(A sestina is a 7 stanza poem. The first 6 stanzas have 6 lines where the final word of each line is used in each position once. It ends with a 3 line stanza with two of the words in each line.)
Heroes stepping upon the path
Some blind and others with purpose
All began unknowing of fate
One by one they join the battle
Driven forward by courage
Warding off the constant threat of death
One born with no sense of death
Another raised to walk her path
A youth depending upon his courage
The prince in search of purpose
A veteran of many battles
And a girl dragged into the whim of fate
Together they are bound by fate
Knowing at least one will be greeted by death
United for every battle
Keeping each other on the path
Friendship hardening their purpose
And bolstering their courage
Many times they will need courage
As their enemies chip away at fate
Those dedicated to a darker purpose
Starting with a being cloaked in death
Who follows his master’s path
And calls demons into battle
Forces clash in battle
Targeting their will and courage
Each one on a path
Questioning if its choice or fate
The answer coming with death
A prophecy of conflicting purpose
Who has the truer purpose
Will the answer come with a final battle
The only solution death
Or the shattering of courage
Viewed by the craftsman of fate
That has spent centuries watching this path
A duel of purpose that depends on courage
Leading to a battle of fate
To discover whose path will lead to death
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This did feel a little clunky, especially since I picked some tough words to reuse. The poem depends on both repetition and ingenuity. Obviously, I did this about Legends of Windemere and I hope I did my series justice.
Wow! Excellent! That must have been very hard to write! How long did it take you to write that?
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It took 30 minutes or so. I had the Wikipedia page open to remember the sequence. Thankfully I’ve done these before. The trick is to not lock yourself into words that have limited uses.
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Still that takes skill.
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Thanks.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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Thanks for the reblog.
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My pleasure, Charles – I’d not heard of that format before 😃
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This was very complex. Yes, you did your series justice and wow, am I impressed.
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Thanks. Glad it worked. Can never tell with poetry until you present it.
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Most impressed, Charles. Well done. I doubt I could do that!
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Thanks. You can always try and take your time. I practiced a lot on this style.
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I really enjoyed your poem. Even without knowing the series intimately, it resonated with me.
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Thanks.
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