– a lục bát poem (sort of) – by K. Mikolajek
Have the fruit trees gone yet?
Have the crab apples met the ground?
(one last time)
-so small, that thudding sound-
Girlhood played, stayed; unbound now when
writing poems again.
New hammock hung, and then she basks -
That blest glow; mem'ry's mask.
What is a lục bát poem? Briefly, this form of poetry comes from Vietnam. The name translates to six eight – a reference to the alternating couplets of 6 and 8 syllables. The sixth syllable of the 6-syllable line should rhyme with the sixth syllable of the 8-syllable line. Confusing? The form creates an internal rhyme looking something like:
*****A, *****A*B, *****B, *****B*C, *****C, *****C*D, etc.
A lục bát in Vietnamese will have other characteristics that are more challenging to achieve in English.
“Every Time I Drive by My Childhood Home” slightly alters the lục bát structure and is relatively short. But I enjoyed the process and would write more using the form.
Feel like attempting your own lục bát? Mistakes will be made (counting syllables is tough). Just keep trying! Your poem can run as short as mine or as long as Nguyen Du’s The Tale of Kiều (3k+ lines)!
VerseVarmint 
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