When I Knew Love - a Sextilla
When I Knew Love
There was a time when I knew love.
Even now, a time I dream of,
a time when words meant so much more,
when words were all I could afford.
A time when I was once adored,
a time I wish I could restore.
When black ink and those crimson lips,
when the gentle sway of those hips,
would make the world seem right again.
So why is it that I envy
all those who found what’s lost to me;
the love we thought we had back then.
Why did I come back to this place,
why do I constantly retrace
every wrong turn I made back then,
reading every word that we wrote
one another, why would I quote
my own lines time and again.
Because at one time I knew love,
the kind that I can but dream of,
and that was where it all began.
When words were all I could give,
there was a girl who would forgive
and accepted this foolish man.
But now that time has come and gone,
that love was gradually withdrawn.
There was a time when love meant more
when words were all I could afford,
but for so long they were ignored
and that’s what I must answer for.
About the form Sextilla
The sextilla, or Spanish sestet, is a type of sestet (6-line verse) that follows a set rhyme pattern, with each line having 8 syllables. The rhyme pattern can be of two, but must be followed throughout the poem.
Rhyme scheme 1 - aabccb
Rhyme scheme 2 - abbacc
There was a time when I knew love.
Even now, a time I dream of,
a time when words meant so much more,
when words were all I could afford.
A time when I was once adored,
a time I wish I could restore.
When black ink and those crimson lips,
when the gentle sway of those hips,
would make the world seem right again.
So why is it that I envy
all those who found what’s lost to me;
the love we thought we had back then.
Why did I come back to this place,
why do I constantly retrace
every wrong turn I made back then,
reading every word that we wrote
one another, why would I quote
my own lines time and again.
Because at one time I knew love,
the kind that I can but dream of,
and that was where it all began.
When words were all I could give,
there was a girl who would forgive
and accepted this foolish man.
But now that time has come and gone,
that love was gradually withdrawn.
There was a time when love meant more
when words were all I could afford,
but for so long they were ignored
and that’s what I must answer for.
About the form Sextilla
The sextilla, or Spanish sestet, is a type of sestet (6-line verse) that follows a set rhyme pattern, with each line having 8 syllables. The rhyme pattern can be of two, but must be followed throughout the poem.
Rhyme scheme 1 - aabccb
Rhyme scheme 2 - abbacc