Writing is practice...my first Sestina...

Writing is practice. Always practice. Always finding new ways to tell a story. This week I was challenged to write a Sestina.

A Sestina s a fixed verse form consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, normally followed by a three-line envoi. The words that end each line of the first stanza are used as line endings in each of the following stanzas, rotated in a set pattern.
It gave me a headache. Anything having to do with numbers and counting, usually does. In the end though, I was glad for the challenge. Here is my very first Sestina..I hope you enjoy it..

Mothers and Daughters  (Sestina)
By Bernice L. McFadden

# Stanza 1... They say the hardest job in the world is mother... I think its eldest daughter.... From the first breath, prepped for a life ... as the future matriarch of a family.... Schooled early on in cooking, cleaning, loss, pain, love,... and how to smile even when you're not happy
# Stanza 2... I would have been better off as a boy, or the middle child of any sex, happy...  at least to be born last. The baby. Avoiding the lessons on becoming a mother... left alone to figure out life and love... on my own terms, instead of those conditions placed on the first daughter,... crowned princess of a poor family, ... who understood survival, but was unclear about the pursuit of the joys of life.
# Stanza 3... Scrambled eggs, perfect toast - I knew how to cook it all by age six. What a life.... Let's just say, I grew up fast, but not happy.... I made it no secret, my distaste for the role of big sister in my family.... At ten years old, I shook a feather duster at my mother,...  I don't want to be you, I said.  I'm happy just being sister and daughter.... She called me ungrateful, said what I’m teaching you is not punishment, its love.

# Stanza 4... Love ain't sitting around in fluffy slippers, eating bon-bons, love ... is mostly about dealing with the shit of life,... cleaning toilets, dusting furniture, dealing with Salty-mouthed daughters, ... like you, who believe the world owes you something. Be happy... you have a me to teach you the truth. I didn't have a mother,... just an aunt, drunken uncle and three mean cats. That's not love or family.
# Stanza 5... I roll my eyes, tired of all of this talk about family,... about what it is to be loved and to love.... She's the one who wanted a husband and children, who wanted to be a mother,... I have no interest in that. I want to travel the world, ride camels, spend my life... in search of the perfect beach. I say, that's what will make me happy.... I don't care if I never get married or ever have a daughter.

 # Stanza 6... Mama laughed, lit a cigarette, said: Oh my child, oh my daughter, ... you can circle the globe 100 times and it won't mean a thing without family.... You'll spend your life believing that you’re something other than unhappy, ... that a plane ticket and hotel room is all the love,... joy and adventure you need in your life.... Wait and see, she laughed. I know best, I'm your mother.

# Envoi (includes two keywords per line!)
Years later, I had a daughter and my world blossomed with love.Finally, a family of my own, a brightened life.Who knew that all my happy, would come from having a daughter? Oh yes, Mother.
All rights reserved © Bernice L. McFadden 2014







Bernice L. McFadden