The Cueca Chileana Verse is:
- stanzaic, written in any number of septets with a refrain added after L4 making it an 8 line stanza.
- syllabic, 7-5-7-5-5: 5-7-5 per line. There is a slight pause between L5 and L6 suggesting L5 should be end-stopped.
- rhymed by assonance xaxaa:bxb or xaxaa:bab. x being unrhymed. True rhyme is generally not used.
- composed with a volta or change in thought between L5 and L6.
- written with L4 repeated as a refrain in L5 which is preceded by the word "Sí" in Spanish or "yes" in English.
Away
He left when the sky was grey,
sent away from me.
His painful kiss took my heart,
far across the sea,
yes, across the sea.
I still hear his voice,
the memory calling me,
swirling in a void.
--- Judi Van Gorder