A rondeau's harder than it looks

If you suspect there's a bit of a mountain theme going here, you're right. I was thinking about submitting something for this rondeau assignment (or challenge) posted by Grace for the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads, and mountains seemed like a better subject for poetry than my first choice, which was mushy stuff about owning a rescued dog.

Photo by Richard Schear

In a couple of weeks my blogging pal, Mara, of Weighty Matters, is coming to Alberta from The Netherlands. I have offered to show her the Canadian Rockies. My husband will be busy, so it will be just us girls: Mara, Kay, and Lindy, a short-legged, pleasantly plump Golden Retriever.

I haven't written a poem for about 30 years, or however long ago 1980 was, so I'm begging everyone's indulgence. I've stretched the phrase "poetic license" to new lengths, that's for sure. My mind just can't seem to take anything very seriously today, so here is some doggerel in rondeau form.

*
A rondeau's harder than it looks
In English literature books.
Prob'ly because it's really French
Which only really rhymes with stench
And not aromas by French cooks.

Internet photo

The first verse has five lines, no more,
The second one has only four.
And then there's six for number three.
A rondeau's hard.

The third one looks much like the first
Except it's actually much worse
Because the rhyming pattern is
Again another kind of biz
Which makes my brain threaten to burst.
A rondeau's hard.

*

At Lake Louise the water blue

Is often turquoise, it is true,

Yet an old-time gov’nor gen’ral

Said the color’s that of em’rald

Which is a very diff’rent hue.

They named the lake after his wife

Which made him happy all his life:

So that he no more disputed

At Lake Louise.

His wife, a princess royal was

Queen Victoria a daughter of.

The glacier above the lake

Was named Victoria for her sake

At Lake Louise.

*

On mountains high grows edelweiss

Which we all know is very nice —

Alpine leontopodium

Relieves the climber’s tedium

When looking for it once or thrice.

However, climbers must take care

When looking for it ev’rywhere

And not forget the rule of thumb

On mountains high:

Watch where you step and do not look

In every cranny, space or nook

To find the lovely edelweiss,

You’ll have no chance for thinking twice

On mountains high.

*

n.b.

Edelweiss, leontopodium alpinus, doesn't grow wild in the Canadian Rockies. It is a European alpine plant.