Poetry Month (April 26-30)

Well poetry month has been a lot of fun, huh? So, as a glorious rap-up, let's dive into the final five poem types! Remember, all definitions are thanks to and written by Shadowpoetry.com.

26th- Nonet
27th- Etheree
28th- Rictameter
29th- Brevette
30th- The Pictorial

We begin with the Nonet. This is how shadowpoetry.com defines a nonet poem: "A nonet has nine lines. The first line has nine syllables, the second line eight syllables, the third line seven syllables, etc... until line nine that finishes with one syllable. It can be on any subject and rhyming is optional.

line 1 - 9 syllables
line 2 - 8 syllables
line 3 - 7 syllables
line 4 - 6 syllables
line 5 - 5 syllables
line 6 - 4 syllables
line 7 - 3 syllables
line 8 - 2 syllables
line 9 - 1 syllable "

Ready for examples, anyone?

Example: School
I wish we didn't have to stay here.
The only good part is lunchtime,
eating and playing handball
instead of doing maths.
I don't like history
or geography.
I can't wait
for the
bell.
by Suzanne Honour

Example: Whispers of Innocence
Winter slips in with the faintest sigh
bringing whispers of innocence
cloaking the town in beauty
a canvas of pure white
reminding me of
holidays past
as I watch
the snow
fall
by Holly Armer

The next poem type of the day is the Etheree, a poem type similar to the Nonet poem but with a few differences. Shadowpoetry.com was kind enough to write out the definition to explain to you these differences:
"The poetry form, Etheree, consists of 10 lines of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 syllables. Etheree can also be reversed and written 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Reversed Etheree: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Double Etheree: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10, 9, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1"

Example: Life and death(Double Etheree)
"Life
fading
cascading
each breath I take
closer steps I make
into the lonely grave
my eternal haunting cave
punished, being the devil's slave
only the good die young and ascend
so therefore I shall be bad to the end

thinking of the crazy times I have had
painful reflections that leave me sad
too late to contemplate a change
learnt behavior seems so strange
past generations taught
the wisdom I sought
but did not heed
now I need
new breath
death...."
by Bob Shank

Example: For Blue Rew
"Blue,
simple
yet much more...
Sky, water, grief
but today? Pure joy!
Birthday wishes for you;
may your day be full of light,
your heart full of laughter and love.
One final thing, thank you for being
you; a wonderful friend that I treasure."
by RedAquarius

The third poem for this week is the Rictameter. The definition found on shadowpoetry.com is:
"Rictameter is a scheme similar to Cinquain. Starting your first line with a two syllable word, you then consecutively increase the number of syllables per line by two. i.e. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 Then down again, 8, 6, 4, 2 Making the final line the same two syllable word you began with."

Example:Empathy
"Feelings
in teenage girls
change like the weather in
Melbourne, one minute it's raining
then it's hailing, half an hour after that
it's warm and sunny, so intense.
I was a teenager once
and recall those
feelings"
by Suzanne Honour

Example: April Dogwood
"dogwood
ripe pink blossoms
wake again each April
pristine beauty nourishes soul
a wave of happiness welcomes me home
greedy eyes once more satisfied
slowing down for a glimpse
spring confection
dogwood"
by Janet Louise H.

The second to last poem for poetry month this year is the Brevette! A short but beautiful poem. The definition found on shadowpoetry.com is:
"The Brevette, created by Emily Romano consists of a subject (noun), verb, and object (noun), in this exact order. The verb should show an ongoing action. This is done by spacing out the letters in the verb. There are only three words in the poem, giving it the title Brevette.
Each of the three words may have any number of syllables, but it is desireable that the poem have balance in the choice of these words. Unlike haiku, there are no other rules to follow."

Example: Overachiever
sycophant
o s c u l a t e s
derriere
by Pollycheck

Example: Confession
confession
c l e a n s e s
spirit
by Josipher32

And finally, the last poem of poetry month- the pictorial! Shadowpoetry.com has a great definition for this really cool shape poem.
"The Pictorial, created by Emily Romano is a type of shape poem, where the entire poem
must be printed in slanting lines indicative of the thought in those lines. The poem should consist of three lines with five words or less per line. There should be rhyme somewhere in the poem, either end rhyme or internal rhyme."

Unfortunately, I had a difficult time finding a satisfactory example on the internet of one of these poems, so I must ask that you look at the examples presented in the definition. Click here to go to the page and find the examples.


So thank you all very very much for checking out this special edition poetry month! Through this fun and wonderful exercise I have learned about poetry and even found some great new websites. I hope you all had the same enlightening and fun experience that I had.

I will be accepting poem submissions until May 10th. Please include your name, a website you would like to be affiliated with, a date, and the type of poem you wrote. You may remain anonymous if you wish, but please include the poem type at the least or I will not post your poem. Send all submissions to queennsydney@yahoo.com. I hope to read some really great poems soon! Until I blog again with the results, keep writing!