WD Poetic Form Challenge: "The Big 10"

WD Poetic Form Challenge: The Big 10
Posted by Robert Lee Brewer

Robert Lee Brewer was challenged by Writer's Digest managing editor Zachary Petit to find a poetic form with 10 lines for their "Big 10" issue in September. That issue will feature all manner of features related to the number 10 (kind of like an episode of Sesame Street). He couldn't find that form so he devised one of his own and calls it "The Big 10!"

The Big 10 Form
* The poem has to have 10 lines (no more and no fewer).
* Each line has to contain 10 syllables (again, exactly 10).

And that's it! No rules on how to title the poem. No rules on whether to rhyme or not rhyme. No rules on subject matter. The poems just have to contain 10 lines of 10 syllables. The deadline is April 29 at 11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, Georgia, time).


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According to Turco's "Book of Forms", the Decastich is any whole poem of ten lines. Ten line poetry forms fall into three general groups: free verse, (Decastich), miniature sonnets, (Sonnetina), and Tritina. There is no reference to meter or rhyme pattern.
This is my Decastich poem of 10 lines, posted on April 5. I have revised it so each line contains 10 syllables, to meet the Big 10 challenge.


Spangling Stars
Blazing sunlight from the window catches
in the white diamond on my wedding band,
spangling a rainbow dispersion of light
against the wall. A brilliant variance
spreads like kaleidoscope flecks glittering
in a moonlit sea of pale sky, countless
pinpricks of light mimic shimmering stars
bouncing off a mirror ball and yet, if
I move my hand the least bit, or the sun
climbs higher in the heavens, gone for good.