Back from the Dead Again!!! Rondeaus Don't Die; They Multiply!

Dear Readers:
Another year, another re-launch for the Rondeau Roundup Blog! Glad to be back for Spring 2012!

Very soon, I will be posting the results of the English 352: Forms of Poetry Rondeau Challenge. Every time I teach a forms of poetry class, I challenge my students to write and perform a rondeau in front of the class. This year's winners will be posted here on the blog!

Until then, here's a shameless (or shameful, depending on your point of view) rondeau modeled off of Paul Laurence Dunbar's famous rondeau "We Wear the Mask," with a nod to that great contemporary poet, Chris Rock:


Clear Heels: A Rondeau

We wear the heels that hurt our feet,
spray on perfume that’s extra sweet,
buy clothes that make the boys all stare—
rock booty shorts, and dye our hair,
all of our gear low, tight, and neat.

Attracting men? We can’t be beat;
all ugly girls we will defeat.
We never said that life was fair.
We wear the shoes

that make your boyfriends want to cheat
on you. Be careful we don’t meet
or else they’ll fall in love. We swear
we’ll have them drooling, if you dare.
God made us fly, so cute, petite.
We wear the shoes.


Allison Joseph