New Paradox

a five days coast to coast poetry festival

Poetry Lab | Research | New Paradox | American Shorts | Emerging Poets Program

New Paradox is a blend of a Shakespaerean (UK – 14 lines) and Petrachan (Italian – 14 lines) Sonnet and together with others I want to research, develop and design a new rhyme/scheme that can rock the world!

The Petrarchan / Italian sonnets have 14 lines that follow the rhyme scheme ABBA ABBA CDCCDC or ABBA ABBA CDECDE. The poems are divided into two sections, the octave, or first eight lines, often makes a proposition, which asks a question or describes a problem. Then the sestet, or final six lines, proposes a resolution or solution.

The Shakespearean / English sonnets have 14 lines of verse, but this type of sonnet has three quatrains and one couplet instead of an octave and a sestet. Also, these sonnets follow an ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme. A single quatrain is made up of four lines of verse, and a couplet is made up of two lines.

The New Paradox blend both and create this rhyme sheme ABAB CDCD EE. The ABAB is the pro statement, the CDCD is the contra statement and EE is the paradox on both statements. The last two lines, the Paradox is very hard, I am not Oscar Wilde. In England creating paradoxes was like an intellectual game. For me english is my second language, so I am not that good in it but I am working on it and this poem (see attachment) can be considered as the first poem within this new rhyme scheme. Allthough it’s not perfect but probably the first wheel (airplane, bicyle, edison lamp) where not perfect too.