Higitus Figitus,
Arthur of Camelot,
Heaved at the stubborn thing;
Pulled it out!
Previous Monarchy,
Unsatisfactory,
Merlin has succeeded,
Scream and shout!
My Alphabetical Poetry – Letter D
For more poetry forms starting with the letter D, click HERE.
Double Dactyl
Definition
A verse form, also known as “higgledy piggledy,” invented by Anthony Hecht and Paul Pascal. Like a limerick, it has a rigid structure and is usually humorous, but the double dactyl is considerably more rigid and difficult to write. There must be two stanzas, each comprising three lines of dactylic dimeter followed by a line with a dactyl and a single accent. The two stanzas have to rhyme on their last line. The first line of the first stanza is repetitive nonsense. The second line of the first stanza is the subject of the poem, a proper noun (usually someone’s name). Note that this name must itself be double-dactylic. There is also a requirement for at least one line of the second stanza to be entirely one double dactyl word, for example “va-le-dic-tor-i-an”.
