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This week’s prompt is the “ode” a famous form of Ancient Greek poetry which was reused quite a few times during the Renaissance. Now before I get into the actual form of “ode” the point of an ode is to express a strong “heroic” and “epic” emotion about any topic. Like for example, an ode about the high and mighty Zeus. Now it’s not necessary that the topic in question should also be worthy of the epic atmosphere we give to it, in fact various Renaissance poets put extremely vague and undeserving topics in an epic atmosphere. Hence, taking inspiration from them, we’re gonna make an ode about, everyone’s favourite, BUGS!!!

Yes, you heard(or read) that right! You have to make an ode about any arthropod of your choice! Keep in mind that this arthropod should be held in high pride, it’s greatness should be written down with high and mighty words that signify its importance, any reader should feel insignificant when compared to this great insect!

As for how to write an ode, odes are usually rhyming poems with an irregular meter. They are broken into stanzas (the "paragraphs" of poetry) with five-ten lines each, sometimes following a rhyming pattern, although rhyme is not required for a poem to be classified as an ode. Usually, odes have three to five stanzas in them.

This said, I would personally suggest you to try and follow a definite meter(iamb works best) and rhyme scheme; but it’s entirely your choice to experiment and have fun with!

Happy writing!

Tl;dr

Aim: To write an ode about an arthropod.

Ode is a form of poetry with 3-5 stanzas, each with about 5-10 lines; with rhyme scheme and meter of any choice.

@Gower @Ozoni @Mayana @Orange @Austinc @ninjapitka @IsentinelPenguin @Fiscean-Chef@The_Broken_God  @TharaApples @C6H8O6 @Cupcakitty_13

Points list:

Gower: 21

Ozoni: 8

Mayana: 4

Orange: 11

Austinc: 12

IPenguin:4

Fiscean: 13

Broken god: 12

Thara:4

Cricket:5

Ninja: 14

Me: 18

Cupcake: 4

C6H8: 4

Oh c’mon cricky, you know what I actually meant! I just said Arthropods are normal, average, and not something worth paying attention to unless you’re a depressed teen/ a toddler! I never called them undeserving, they’re just unimportant and not worth my time. 

Ode to the protagonist of Hollow Knight

You small and nail-armed beetle in the air,

You hollow knight with leap and dash and charms--

Your fruitless journey through the Deepnest lair

I guide.  Without a light, through buggy harms.

What acid pools will melt your stoic shell?

How will you find the guy who sells the map?

What bullshit bosses lurk here in this hell?

Oh, great, you died again, that's total crap.

A lunge, retreat, a leap:  you take a hit

and die.  You wake up on a bench.  You run

back the place you died, and die, you shit.

You try again, and die and die.  How fun.

The night is long; the dawn begins to lighten,

And while I rage, you stand, a bug serene,

Heroic in your armor made of chitin,

Prepared to die again upon my screen.

It hurts when he gets hit more than a hit should.

I ask the forums: "get a clue, you n00b."

"Yo learn2play."  "Why don't you git gud."

"Just watch the ending sequences on Youtube."

Admitted, there are times I long to rage quit.

But there, O bug, you stand strong.  And then I

know this is a war.  I'm here to wage it.

Lead forth the way with your long antennae.

Love how the couplet rhyme scheme and iambic deccameter intertwine in harmony, and even in each stanza, the meter is still uniform, even if the style of writing the sentences changes drastically. This poem could easily be adapted into a song, which is very good for an ode. 

The ‘epic’ factor was also nailed brilliantly, the strong emotions are clearly expressed, and I could really feel a sense of pride swell up inside me, at the end. I like the creative idea (as well as its execution) of using forum quotes; heck someone should post this on Hollow Knight’s official forum page for fun!

Even though the rhythm was consistent, maybe it’s just me, but I felt a few words, typically at the ending of some lines, a bit out of place. Like, “you shit” maybe you could’ve used another derogatory term that conveys the same message, but one that does not interfere with the iambic form. “And then I” also poses the same problem of somewhat interfering the iamb meter.

In all, an enjoyable and memorable experience for the reader! 5 points!

Thanks for the review!  One small note--instead of "couplet" (which would be AABB...) this is in cross-rhyme (ABAB...).

Ah yeah! My bad, lol. 

Should be interesting.

ShoujoAddict,

Thank you for the explanation. I have lost so much information that I once knew, it can be frustrating.  So, Although I remember learning these things, I still do not recall their meaning.  It is a bit like tip of the tongue syndrome.  So, you breaking this down and giving a detailed explanation is very helpful to one like myself.  Thank you.  I was able to relearn something. 

Oracle 

Cool!