Banked Fire

This is a rondeau redouble, a French form poem that I am exploring. These poems start and end with a 4 line refrain rhymed in ABAB form. Then you do 4 verses, each of 3 lines, with a final line using one of the lines of the refrain, in order. Ideally, you should also be able to play with the words of the refrain line a bit in order to illuminate or expand on meaning. The verses also follow a strict form: babA, abaB, babA, abaB.

Banked Fire

The heart is a secret fire burning bright
Deep-banked in ashes of fears and old sighs.
Wisdom consists of our keeping in sight
The fire of that love, fresh, full of surprise.

Girl puts down her school work, raises tired eyes:
Time to tuck in her brother, say sleep tight.
She told him she loved him, just a white lie.
Two hearts made of secret fire burned so bright.

She mouthed empty words to lighten his fright -
Believed it was just to stop all his cries.
And turning, she paused to put out the light
Debunked in rushes of tears to her eyes.

Searing through all of her self-serving lies,
Truth, blazing forth in her heart all despite
Those ashy deposits piled deep and high:
Wisdom consists of such steeping insight.

Her heart cracked open that singular night
She found love’s hot tears in her pale, dry eyes.
Love gushing geyserly, rising in height,
Red rush of her love, pressed out in surprise.

Deep-banked in ashes of fears and old sighs.
Wisdom consists of our keeping in sight
The fire of that love, fresh, full of surprise.
The heart is a secret fire burning bright.


revised 4/3/2008