The RONDEAU is yet another French form. Each line has eight to ten syllables that flow in an undulation of upbeats and downbeats. The first line begins with a refrain and ends with a rhyme. The refrain (A) and two rhymes (a and b) are woven through the fifteen-line structure in the order demonstrated below. Online sources cite this sequence as the most common of the variations that exist for this versatile form.
In addition, I managed to kill two prompts with one poem, #11 Night and #12 Change. Call it cheating if you want; I’m calling it ingenuity.
AFTER THE CHANGE
Aa On restless nights post-menopause,
a as hormones yield to nature’s laws,
b dreams disrupted by hot flashes
b In their throes, she madly thrashes,
a and her sweat-damp nightgown claws
a as though its neckline were the cause
a bemoaning sleep as once it was
b Cool water on her face she splashes
A on restless nights
a Back to the bedroom she withdraws
a to wrestle in insomnia’s
b firm grip until, at last, she crashes,
b up again as fever rachets
a and manly snoring shakes the walls
A on restless nights
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JUST JOAN 42 
that is very funny! am sure it’s not so funny for the one described, though…
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Unfair that our hubbies sleep soundly, having no idea what we go through during the night. I guess it is kind of funny, a little. 🙂
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And here was I thinking it was just a very hot Summer for me😉 I’m impressed again with your use of different forms. I hope you are getting a good night’s sleep!
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When winter comes, you’ll know for sure… heck, you might even be grateful for it then. Thanks for the visit and comment. Have a lovely Sunday! 🙂
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The joys of being a woman!😀 Hope you’re having a lovely Sunday Joan.
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As a man I can only guess of the pain and suffering you are going through. Fortunately for my wife, she had been spared from the agonies caused by the onslaught of menopause.
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A lucky lady she must be, Peter. Of course, little problems like this make it easy to fixate on something other than politics, so that’s a blessing. Thanks for the visit and comment. 🙂
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Nicely done! Oh goodness…not something I am looking forward to!
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For me, it was a mixed blessing. Sure, there are symptoms, but the migraines I had for decades almost entirely went away. A good trade, in my book. 🙂
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Ah, how very clever, Joan…ingenuity indeed! I have lived this one, I’m afraid. I so hate insomnia when I just get to sleep then that blasted alarm… Well, here’s to mixed blessings for sure 😀
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Amen to that, Lana. Guess we’re just too hot to handle! Keep looking for that silver lining… and remind yourself, the symptoms DO get better with time. 🙂
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By the way, I am a huge Springsteen fan…I love that song!
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You definitely did achieve ingenuity with this! But those hot flashes and snoring sure would make for a restless night. 😛
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I love you and your stuff, 42. But I confess, I still have trouble associating nightly hot flashes with poetry.
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Poetry is all about honesty… and romancing the ordinary. Muses do occasionally sing when I am already up in the middle of the night. 🙂
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