Swap Quatrains

In general, the quatrain is a sports utility vehicle for English poetry produced in many colorful rhyme schemes. You may view reasonably priced formats in these showroom models: abab (cross rhymes), abba (envelope rhymes), aabb (opposed rhymes), xbyb (single rhymes), or test drive the sporty aaxa (unusual rhymes). If you are shopping for economy, try the aaaa for mono-rhymes. Other types may be special ordered as well, such as the swanky swap quatrain.

Note—the xbyb is sometimes shown as abcb.

Swap Quatrains follow the opposed rhyme scheme of aabb. These poems employ an interesting twist to the norm in that Lines 1 and 4 are repeated with reversed phrases (see examples below). Lines 2 and 3 may be unique. Line 2 rhymes with line 1, and line 3 rhymes with line 4.

Poet Reason A. Poteet swabs her quill in swap quatrain ink with her poem titled About Face. Observe the reversed pattern in the first and last lines of each quatrain.

ABOUT FACE
By Reason A. Poteet

Mirror, Mirror, the answer please -
what are my best alternatives?
Are the gray hairs coming nearer?
The answer please, Mirror, Mirror.

Face, I see your foes advancing
between your blacks, grays are dancing.
They’re here to stay, I guarantee
your foes advancing, Face, I see.

Dear Face, don’t dye, give up submit
gray hairs will never, ever quit.
As more and more blacks say good-bye
give up, submit, dear Face, don’t dye.

Glaring roots and ghastly color
texture stiff and getting duller.
Each and ev’ry hair in cahoots
ghastly color and glaring roots.

Face it, Gray, you’re not some disease
for treatment nor preventatives.
The mirror's right, she's had her say.
You’re not some disease, face it, Gray.

Thanks, Reason, you have faced the problem of accepting gray hair, in a humble yet humorous way. 
Your masterful use of tongue-in-cheek carries the message to us. Those youngsters not yet 
adorned with the grays will understand some day.

Below, Barbara Ann Dudley provides a swap quatrain bordering on the melancholy—Thinking No One Cares.
Through her protagonist’s efforts, she encourages us to reach out to others during these low periods. Read on.

Thinking No One Cares
By Barbara Ann Dudley

When I'm all alone, thinking no one cares,
I invite my friends for a meal to share.
I stop listening for the telephone;
Thinking no one cares, when I'm all alone.

I call up my friends, and we chat awhile;
We swap stories, soon, we laugh or smile.
Wanting our conversations never to end,
And we chat awhile, I call up my friends.

We're friends, true, no matter what the weather;
Whoever wants or needs, we all stick together.
Write a note, make a call, send a gift or two,
No matter what the weather, we're friends true.

Gathering with our pals for a dance or song,
Each one finally feels that he does belong
To our neighborhood of guys and gals,
For a dance or song, gathering with our pals.

Thanks, Barbara, we all like to see a good ending to the blahs, and you’ve shown us the way.

To pull some classic poets into the corral, I have lassoed Nash, Longfellow and Shakespeare. Okay cowboys, let’s see you ride!

Nash, Longfellow, and Shakespeare

Ogden’s poems are a strange oddity
Generosity leads to jollity
You will find his works are somewhat bazaar
A strange oddity, Ogden’s poems are.

In his poem style, writer Ogden Nash
Sets up a plot, then makes a sudden dash.
A twist at the end, a surprise worthwhile
Writer Ogden Nash in his poem style.

Paul Revere’s brave ride, a gripping story,
As Longfellow wrote it in all his glory.
It was twelve o’clock, British tried to hide;
A gripping story, Paul Revere’s brave ride.

Longfellow is great with humor homespun
Sometimes sad, sometimes laughing, having fun
Everyone loves him, there is no debate
With humor homespun, Longfellow is great.

Romeo loved her, Juliet loved him.
Shakespeare wrote in his classic stratagem.
Where for art thou Romeo? Please tell me Sir.
Juliet loved him, Romeo loved her.

Shakespeare beat them all in volume alone.
Stacks of books on shelves, libraries condone.
Eager listeners fill the concert hall.
In volume alone Shakespeare beat them all.

Thanks to the contributors used in this article, and thanks to the readers as well. Together we can hone our
poetry for use in God’s kingdom. Next month I will write on Terza Rima poetry. If you have a poem of this type
you would like me to consider, send it to jetate@sbcglobal.net. With “Submission Terza Rima” in the subject line.

Be blessed. James