Catena Rondo

What is a Catena Rondo?

Catena Rondo is a quatrain stanzaic form of poetry, first crafted in the 20th century by a Canadian academic, author, poet and an anthologist, Robin Skelton in his book of The Shapes of Our Singing. The name "Catena Rondo" translates to "chain circle", which portraits the poem as a whole due to its frequent repetition of verses.

How to write a Catena Rondo?

• First verse of each stanza is also the last verse of that stanza
• The second and the third verse are always rhyming couplets
• Second verse of every stanza will be the first of the following stanza
• Final stanza is a repetition of the first stanza, enveloping the whole poem together
• There is no fixed stanza limit, meter or syllable count

Example of a Catena Rondo:

Apricate;by Fathimath Hassan

Sun kissed the sky in blue
sprinkling the lakes with golden stars
weaving a warm breeze like a laced scarf
sun kissed the sky in blue  

 

Sprinkling the lakes with golden stars
as a spring bird scissors her beak through water
and flutters her splendid colors soaring higher
sprinkling the lakes with golden stars 

As a spring bird scissors her beak through water
sun kissed the sky in blue
dissolving the morning mist in hue
as a spring bird scissors her beak though water 

Sun kissed the sky in blue
sprinkling the lakes with golden stars
weaving a warm breeze like a laced scarf
sun kissed the sky in blue

Tips to write a Catena Rondo:

• Make sure the first and the last verse of each quatrain is the same
• Second and the third verse of each stanza must be in rhythm and rhyming 
• Minimum three stanzas
• Rhyming pattern follows as;

         ABbA

         BCcB

         CDdC

         so on.... and lastly

         ZAaZ

         ABbA 

• Remember the first verse you chose for the poem is strong enough to end the poem as well.

Although, Catena Rondo can be composed with a minimum of three quatrains, it is more inclined towards lengthy poetry due to its recurring of verses. This is to encourage and make lengthy poetry more enjoyable. Thus, making it an easy to construct and a fun form of poetry.

So let's spill some ink!

Cheers!

-Fathimath (member of team PoeTree FoRest)