sherlock60 | Mrs. Hudson's Poetry Page: Wisteria Lodge

Welcome once again to my poetry page!

I hope each week you will read Dr. Watson’s delightful narrative and then be inspired to write a poem related to it in some way. All forms of poetry are permitted, and further down the page there is a selection you might like to consider using over the coming weeks.

This week my featured form is the quintilla.

Poetry Magnum Opus gives this definition:

The quintilla is a 16th century Spanish quintain [5 line poem] with a rhyme scheme that is more about what cannot be done than what can be done.

[It] is:

[written in] 8 syllable lines.
written in any number of quintains (5 line stanzas).
rhymed. In each quintain only 2 rhymes can be used, and the quintain cannot end in a rhyming couplet.
[written using one of these] rhyme schemes: ababa, abbab, abaab, aabab, or aabba.
known as Copla Real when written as a decastich (a 10 line poem—that is, 2 quintillas).

Here is my example poem, inspired by the situation Mr. Holmes refers to in the sentence “My dear Watson, you know how bored I have been since we locked up Colonel Carruthers.” I am using the rhyme scheme aabba:

Was it a good plan? Hmm, was it?
Where you chose to him deposit?
(I wish I had a Scott Eccles!
Instead of two Hydes, two Jekylls.)
Don’t lock Colonels in my closet!

As always, this is simply something to consider for the future. Any form of poetry is welcome this week—and every week! Here are a few suggestions for you:

221B verselet, abecedarian poetry, acrostic poetry, alexandrine, beeswing, blackout poetry, blues stanza, bref double, call and response, chastushka, cinquain, circular poetry, clerihew, colour poems, concrete poetry, curtal sonnet, diamante, doggerel, double dactyl, ekphrasis, elegiac couplet, englyn, epigram, epulaeryu, fable, found poetry, ghazal, haiku, kennings poem, lanturne, limerick, lyric poetry, palindrome poetry, pantoum, poem cycle, quintilla, renga, riddle, rime couée, Schüttelreim, sedoka, septet, sestina, sonnet, tanka, tercet, terza rima, tongue twister poetry, triolet, tyburn, villanelle

Please leave all your poems inspired by The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge in the comments on this post. I look forward to seeing them!

Warm regards,

Mrs. Hudson