#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge No. 70, The Lai 6/23/26

Melissa from Mom With a Blog is our host for this week’s #Tanka Tuesday Challenge.

Melissa tells us that she has found another form of poetry that she’d like to have some fun with!

Image: Gia Lai

“The lai (pronounced lay) is a French form that is comprised of nine lines. It has “a” and “b” end rhymes and each line has a specific syllable count.

The rhyme scheme of the lai is as follows: aabaabaab. The lines ending with an “a” rhyme have five syllables and the lines ending with a “b” rhyme have two syllables.

The lai is a form that Melissa found difficult to find examples of online. Carolyn Crossley (Vixen of Verse) has examples of lai poems on her website. Here are a couple:”

Here is an example of a lai by Jeff Kyser.

Lai Dig

playing in the dirt
better than dessert
fun toys
starting to exert
sweating through my shirt
life’s joys
don’t want to get hurt
better stay alert
whoa, boys!

This week, let’s write lai poems. That is the only requirement. Write about whatever topic or content you’d like.

Well I had a good think …they say write about what you are experiencing… but there’s so much going on in my life right now…there’s too many worries so I am going to be very English and write about the weather.

Goodness me it’s hot
I have lost the plot
Melting
Heat is what we’ve got
Nature’s peed the pot
Raining?
Definitely not
Drought is now our lot
Thirsting.

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