Triolet

The triolet is a French poetic form consisting of eight lines, turning on only two rhymes, and including two refrains. The scheme is A-B-a-A-a-b-A-B. Each line of the poem is the same metrical length. Here's an example I wrote earlier. Each line in this one is five syllables, and I've put in the rhyme and refrain scheme.

Words are fussy things (A)
Meaning on the move (B)
Bells, whistles and rings (a)
Words are fussy things (A)
When the poet sings (a)
And the flowers prove (b)
Words are fussy things (A)
Meaning on the move (B)

This form seems to be fairly simple at first sight, but you might find that when you sit down to write one that you get stuck. What I have the most trouble with is that there are only five distinct lines, and that the (A) refrain has to be used three times... makes me think closely about the line (A) & (B). Here's another example from today's writing:

Virgil led Dante down to hell
Dirty soap suds spiral the drain
Like Satan thrown from heaven fell
Virgil led Dante down to hell
A ghastly and sulfuric smell
Chased each breath with a shot of pain
Virgil led Dante down to hell
Dirty soap suds spiral the drain

And if you want to get really adventurous with this form, you might try to change the refrain lines with punctuation. Some writers will put a comma or a fullstop in a refrain and have it lead into the next line to enhance the effect or to change the meaning of the line. Once you've got the rules down, the thing to do next is to break them! If you decide to try a triolet, let me know so I can check it out. I'd love to see what you come up with.