Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? It was started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996 to celebration poetry and encourage its appreciation. Poetry is a beautiful literary medium that allows writers to express themselves in a fun new way. There are many styles of poetry including sonnets, free verse, haiku, blackout, and Rondeau to name a few. Recently, Ms. Ramos’s AP Literature and Composition class (AP Lit) participated in the Annual AP Literature Rondeau Contest. A Rondeau poem is an octosyllabic poem with ten to fifteen lines and three stanzas. Some famous Rondeau’s include “We wear the Mask,” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and “In Flanders Fields,” by John McCrae. Ms. Ramos hosts this contest every year and the winner gets fifteen dollars (one for each line of the poem.)
“I’ve been teaching AP Literature for six years now, and I’ve tried to establish some traditions within the program,” Ms. Ramos said. “In one of our poetry units, we do a thorough analysis of the rondeau “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. A lot of students write an English sonnet in ninth grade, so I like to challenge them to try writing other forms.”
This Rondeau Contest is the perfect challenge for the AP Literature students. According to Ms. Ramos, Rondeau poems are very difficult to get right because of the specific requirements.
”I had several students submit strong entries for my contest this year, but Delaney’s was truly a flawless example of the form,” Ms. Ramos said.
Delaney Hoffman’s Rondeau, “In Whispers Soft” was the winner of Ms. Ramos’s Rondeau Contest. Her winning poem is included below:
In Whispers Soft
by Delaney Hoffman
In whispers soft her tales unfold
Of love and loss, both young and old
In folklore’s grasp we found our way
Through haunted woods where shadows play
With melodies, our hearts consoled
In cardigan the stories told
Of summer’s end and winter’s cold
She sings of dreams that fade to gray
In whispers soft
In every song emotions rolled
Her voice a balm, a touch of gold
With lyrics deep we drift away
To lands where myths and legends stay
Her music’s spell we can’t withhold
In whispers soft
