Terza rima Poetry

Terza rima is an Italian verse form that utilizes a specific rhyme scheme and interlocking three-line stanzas. The rhyme scheme of terza rima is ABA, BCB, CDC, etc. The poem typically concludes with a single-line rhyming with the second line of the final tercet.

Terza rima was popularized by Dante Alighieri in ‘The Divine Comedy. This form creates a sense of continuous movement and progression in the poem, as each stanza’s rhyme is connected to the next, forging a smooth and flowing narrative.

Terza rima offers poets a structured yet flexible form to explore various themes and subjects, from introspection and spiritual reflection to storytelling and social commentary.

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The Abortion

by Anne Sexton

‘The Abortion’ by Anne Sexton is a harrowing and highly thoughtful account of a journey home from a pregnancy termination that explores complex emotions.

This poem follows the interlocking rhyming pattern of a terza rima. This could be intended to reflect the nuclear family, with two parents shielding a child in the center. However, it could also reflect a discordant presence in the center, which may symbolize the pregnancy the narrator wishes to terminate.

Somebody who should have been born

is gone.

Just as the earth puckered its mouth,

each bud puffing out from its knot,

I changed my shoes, and then drove south.

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Terza rima Poetry

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Terza rima Poetry

The Abortion

by Anne Sexton

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