Our Love Is Like the Rainbow

July Requirements

Form: Kyrielle Sonnet
A Kyrielle Sonnet consists of 14 lines (three rhyming quatrain stanzas and a non-rhyming couplet). Just like the traditional Kyrielle poem, the Kyrielle Sonnet also has a repeating line or phrase as a refrain (usually appearing as the last line of each stanza). Each line within the Kyrielle Sonnet consists of only eight syllables. French poetry forms have a tendency to link back to the beginning of the poem, so common practice is to use the first and last line of the first quatrain as the ending couplet. This would also re-enforce the refrain within the poem. Therefore, a good rhyming scheme for a Kyrielle Sonnet would be:

AabB, ccbB, ddbB, AB -or- AbaB, cbcB, dbdB, AB.


Using picture prompt:

Our great love is like the rainbow,
stretching high above Earth Mother.
The arc of color so we know
how much we love one another.

Red is the passion that we feel.
Orange is strength for each other.
Yellow’s happiness so surreal.
How much we love one another!

Green is the sign of life and hope;
Blue is peace that none can smother
Indigo gives us strength to cope.
How much we love one another!

Our great love is like the rainbow!
How much we love one another!

This piece was inspired by a Native American legend in addition to the picture prompt. The legend is:
Once upon a time the colors of the worldstarted to quarrel: all claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favorite. GREEN said: "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, leaves, trees--without me, all animals would die. Look out over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority." BLUE interrupted: "You only think about the Earth, but consider the sky and sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea.The sky gives space and peace and serenity.Without my peace, you would all be nothing." YELLOW chuckled:"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth to the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you
look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me, there would be no fun." ORANGE started next to blow her temper.
"I am the color of health and strength.I may be scarce but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots,pumpkins, oranges, mangos, and pawpaws.I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you".RED could stand it no longer.He shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you! I am blood! Lifes blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire to the blood! I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poppy and the poinsettia. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon!" PURPLE rose up to his full height.He was very tall and spoke with great pomp:"I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am a sign of authority and wisdom.People do not question me, they listen and obey". Finally, INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am
the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight
and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace." And so all the colors went on boasting and
quarreling, each convinced of their own superiority. Soon, their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a
startling flash of bright lightening! Thunder rolled and boomed! Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear drawing close to one another for comfort. In the midst of the clamor, RAIN began to speak: "You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me." Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The rain continued:"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of colors as a reminder that you can all live in peace.
The rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow". And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a rainbow appears in the sky,
let us remember to appreciate one another.

And, yes, I know I omitted purple/violet, but with the line restriction, one had to be left out, so I chose to omit pompousness and authority from the the piece.