Feeling Whole

Clogyrnach: A Welsh Poetic Form

As I’m in Wales, I find it timely to send out the Welsh Clogyrnach poem I wrote a while back. The Welsh are known for their beautiful singing voices, lilting accents and wonderful poetry. Whether I did this form justice, I’m not sure, but poetry with a set rhyme scheme is an interesting and enjoyable process.

Perhaps you can give it a try.

Feeling Whole

---

Slowing down, she rested her soul,
Soaking in stardust, night like coal,
Letting life begin,
Breathing fully in,
Tingling skin,
Feeling whole.

Have you ever written a Clogyrnach poem? Me neither until now. It’s a Welsh poetic form that is fun to write. Its specific syllabic count and rhyme scheme make it a nice challenge. It follows this pattern:

Line 1: 8 syllables with an a rhyme
Line 2: 8 syllables with an a rhyme
Line 3: 5 syllables with a b rhyme
Line 4: 5 syllables with a b rhyme
Line 5: 3 syllables with a b rhyme
Line 6: 3 syllables with an a rhyme

There are also some variants to the end two lines.

---

This poem was first published here.