From the wildest of winds, wolf-howled this night
moon-danced my dreams; when dawn broke my mirth
the sternness of sunshine scattered my dark-songs
and shattered by sheen; just shadows can save me
until tweets of the twilight; twist me back to the moon.
Into starlight I stagger; strengthened by dusk
and gazing into the gloom; I may outgrow my burns.
Now sombre my sleep; in sun-shadowed bliss
while nourished by night, I no longer snooze.
Today I host dVerse MTB, wher our task is to write alliterative verse using alliteration to create the rhythm of the poem rather than syllables and meter.
Each line should have four beats, where the three first alliterate, and the last one is different. I know this prompt is seen as hard by many, but do try your best.
January 22, 2024

Dark, and some great lines “Into starlight I stagger; strengthened by dusk”
Thank you, it was fun writing it,,,
Good!
Wonderful how you’ve brought to life a creature distraught if not “nourished by the night,” seeking shadows, “moon-danced” dreams. Love all the rich imagery, Björn, especially this line: “Into starlight I stagger; strengthened by dusk” — Nice.
I had fun writing it driven by the alliterative rhythm…
Your creature of the night is dark and dangerous, Björn, and the perfect example for the prompt! I especially love the lines:
‘…when dawn broke my mirth
the sternness of sunshine scattered my dark-songs’
and
‘Now sombre my sleep; in sun-shadowed bliss
while nourished by night, I no longer snooze.’
I really had fun, and writing about darkness always work for me.
I can hear the stresses much more clearly in this poem than the Thor. Not an easy challenge!
I think it is like meter and rhyme… when you get used it will become easier.
Meter is a funny thing, like hearing where the stress falls in a phrase. It seems to vary from person to person. The difficult aspect of this form for me was getting the stressed words to coincide with the alliteration. I know where I hear a stress and can’t change it to fit the alliterative word.
Sternness of sunshine shattering dark songs… a great line.
Well done.
I think we all find favorite lines, I will soon come to read yours.
Wow!!! Lovely verses, Bjorn. 🙂
Thank you.
You had me with the title and these first few words:
“From the wildest of winds, wolf-howled this night
moon-danced my dreams; ” Such an interesting form and I do love all the alliteration!
It is actually a lot like rhymes, it will give you the rhythm of the poem
I read your poem slowly, very slowly .. letting every word sink in. A gorgeous write, Bjorn .. gorgeous.
Thank you, and reading it loud I hope you could hear the stresses.
Creepy creature! Like Gardner’s Grendel.
I especially love the wild and vivid opening:
“From the wildest of winds, wolf-howled this night
moon-danced my dreams;” Than you for the prompt!
Thank you.. there are always parts of the poem that work the best.
You’re welcome!
Bjorn that’s a very chilling ending. My favorite part:
“tweets of the twilight;” like the first birds of dawn, these are the dark tweets of the twilight. Great prompt, example at the post and here. The technique does give a certain flavor to the poems!
A flavour that goes well to mead consumed in front of the hearth.
Oh boy, now I see it climbing out of the flames…
A distraught creature brought to life with your excellent alliteration and stresses. Loved how it rolled off my tongue when read aloud.
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