I don't know how any of you have done it. I've been trying and either it's a line or more to long or there's no meter. Arrggg!

At this point I like your I idea, Roger!

I'm not giving up yet, though.

Cheers to all!
Donna

http://www.terminartors.com/artworkp...i_Pace-St_Lucy


See where the sainted Lucy stands,
A silver salver in her hands,
Inviting gawpers, who are straying
Nearer to see what she’s displaying.
Two poached eggs? That would be jolly.
Little pickled onions? Prolly.
Ugh! The poor fools!
Can the poor innocents not see?
You know they can’t (but nor can she).
Roll up, roll up! Confirm the rumour!
Under their glaze of vitreous humour
Lucy’s eyes are on display!
Excellent showmanship! Hooray!
Saint Lucy rules!

Very clever, Ann, and an interesting nod to the contest judge--so long as she doesn't think you are implying that the umpire is blind.

Susan

. . . . or comparing her eyes to poached eggs and pickled onions . . .

Yes, of course it follows automatically, but understanding that fact when you decide on a final line (as at first I did not) can be a big time saver. Another thing to consider in advance is the total number of letters of the final line. If you want to write quatrains, a multiple of four can be useful.

Moreover, since we are restricted to a maximum of sixteen lines, we are also restricted to a maximum of sixteen letters in that last line. So if all the lines are to measure up to it, then IP is out of the question.

I cheated in mine by making it a half-line, but it's another hurdle to leap.

Susan - I wasn't going to send in my earlier effort. Heavens forfend! It was just that I had been wittering on about the rules and restrictions for so long that I felt I should either put up or shut up!

I don't want to upset Lucy. I have finally plucked up the courage to ask about my cheque for Competition 2709 and I fear her ire!

It isn't Lucy who is in charge of paying, Ann. Why not ask for the Accounts Department directly? There's a nice man there who paid me without demur.

Oh, I didn't accuse her of being tightfisted or remiss - I assumed it was an accounting glitch. She's OK, is Lucy. I wouldn't dream of presenting her as a sort of manic vestal virgin with her eyeballs on a tray...

I'm a manic vestal virgin with her eyeballs on a tray

There's a poem there surely.

I thought this was a paracrostic but it is not--the last line is not the same as the vertical line. Please disregard! This is a tough one.