Poetry Month (April 2-6)

This is poetry month and in honor of poetry, we are going to... write some poems! I have selected 25 of my favorite types of poems, and on the days marked on the calendar above(definition days(1st, 7th, 13th, 19th, 25th)) I will tell you how to do the next 5 poems. I hope you have a great time writing poetry! Not my favorite writing type, but even if the poems stink, everyone has fun in the end.

The first five poems to write are on the following days:

2nd- Cinquian
3rd- Shape Poetry
4th- Tetractys
5th- Clarity Pyramid
6th- Wrapped Refrain

I used shadowpoetry.com for the definitions. Shadowpoetry.com is a great site if you're into poetry. It features contests and many resources like definitions, guides, a handbook, biographies of famous poets, and much much more.

For the April 2nd, the poem type is the cinquian poem.
"Cinquain is a short, usually unrhymed poem consisting of twenty-two syllables distributed
as 2, 4, 6, 8, 2, in five lines...
Another form, sometimes used by school teachers to teach grammar, is as follows:
Line 1: Noun
Line 2: Description of Noun
Line 3: Action
Line 4: Feeling or Effect
Line 5: Synonym of the initial noun"(shadowpoetry.com).

Example:

Spaghetti
Messy, spicy
Slurping, sliding, falling
Between my plate and mouth
Delicious
(by Cindy Barden)

Example:

Listen...
With faint dry sound,
Like steps of passing ghosts,
The leaves, frost-crisp'd, break from the trees
And fall.
(by Adalaide Crapsey)


For April 3rd, the poem type is shape poetry.
"Shape is one of the main things that separate prose and poetry. Poetry can take on many formats,
but one of the most inventive forms is for the poem to take on the shape of its subject. Therefore,
if the subject of your poem were of a flower, then the poem would be shaped like a flower. If it
were of a fish, then the poem would take on the shape of a fish. ><<<*>
Shape and Concrete Poetry go hand-in-hand; however, Concrete or Visual Poetry don’t have to
take on the particular shape of the poem’s subject, but rather the wording in the poem can enhance
the effect of the words"(shadowpoetry.com).

Shadowpoetry.com suggests drawing the shape first and then fitting the text into it. It also warns against shapes that may be too difficult.

Because of the way blogspot works, I cannot show a certain shape, so I'll link in some examples.

Example 1 and Example 2 are from the same page. They are relatively simple, and more what I expect you to create.

Example 3 is an example of an extremely complicated but beautiful shape poem by Jonathon Price.


For April 4th, the poem type is tetractys.
"Tetractys, a poetic form invented by Ray Stebbing, consists of at least 5 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 10
syllables (total of 20). Tetractys can be written with more than one verse, but must follow suit
with an inverted syllable count. Tetractys can also bereversed and written 10, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Double Tetractys: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1
Triple Tetractys: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 10, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 10
and so on."(Shadowpoetry.com).

Example(single): Excel

To
become
a master
practice perfect
execution of all the basic skills.

Example(double): Sunburn

Hot
Summer
Sunshine burns.
Protect yourself.
Always wear a hat and stay in the shade,
Sunburn causes blisters and peeling skin.
Apply sunscreen
Keep your youth.
Don't get
Burnt.


For April 5th, the poem type is clarity pyramid.
"A Clarity Pyramid is a poem consisting of two triplets and a single line (7 lines in all). Usually,
this poem is center aligned when displayed.
The first triplet has 1, 2, and 3 syllables. The title of the poem is the one-syllable word of the
first triplet, which is displayed in all capital letters. This line is followed by a two-syllable line,
and then a three-syllable line, both of which clarify the definition of the poem, or are synonyms
for the title.
The second triplet has 5, 6, and 7 syllables. Its design is based around a life event contained
within the triplet which helps give a poetic view oroutlook on the first line (title).
The last line is 8 syllables, and is in quotations as this line contains a quote that defines the first
word (title)"(Shadowpoetry.com).

Example:

JAZZ
in thought
simply deep

I once heard Coltrane
His stuff, tight, astounding
Never have gotten over such

"His stuff is deep as the ocean..."
(by Jacquii Cooke)

Example: YOU

YOU
Lunar
Mystic Miss

A beautiful mind
Likes to give you all gifts
Mirror images at night

"Writes uniquely sensitive work"
(by Machu Picchu)


Finally, for April 6th, the poem type is wrapped refrain.
"The Wrapped Refrain, created by Jan Turner, consists of 2 stanzas of 6 lines each;
Meter: 8,8,8,8,12,12 and Rhyme Scheme: a,a,b,b,c,c.
Refrain rule: In each stanza the first 4 syllables (or 4 single-syllable words) in the first line must be
the last 4 syllables (or 4 single-syllable words) at the end of the last line. This is what wraps each
stanza with a repeated refrain ...thus, the wrapped refrain.
Optional: The first stanza refrain and last stanza refrain can be joined (or loosely joined) together
for the title of the poem"(Shadowpoetry.com).

Example: Fruit of Knowledge

The evil fruit enchants my sight
with strive for perpetual delight,
teach me now the words to utter,
end this game of nightly flutter.
Show me my new world lacking this endless repute
surrounding this undone soul of the evil fruit.

Attain this night and try to see
my lurking mind's fallen banshee.
She comes to me to teach a thought,
her eyes have seen a mind’s distraught,
each dilatory hour her soft songs recite
along paths made of knowledge I attain this night.
(by Jay H.)

Example: The Lulling

They failed that day to take a stance,
leaving their offspring cast to chance -
allowed the world's whims to dictate.
But lies build up and suffocate,
deception comes in lullabies and has its way.
They wake, only to realize, they failed that day.

Truth is obscure, gray, void of light
and who can say what's wrong or right,
so they turned their heads, hoped the best.
Without mentors, their children guessed
and searched for meaning elsewhere, something to endure.
In confusion, they wondered why truth is obscure.
(by kansaspoet)


And those are all of the poem for the first six days. It took me a LONG a$$ time to compile with a lot of searching for good poems and typing, so please appreciate it and submit a poem you have created.

Next week's types:
8th- Septolet
9th- Palindrome
10th- Harrishan Rhyme
11th- Epulaeryu
12th- Diatelle

Until the 7th, keep writing!