This week’s W3 Weave Written Weekly #196 is devised by our Poet of the Week, Svenja, who challenges us to write a Double Tetractys — a what? Yes, a Double Tetractys is what she wants. Thank you, Svenja!
The form was invented in 1999 by Harlow poet Ray Stebbing. To quote Mr Stebbing:
“It seems that Euclid, the mathematician of classical times, considered the number series 1, 2, 3, 4 to have mystical significance because its sum is 10.”
The Double Tetractys is a syllabic form consisting of five lines with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 10 syllables — then mirrored in reverse. To read the full prompt guidelines, click below.
Svenja’s Double Tetractys Guidelines
This week, write a Double Tetractys — a 10-line poem with a fixed syllable pattern.
Theme: something spicy or a little naughty. Keep it suggestive rather than explicit. Let tension, humor, and implication do the work.
What is a Double Tetractys?
A Double Tetractys is made of two Tetractys poems joined together:
The first five lines build up
The next five lines mirror them in reverse
Syllable pattern (per line):
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 10 / 10 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
That’s it. Ten lines. Exact syllable counts.
I hope you enjoy my Double Tetractys, The Flirt!
The Flirt
Oh!
he winked
did he wink?
I’m sure he did
I lower my eyes and blush bright pink
Is he still looking?—I think he is
I sneak a glance
my eyes meet
his… and
Oh!
—Lesley Scoble, January 2026
THANK YOU
My thanks to Svenja for her inspirational prompt.
My thanks to David, as always, for his amazing encouragement, for which I am so grateful.
And my thanks to you, dear reader, for spending time with my poem.
LesleyScoble.com 
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