Y is for You and Ya-Du

It's April, so the Blogging from AtoZ Challenge is in full swing. My theme is Watercolor and Words.  This year I am painting a watercolor to go with each letter and composing a poem to accompany it with a type of poetry that starts with the letter of the day.  I am mostly experimenting with the watercolors still, so don't expect perfection....

Clicking on the letter of the day will bring you to the main site which has links to get to other participants if you would like to go on an alphabetical adventure!

 

 

The ya-du is a Burmese poetic form. Here are the guidelines:

• written in five-line stanzas
• first four lines have 4 syllables each
  
• final lined can have 5,7,9,or 11 syllables
• fourth syllable of the first line rhymes with the third syllable of the second line and the second syllable of the third line
• fourth syllable of the third line rhymes with the third syllable of the fourth line and the second syllable of the fifth line.
• fourth syllable of the fourth line rhymes with the final syllable of the final line.
• usually is about seasons.
• most written in three or fewer stanzas.

To begin, I had to color code the rhymes, and space the lines to write between them!

example:

x  x  x  a

x  x  a  x

x  a  x  b

x  x  b  c 

x  b  x  x  c

Though they usually have 3 or fewer stanzas, I wrote 4.  And it is usually written about seasons, and I chose to write about seasons of us.  

Then I painted my You and Me, Two watercolor.  Though it's not a great likeness, it's probably best that way.

 

 

You and Me, Two

I think of you – 

how as two, we

just knew we could

conquer, would win 

and should, vowed, begin.

 

I think of us –

what a fuss to 

entrust this life, 

man and wife crowned,   

where strife might abound.

 

I think of me –

half a being,

at sea, you-less;

but with blessings'  

redressings, I sing!

 
I think more now

of the power

of how someday

we'll replay love 

with grace from above.

by Donna JT Smith ©2025

Feel free to syllable and rhyme check this if you are wondering how accurate I was!  I am NOT going to revise it, though.  And I'm certainly done checking.  (note "grace" is a near-rhyme for "play" half of "replay".) Every time you change one leeeettle beeeet of it, you have to change gobs.  I started this two days ago.  Did bits and waited until it made sense and followed the format. I wanted it to make sense to my life and as a poem and not sound too mechanical - which can easily happen.

One more letter to go.  If you know your alphabet and your calendar...you'll know tomorrow is the last day of the month and the last letter of the alphabet is ... anyone? anyone? (Ferris Beuller's Day Off, right?)