A quatern has four stanzas, each of which has four lines. Each line contains eight syllables. It does not have to rhyme, but it does follow a specific pattern of line repetition: the first stanza's first line is repeated as the second stanza's second line, the third stanza's third, and the final stanza's fourth. <br /> <br /> <br />Worth <br /> <br />My humble soul receives its worth <br />as hands caress the fertile soil. <br />A grateful earth rewards my heart <br />with gift of seed to tend and sow. <br /> <br />As saplings rise from 'neath the ground, <br />my humble soul receives its worth. <br />They seek nutrition from the sun <br />and thirst for April's sodden dower. <br /> <br />through tender care they thrive and grow <br />and in return they nourish me. <br />My humble soul recieves its worth <br />with every breath of pure grown air. <br /> <br />With every blossom's lovely bloom, <br />with every grass and tree that's green, <br />with every rose whose thorns do sting, <br />my humble soul receives it's worth. <br /> <br />©2008 Dawn Slanker<br /><br />Dawn Slanker<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/worth-a-quatern/
