The Egocentric Barley-Grain

The Egocentric Barley-grain is a reflective poetic form intended to teach a moral lesson, originating in The Order of Lofts. The rules of the form are applied by poets to produce individual poems which can be recited. The poem is divided into three distinct parts: a series of tercets, another three tercets and a series of quintains. Use of metaphor is characteristic of the form.

• The first part concerns the past. Certain lines have similar grammatical structures. It has lines with nine syllables.
• The second part concerns current events. Certain lines have similar grammatical structures. It has lines with ten syllables.
• The third part concerns the future. The fourth line of each quintain has the same grammatical structure as the second line. It has lines with eleven syllables.

Events