The Ballad: "Lover's First Steps"

 I pulled out from the bag this week's chosen poetry form, and it was the Ballad (or Ballade). 

Last week when I proposed my learning project, I think I failed to introduce it properly. Here is my redemption: I went on to search for different poem types and found 25 Different Types of Poem to Explore by Savannah Jackson. I wrote each of these on small papers and folded them haphazardly into this equally small bag. Like I did this week, I took one of these papers, and the poetry style written is the lucky one for the week. 

I took this poetry form to a Google search and looked at its features. Did you know that a ballad poem traditionally consisted of quatrains with rhyming 'abcb'? It was originally a hit during the late medieval period and was designed to be sung and danced to. Ballad poems were intended to tell stories with musical accompaniment. I looked at many sites to learn about ballads like the following:

Ballad by The Poetry Foundation

Ballad by Poets.org

Ballade Poem: Definition and Examples of the Poetic Form

8 of the Best Examples of Ballad Poems

10 Ballad Examples Everyone Should Learn

I also looked at famous examples of ballads like "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe, "Ballad of the Moon" by Frederico García Lorca, "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" by John Keats, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

Over time, the features of the traditional ballad were adapted, and many ballad poems only mimicked parts of the original features. 

The draft of my ballad

When it came to my writing in the ballad form, I recognized I wanted that 'abcb' rhyme scheme and repeated this for four stanzas. After I brainstormed for possible stories I could tell through this poem, I went with something inspired by dance and romance. It took a couple revisions in order to achieve the final product, and I feel mostly satisfied with it. Honestly, if it weren't for the research I did, I would be clueless. This ballad could have been worse. 

Have at it, my ballad critiques!

"Lover's First Steps"

"Lover's First Steps" by Justine David

Left feet, wobbly knees, 

long live my lover by the wall;

just wanted a simple waltz,

now, I'm left feeling small.

Bright-eyed, he looked around,

hoping for the invitation dropped,

but when a man took my hand,

all the world's music stopped.

Emotions came in three counts,

long live this rhythm's composer,

confused and enraged but knowing

all I wanted was for him to be closer.

Oh, my coward in dismay,

let us not argue over faults;

when the next song begins, 

ask me for that simple waltz. 

What does it mean? 

    I wanted to depict a scene about a missed opportunity for love. The narrator's lover who rejected a dance invitation has to watch his person be with someone else. I wanted to show that we can have love, but we have to be open to it. I also wanted to convey deep love in this narrator who is affected by their lover. Even in this other person's arms, the narrator was thinking about the lover, and although the lover denied the narrator, he was given another chance. This ballad is supposed to be an advice of sorts to those who are hesitant to take steps towards love. I hope the meaning was justly conveyed in those short lines. 

I've added this ballad to my poetry book which I bought from Yoyoso. I think this week wasn't a bad start, but I know I can improve. Let me know your thoughts. Stay tuned for the next poem! (If you predict the next poetry style correctly, I will include you in my next post as an honorable mention).