So November 2nd observes another quirky but fun holiday — Look at Circles Day! And since November is also Family Stories Month, it’s the perfect time to reflect on and record the beautiful, ever-turning circles of our lives — the stories, love, and laughter that bind us together. So, for today’s Poetic Sunday, I bring you the Catena Rondo – a form that allows us to celebrate both these observances.

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Poetic Sunday: Catena Rondo: Circular Chains of Love and Life!

Just as family stories repeat, echo, and evolve with each telling, the Catena Rondo circles back upon itself — line by line, rhyme by rhyme — weaving continuity and connection in every stanza.

h/t: poetscollective, Writer’s Digest, and more

What is the Catena Rondo Poetic Form?

Catena Rondo is a poetic form created by 20th century Canadian poet, Robin Skelton. It is made up of three or more quatrains, where L1 and L4 of each quatrain are the same; while L2 and L3 rhyme. Additionally L2 of each quatrain becomes L1 of the following one. And the last quatrain is a repetition of the first quatrain bringing the poem back full circle. Some sources indicate an original L3 for this last quatrain as well, to bring a twist to the ending. So this is up to the poet.

The name itself comes from the words catena (meaning chain), and rondo (meaning circle).

The Catena Rondo’s Characteristics

So the catena rondo’s elements are that it is:

• stanzaic: written in three or more quatrains
• rhymed: Each quatrain has a rhyme pattern of ABbA
• refrained: The first line of each quatrain is also the final line of the quatrain while the second line of each quatrain is the first line of the next quatrain. Finally, The final quatrain should repeat the first quatrain word for word. Some other sources do mention the use of an original third line though to add a twist to the ending, or not.
  • So this also means that L2 of the penultimate quatrain is the same as L1/L4 of the first (and the final) stanzas!!
• meter: optional, none specified. No rules for meter, syllables, or theme. Just all those rhyming refrains.

So a five quatrain catena rondo, would have a structure like this: where capital letters indicate refrained lines, and small letters indicate the rhyming lines

ABbA, BCcB, CDdC, DAaD, ABbA

(Note that the L3 in the last stanza can be the same or different from L3 in the first one, depending on the poet)

My Catena Rondo Attempt

Circles of Stories

Around the table, laughter rings,
stories sparkle, soft and bright,
memories bloom in gentle light,
around the table, laughter rings.

Stories sparkle, soft and bright,
hearts bonding over the years,
faces glow with smiles and tears,
stories sparkle, soft and bright.

Hearts bonding over the years,
around the table, laughter rings,
our family’s tapestry, with love it sings,
hearts bonding over the years.

Around the table, laughter rings,
stories sparkle, soft and bright,
love lingers here to hearts’ delight,
around the table, laughter rings.

~ Vidya Tiru @ LadyInReadWrites

Circles appear in so many forms in family life — in the laughter around the table, in stories that weave through generations, and in the many quiet moments that linger in our hearts. Just like a Catena Rondo, these circles repeat, overlap, and sometimes take unexpected turns (oh, I know that is not really possible with circles, but think of many dimensions…), and they always bring us back to the joy of connection.

What about you? Where do you see circles of love, life, and family around you?

Recently

On My Blog And the Homefront

• Moonlit Tales of Life and Love
• Once Upon a Spooky Time: Revisiting Halloween Magic
• Sunday Scribblings #236: Festive Poems of Light and Gratitude

Not much on the home-front, just very full days, and many Minnie Mouses made their appearance on Halloween where I was, as did inflatable costumes of green aliens, dinosaurs, Minecraft characters, and cute axolotls, as well as brilliant homemade costumes among many others.

Upcoming

On My Blog and On the Homefront

Busy days ahead as well, and hope to get at least one post (or two) out here.

Celebrations

Literary Celebrations (close-to-it also!)

• Literary birthdays this week include: Terrence McNally and William Cullen Bryant on Nov 3rd; Charles Frazier and Joyce Maynard on the 5th of Nov; James Jones and Colson Whitehead on Nov 6th; Albert Camus and Helen Garner on the 7th; Bram Stoker, Margaret Mitchell, Raja Rao, and Kazuo Ishiguro on Nov 8th; Anne Sexton on Nov 9th
• November is a month for lots of literary celebrations!! It is Family Stories Month, National Life Writing Month, National Family Literacy Month, and of course NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month!
• The 3rd is Cliche Day
• International Tongue Twister Day – Second Sunday in November (so the 9th)

Foodie Celebrations

• Nov 3rd is National Sandwich Day
• The 4th of November is National Candy Day
• While Nov 5th is National Doughnut Day 
• Followed by National Nachos Day on the 6th
• National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day is on Nov 7th
• And National Fig Week is celebrated November 1st through the 7th.
• Then Nov 8th is National Cappuccino Day

Other Celebrations and Observations

• November 3rd is National Accessory Day, Give Someone a Dollar Day, and Zero Tasking Day
• National Stress Awareness Day is on the first Wednesday in November
• Nov 6th observes Saxophone Day
• And National Bison Day is celebrated on the first Saturday in November, which is the 8th. Nov 8th is also National STEM/STEAM Day and World Radiography Day
• 9th Nov is World Freedom Day and World Adoption Day

Wrapped Up: My Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, you have reached the end of this Sunday Scribblings! As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about this post. Will you be attempting to write the catena rondo? And, of course, do let me know if you plan to celebrate any of these mentioned celebrations this coming week/month?

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon.