I will be taking a break to compete in a novel writing contest. After that I will keep my promise to start another poetry blog, going over the forms still to be covered, in a more organized fashion, such as by region, or style. I hope this has been as entertaining and educational for you as it has been for me.

Day 365:

June 30-It’s tough to figure out what to write as the last poem for this year-long project.  D.S. Teller suggested writing a final poem with one of the forms already shown. Then keep a promise to write another blog organizing the poetic forms by region, or style. I decided to make the last poem for this blog to be a Paradelle, a humorous form created by Billy Collins, it was a parody of the Villanelle. Full of nonsense, this fun form aptly closes this blog.

Stanzaic, a poem in 4 sixains, meter and rhyme at poet’s discretion, but the first 3 stanzas must be identical in form. Written with repetition, L1 of each  of the first 3 stanzas is repeated in L2 and L3 is repeated in L4. L5 and L6 are written using every word from L1-L4, no additions, no subtractions. The fourth stanza is composed of every word used in the preceding 3 stanzas with no additions, no subtractions, no need to do repeats like the first 3 stanzas.

Title: Silly Love Songs

Silly love songs drive me loopy

Silly love songs drive me loopy

Crazy words, with parody

Crazy words, with parody

Crazy, silly, loopy love songs

Drive me with parody words.

Lovely lasses look ahead

Lovely lasses look ahead

Kisses and hugs needed

Kisses and hugs needed

Kisses and hugs look ahead

Lovely lasses needed.

Call the music forward

Call the music forward

And wish me luck

And wish to me luck

Call me forward

And to wish the music luck.

Silly love songs with crazy words

Kisses and hugs drive lovely lasses

Wish parody to look ahead

Luck needed forward

Call me the music

And me loopy.

Day 364:

June 29-Red Wheelbarrow form, An imagist movement experiment. I don’t pretend to be an expert on this, but essentially created by William Carlos Williams, lacks punctuation, erratic lineation, using “No ideas but in things” to provide a “clear vision” of the object or topic. Rhythm is determined by the phrase, not in traditional rhythms. Using “Saxifrage” a Latin term literally meaning “Breaking Rocks” to split a line. The first 2 lines sets the mood, the next 2 introduces the image, the next 4(or more, no limit) build upon the mood and description of the image. Use of apt metaphors with limited descriptions.

William’s child

                Born

Red Wheelbarrow

                Form

Breaking rocks

                Crisp vision

No ideas

                But in things.

Day 363:
June 28-Trinet, 3 phrases, with the following word count. L1 & L2=2 words, L3 & L4=6 words, L5-7=2 words. Centered.

    A Trinet

                Shape poem
Using words to make a picture
Center the words to make a cross
                Three phrases
                Repeated form
                By Zion.
 

Two words

            Two more
Then make line three have six
And then followed by line four
                Line five
                Line six
                Line seven
 

It’s easy

             To do
Try it yourself and you’ll see
A unique poetic form to write
             Go on
             Try it
        You’ll see.

Day 362:

June 27-Rolling Rhyme, an invention shared with D.S. Teller. Abcbcdcdedef, can be extended, no set meter, rolling like a wave, can be divided into tercets. Title: Clouds

A final sway among the clouds

A flying fling above the sky
An eager eaglet spreading wing
So joyful, eager, flying high
With wonder welling up to sing
Yet rolling thunder close at hand
The winter winds disasters bring
The brave bird dares to make a stand
Against forces mighty and strong
With courage glides toward his band
All cowered, yet it’s not for long
For storm clouds leave, returns the sun!

Day 361:

June 26-Renkay, American form of Renga, 5 linked tercets, each with 17 or less syllables, short/long/short lines, common theme, often end with Senryu as final stanza. Mostly with 2 or more poets, but can be done with one.

Five linked Tercets

Seventeen syllables, more or less

A Renkay.

Short, long, short

A common theme prevails

One or more poets.

American Renga

Similar to Asian Haikus

Unrhymed

Linking previous work

Fosters developmental links

Shared work

Communal

Initials, italics, or change of font

Shared ideas.

Day 360:

June 25-Blues Stanza, Langston Hughes invention, any number of tercets, monorhyme, typically repeated in first two lines, or with minor variation. 12 syllables broken into half lines, themes are laments, suffering, blues, life’s struggles, life experiences, often with sarcasm and humor. Third line is typically a “climatic parallel” Title: Peace, Be Still

.”A storm” says the captain

------each wave was like a wall

“A squall” says the skipper

------each wave tall as a wall

Water nearly drowns us

------til it hears the Lord’s call.

Day 359:

June 24- Monotetra, by Michael Walker, 1 or more stanzas, 8 syllables, monosyllable, L4 4 syllables repeated.

A Monotetra monorhyme

By Michael Walker, most sublime

Eight syllables, stanzas a dime

Now make the time, now make the time.

Day 358:

June 23-Catena Rondo, from Canada, any meter, 3 or more phrases/Quatrains, L2 and L3 couplet, ABbA/BCcB,/CDdC, etc. then bring back to ABbA to finish. Invented by Robert Skelton.

Yes, a Catena Rondo is a fine poem.

This Canadian form is one that you should try

No meter to worry, nothing to make one cry

 Yes, a Catena Rondo is a fine poem.

This Canadian form is one that you should try

Three or more phrases with most repeated lines

ABbA, BCcB, and see the designs?

This Canadian form is one that you should try

Three or more phrases with most repeated lines

Then close the final quatrain with ABbA

Robert Skelton created this poetic way

Three or more phrases with most repeated lines

 Yes, a Catena Rondo is a fine poem.

This Canadian form is one that you should try

This is an easy form to try and that’s no lie

 Yes, a Catena Rondo is a fine poem.

Day 357:

June 22-Back to forms, Split Sestet, any number of stanzas, aabaab, a has 6 syllables, b with 3(short/short/long)-Anapest

A Split Sestet you see

Aabaab

It’s the best

And any number, free

The b must be truly

Anapest

June 356:

June 21- Lakota/Blackfoot Sun Dance, festival of prayer, fasting, dancing, and healing. A poem

Natives rejoice!

Do the Sun Dance!

Celebrating summer

Fasting, healing, dancing

The festival of prayer

Sunshine refresh

Regenerate!

June 355:

June 20- Feast of the Great Spirit/Great Mystery, Iroquois, Cherokee, Lakota, Zuni, and other references to Pan Native-American Unity Day. Remembering this feast with a poem.

A feast!

Rejoice!

Unity

Festival

Great Spirit

Festive

Honor

Day 354:

June 19- Juneteenth, a poem celebrating this holiday

Free!

Freedom!

Freedom Day!

Bondage ended

Emancipation

Slavery abolished

June 19 celebrated

General order number three

Emancipation Proclamation

Liberty for all finally declared.

Day 353:

June 18-Cascade, 4 or more phrases, unrhymed with no set meter, ABCD/deA/fgB/hiC

A poem with no set Meter

Tis a rhymeless scheme

This is called a Cascade.

Like a waterfall

Or the rolling tide

A poem with no set Meter

While ABC starts it

And each phrase ends with A,B, or C

Tis a rhymeless scheme

A simple form it is

A phrase per beginning line,

This is called a Cascade.

Day 352:

June 17-back to forms, the Eintou, West African/African American 7 line form, imagery, humor, and language used. Syllable count-2/4/6/8/6/4/2. Cyclic flow of life, nature, and return. “We flow from and through and ultimately return to that from which we came. Jazz roots.

Eintou

African form

A seven line poem

With 2,4,6,8,6,4,2

Imagery, humor

A cyclic flow

Return.

June 355:

June 20- Feast of the Great Spirit/Great Mystery, Iroquois, Cherokee, Lakota, Zuni, and other references to Pan Native-American Unity Day. Remembering this feast with a poem.

A feast!

Rejoice!

Unity

Festival

Great Spirit

Festive

Honor

Day 351:

Jun 16-Father’s Day, a poem in their honor(#12,841)

A day for Fathers

Remember dad

A choice: rest or play?

Hoping you’ll be glad.

Happy Father’s Day!

Day 350:

June 15-back to forms, A German form called Minnesang, Sixain(6 lines), Iambic Tetrameter(8 syllables), with longer line at end, typically 12-16 syllables. Rhyme scheme ababcc or abbcaa. Typically used as an unrequited love song.

The Minnesang’s a German song

With ababcc lines

Iambic tetrameter long

Or abbcaa signs

The lyrics love songs lost to one

A longer line then closes out the poem and you’re done.

Here is a love song.

I miss you, of that I know

What happened to us both, dear?

I loved you but you said to go

We’re apart now, but wish you’re near

It seems forever and always

That we parted, but I’ll truly love you for all my days.

Day 349:

June 14-Flag Day, a poem

The Red

The White

The Blue

Courage

The Pure

And True

The Stripes

The Stars

At Play

Fly High

Salute

Flag Day!

Day 348:

June 13-Unlucky? Here’s a poem to change your luck! Title: Change Your Luck

Rabbit’s foot

Horseshoe

Salt

Bad luck?

Try good luck!

Day 347:

June 12-Triversen, any number of tercets, 1-4 stresses per line. 3 uneven lines, each independent clause. L1-statement of fact, or observation. Next two lines set the tone, imply a condition, or assonated idea, or metaphor for the original statement. Unrhymed. Alliterated. Title:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crunchy, chewy

Cool with cocoa.

Day 346:

June 11-Trine, French, typically 12 syllables, or multiple of 3, aabbccabc

The Trine is French for three each, three planets aligned.

Aabbccabc is assigned.

Isosyllabic, French Heroic is preferred

Alexandrian, yea twelve syllables is inferred.

Some may use fewer sounds as long as it’s in rhyme

The form is harder if you try only in mime.  

This form isn’t well known and even be maligned

But still a fine passageway to make hope deferred.

Try it yourself. Just make sure that you have the time.

Day 345:

June 10-Back to forms, Tyburn,  6 lines, 2/2/2/2/9/9, first 4 lines are descriptive e words, last 2 lines rhyme and incorporate  the first 4 lines as the 5^th through 8^th syllables. Title: Funerals

Moaning

Groaning

Crying

Sighing

Meeting on a moaning, sighing day

Loss felt in a groaning, crying way.

Day 344:

June 9- Children’s Day, a Haiku poem

A day for kids

Here and around the world

Time for Children’s Day

Day 343:

June 8-World Ocean’s Day- a Ukiah poem

Praise for two thirds of the globe

It’s World Ocean’s Day!

Conserve, observe, celebrate!

Day 342:

June 7-back to forms, the Scandinavian form, the Stev. A folksong form with 4 line phrase(s) using lyric stances, typically 8 or 10 syllables. Rhyme scheme typically abab or aabb, with older folksongs abcb, and a free meter. The following is abcb.

Oh who will write a funny Stev?

And rhyme it like it used to be?

Scandinavian folk songs dance!

Take a meter and make it free!

The next poem  is aabb with 10 syllables Title:Dance Away

Dance away the hours, dance away my dear

And stop only with a kiss, since you’re near

The music plays before the starry night

With you here by me, it all feels so right.

The next Stev Poem below is abab with 8 syllables.

Birthday Stev

Make a wish, blow out the candles

And have a party just your way

What’d you get? Were they sandals?

Go on, have a Happy Birthday!  

Day 341:

June 6-D-Day, in honor of that day, this poem

The greatest assault on tyranny

That truly the world has ever known.

It’s told as history’s longest day.

The fight for freedom that day was shown.

Day 340:

June 5-Gruk(or Grook), Danish form using irony, paradox, satire, brevity and rhyme. The frame is at the poet’s discretion. Originally a coded form of passive resistance to Nazi occupation.

A Gruk or Grook is funny

Just look at its’ title to see

A tasty Danish token

Make sure that it’s not broken

Try to make your poem fit

The frame that was made for it.

Day 339:

June 4-Runic Verse, taking a Rune(Norse, Icelandic, Anglo-Saxon) used symbols of Teutonic alphabet as memory aid, using Skaldic meter. Today a chant-like sonic pattern to conjure images of mystery and magic. Title X-Gyfu(gift, opportunity)

-Gifts presented

----Opportunity

-------Grace given

------------Yea, tis free.

Day 338:

June 3-Hrynhent, Norse Skadic form, any number of quatrains,16 syllables lines, broken into half lines of 8 syllables(Octave), ending in Trochee(stresses, unstressed), each half line has 4 stressed and 4 unstressed syllables, with aBaB  rhyme scheme, where a is assonance, and slant rhyme, while B is true rhyme, internal rhyme is allowed. Kenning(Norse terms for items) is used. 

The Hrynhent is skaldic sent here

By Norsemen, four stressed, four unstressed

Quatrains made into half phrases

aBaB, kenning Sif’s Hair

Trochees close  off half line tokens

Assonance rolls by to hold on

Make Bait-Gallows and add capers

Twas aided not by a Care, bare.

Day 337:
June 2-Tableau, 5 syllabled 6 line phrase, any number, as defined, the poem paints a picture, does not have to rhyme. The title must include the word tableau in it. Title: Rose Tableau

Rainbow like colors

Pick one that you like
Watch out for thorns!
Petals soft as silk

A wonderful gift,

Invokes great feeling.

Day 336:
June 1-Almost done with the year! Even now, there are those who can’t see how a poet can write over 12,000 poems. Let’s try some more math. Ate the end of this year, 365 poems will be written. Since more than one has been written for years, let’s multiply by 10 years, 3,650. If a poem a day is written for 30 years, that is around 11,000, and for 40 years, that makes over 14,000. So it is possible for a poet to pen plenty of poems. Enough said, now to a form called a Mirror sestet, created by Shelley Cephas. 6 lines, which can be rhymed or not-rhymed. Each couplet in the stanza basically is reversed. The first word rhymes with the last word in the line, then the last word becomes the first word on the following line, and the last word is the first word from the line before. If un-rhymed, the last word in the line simply is the first word in the next line. Phrases? However many you want.

Hey, the mirror sestet has its’ say.

Say you have a first word like, hey!
Reverse the first and last using verse.
Verse is used going in reverse.
Six lines per stanza, what a fix!
Fix couplets together by six.