Lynn Finger
You say you saw the planets form,
you say you talk to deaf beetles.
You say you have an extra collarbone,
you say you can sing with the coyotes.
But do they sing with you?
I have been to Las Vegas & Madrid,
I haven’t seen planets form, but a cocoon.
I have read most books by Stephen King, but not all,
I don’t sing with the coyotes, but dance.
But what have the deaf beetles told you?
Then you said, they said the moon was yours.
Then I said, when was it for sale?
& you pulled the moondust in a fist from your coat,
& gently blew it in rain over us both.
I call this form “Dancing Sonnet.”
The first 4 lines start with “You,” with the 5th line as a question. Then the next 4 lines start with “I” and the 10th line is another question. Line 11 starts “Then you,” and Line 12 starts, “Then I.” The 13th and 14th lines are the resolution.
Variations could include starting lines with other pronouns (We, they, he, she, or even using nouns such as the seagull, the donkey, the wind, etc.) as long as there is an actor and an action, and the first five lines are about the first actor, and the second five lines about the second actor.