Poetry Forms Challenge 2026: “Pirouette”

The Pirouette poetry form is, according to a 2014 post on the Poetry Forms blog of the Poetry Society of Tennessee, an invention of Chuck Belcher, who wrote a collection of them in “Our Daily Grind.” Unfortunately, this is all I could find out about Chuck Belcher. I found mention of the form in a message from poet Judi Van Gorder, aka Tinker, in a post on Poetry Magnum Opus, dating back to 2010.

I have to laugh, every time I see reference to “an invented form.” Aren’t they all invented by someone?

At any rate, the rules of the form are as follows:

1. 10 lines (decastich)
2. 6 syllables per line (hexasyllabic)
3. line 5 is repeated in line 6 (punctuation changes are allowed)
4. a turnaround (volta) after line 5, which according to the Poetry Society of Tennessee “must be sharp, taking the thought in a different, hopefully opposite, direction.”

In other words, unmetered hexasyllabic decastich with a sharp volta acting as a pirouette between lines 5 and 6. (You hate me now, don’t you?)

Seasons Change

Breezy Spring’s all too brief and
Summer’s end blazes near.
Thunder rolls down green hills
and lightning streaks the sky
when the west wind blows cold.

When the west wind blows cold
and triple-digit heat
gives way to autumn chill
bring kindling for the fire
to ward off Winter’s freeze.

Your turn!

Give the Pirouette form a try – here, in comments, or on your own blog (leave me a link, here, if you post it publicly – I’d love to read it).