Bells. Could be bells or belles. Door bells, church bells, 'with bells on,' --any kind of bells--but used in conjunction with Christmas
Required words: stargazing, meander, etiquette, break, jump, ring.
Forbidden words: fly, wing, chime.
Additional parameters: any form (state form with link to how that form works) as long as it is at least 24 lines long. (Do a double or triple if necessary!)