Poetic Asides with Robert Lee Brewer - Poetic Forms

Poetic Form: Sevenlings

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:57:20 GMT

Okay, I've been meaning to cover this poetic form since like March, but yadda-yadda-yadda here we are getting ready for October. The sevenling was created by Roddy Lumsden, but it was J.P. Dancing Bear who turned me on to the form earlier this year around the time I interviewed him for the blog. (Click here to read the interview with J.P. Dancing Bear.)

So, here are the rules on the sevenling:

The sevenling is a 7-line poem (clever, huh?) split into three stanzas.
The first three lines should contain an element of three. It could be three connected or contrasting statements, a list of three details or names, or something else along these lines. The three things can take up all three lines or be contained anywhere within the stanza.
The second three lines should also contain an element of three. Same deal as the first stanza, but the two stanzas do not need to relate to each other directly.
The final line/stanza should act as either narrative summary, punchline, or unusual juxtaposition.
Titles are not required. But when titles are present, they should be titled Sevenling followed by the first few words in parentheses.
Tone should be mysterious, offbeat or disturbing.
Poem should have ambience which invites guesswork from the reader.

That said, here's my attempt at one:

Sevenling (The signs all pointed)

The signs all pointed in one direction--
SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY, CARS IN THIS LANE
KEEP MOVING, and HIDDEN DRIVE--

unless they pointed in the other direction--
EMPLOYEES MUST WASH THEIR HANDS BEFORE
RETURNING TO WORK, CASH ONLY, and NO SOLICITING--

but few people bothered to read them anyway.

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To learn even more about sevenlings, including examples by Roddy Lumsden, CLICK HERE.

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Poetic Forms: Ghazal

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:21:41 GMT

The ghazal (pronounced "guzzle"--thanks to Edward Byrne) is a Persian poetic form. The original form was very simple: five to 15 couplets using the same rhyme with the poet's name in the final couplet. The main themes were usually love or drinking wine.

Contemporary ghazals have abandoned the rhymes and insertion of the poet's name in the final couplet. In fact, even the themes of love and drinking wine are no longer mandatory--as the poem now just needs the couplets which are complete thoughts on their own but also all work together to explore a common theme (whatever that might be).

If you wish to stay traditional though, here's the rhyme scheme you would follow:

a
a

b
a

c
a

and so on to the final stanza (depending upon how many you include).

Many traditional ghazals will also incorporate a refrain at the end of each couplet that could be one word or a phrase.

I'm no master of the ghazal, but here's my attempt at the form:

Ghazal at 31

Like me and you, two cardinals twitter and twist
through branches seeking some fling to flitter and twist.

My hands were not always as strong as they were long,
dreaming of some new purpose--they fit her and twist.

At the window, surveying the way that sunlight
obeys what blocks, the way it can filter and twist.

I first saw what I saw but did not understand
the difference between grass or litter. Hand twist.

We fell from heaven and were lost, but we searched with
out knowing why not to be a quitter--and twist.

At 31, even Robert Lee Brewer can
question his ability to glitter and twist.

April PAD Challenge: Day 28

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:51:25 GMT

Apparently, Day 27's comments were wiped clean sometime last night. Please re-paste your poem in the comments for Day 27. (Click here to go to Day 27's prompt.) I apologize for the inconvenience, but luckily, we're only a few days from the finish line.

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After today, we'll have made it 4 weeks into the month. Only 2 days left! Of course, being so close to the end, I have to throw in a special challenge, right?

For today's prompt, I want you to write a sestina. (Click here to find out the rules for sestinas.) So start figuring out your 6 end words and get writing.

But wait! Today is Tuesday, so you have one other option. You can write a poem about the sestina (your love, hate, frustration with, etc.).

Whether you decide to write a sestina or write about sestinas, remember to have fun. We're almost done!

Here's my attempt for the day:

"The green cactus"

This morning, I found a cactus
beneath the desk lamp
on my desk. It's made of plastic,
the cactus. Somehow
these things just happen.
I have my usual suspects,

though I'm not sure they suspect
I know about the cactus,
not yet. My boys were happening
to hang around my lamp
just yesterday. This is how
boys lose toys made of plastic

then expect new ones. Whether by plastic
or cash. I stash the suspect
toy in a file cabinet. How
long will I hide the cactus?
Who knows? The heat of my lamp
could've melted it. I happen

to think that could happen,
though I'm not certain of plastic
and its melting point beneath desk lamps.
Maybe I'm guilty of suspecting
too much. It's only a cactus,
and I'm sure that's exactly how

I was as a boy. That's how
behavior passes, and they happen
to have a forgetful father with a cactus
made of cheap, green plastic.
My mind is as suspect
as anyone's held under a lamp

and analyzed. Read my palm
to suggest the what and how
of dealing with little male suspects
who love me and just happen
to leave their little plastic
toys as offerings. This little cactus,

sweet cactus, re-emerge beneath my lamp
in your skin of plastic. Show how
a father can return a love never suspect.

Poetic Forms: Villanelle

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:38:58 GMT

(Okay, I'm going to try posting this again. Apparently, this blog is anti-villanelle.)

So, the French form I had not covered yet was not the rondeau, but the villanelle. Oh well. We got a nice rondeau refresher earlier this week. (Check it out here.)

The villanelle, like the other French forms, does have many of the same properties: plenty of rhyme and repetition. This French form was actually adapted from Italian folk songs (villanella) about rural life. One of the more famous contemporary villanelles is "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," by Dylan Thomas.

The villanelle consists of five tercets and a quatrain with line lengths of 8-10 syllables. The first and third lines of the first stanza become refrains that repeat throughout the poem. It looks like this:

A(1)
b
A(2)

a
b
A(1)

a
b
A(2)

a
b
A(1)

a
b
A(2)

a
b
A(1)
A(2)

Here's an example that I wrote:

Paralegal

Lawyers are not paid to be nice;
they're expected to always win.
She can say it once, say it twice,

"If you want to take their advice,
you should know before you begin:
Lawyers are not paid to be nice."

They have their sin; they have their vice--
some with drink, others with women.
She can say it once, say it twice,

because she's seen every slice--
including both women and men--
"Lawyers are not paid to be nice."

But if you have suffered malice
and do not want to lose again,
she can say it once, say it twice,

"If you want to win, pay the price;
let the legal process begin."
Lawyers are not paid to be nice;
she can say it once, say it twice.

*****

Check out the Wikipedia entry for villanelle by clicking here.

Check out the Poets.org entry for villanelle by clicking here.

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See where poetry is happening HERE.

Poetic Forms: Rondeau

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:52:36 GMT

Since I love French forms, it came as a surprise to me that I haven't covered the rondeau on this blog, yet. As with other French forms, there is an element of rhyming and repetition in the rondeau. In fact, the rondeau is related to the triolet--one of my favorites.

The rondeau is comprised of 15 lines across 3 stanzas with the first word or phrase from the first line represented as a refrain (R) and a rhyme scheme of 2 rhymes throughout (A and B). The rhyme and refrain scheme looks like this:

A (R)
A
B
B
A

A
A
B
R

A
A
B
B
A
R

The A and B lines are usually 8 or 10 syllables in length. The refrain is usually 1 to 3 words (or so).

To help illustrate a little more, here's my attempt at a rondeau:

The mother thinks

The mother thinks she is killing her son
with his shampoo--his hair coming undone
in her hands over time. He feels no pain
says the son. But she knows he'll feel again
the loss of his dad always on the run.

The mother remembers the morning sun
slanting on a messy bed of just one.
No note or cash--she remembers the pain.
The mother thinks

there is something she could have done. Her son
was not wanted by his dad. "No more fun,"
he said after learning. Heartbreaking pain
when instead of joy, he often complained
of her weight gain. Then, of course, he was gone,
the mother thinks.

*****

A fellow native of Dayton, Ohio, Paul Laurence Dunbar, wrote one of the most popular rondeaus in the English language: "We Wear the Mask."

Here's the Wikipedia entry for rondeau.

Here's the Poets.org entry for rondeau.

Here's another explanation from Ariadne Unst for rondeau.

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Looking for more poetry information?

Check out our poetry titles (on sale in the month of April) HERE.
Read the most recent WritersDigest.com poetry-related articles HERE.
View several poetic forms HERE.
See where poetry is happening HERE.

Interview With 2008 Poetic Asides Poet Laureate Sara Diane Doyle

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:21:27 GMT

Quick note: I plan on sharing the complete rules, how-to's, advice, etc., on the 2009 April PAD Challenge tomorrow right here on the blog. There's no special registration required--so just check back in tomorrow to get the full scoop on what's expected.

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Okay, so one of the cool things about the 2008 April PAD Challenge is that I was able to select a Poetic Asides Poet Laureate. It was a tough decision last year, but Sara Diane Doyle shared some truly great poems through the month. See the announcement (and read some of here April poems) by clicking here.

She even shared a new poetic form with the group after the challenge was over called The Roundabout. You can check out that poetic form by clicking here.

Anyway, she recently let me interview her to see what she's been up to and to share advice with poets new to the April PAD Challenge.

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What've you been up to since being named the 2008 April PAD Challenge Poet Laureate?

You mean besides enjoying life in Colorado? Well, I've spent the last year mentoring teen writers, including challenging them with a 12-week poetry project last fall. In November, I wrote a novel with National Novel Writing Month. As of January, I've been focusing on submitting my work, both poetry and prose, to markets.

Who (or what) have you been reading recently?

In 2008, I read 100 books, so I had the chance to read a lot of great writers, including: N.M. Kelby, C.S. Lewis, Alice Hoffman, Madeleine L'Engle, Jane Austen, Garth Nix, and Billy Collins. This year, I'm taking it easier. My current favorites are Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, and my favorite poetry collection of the last few months is Billy Collins' Ballistics. Much of my reading time goes to reading the writings of the teenagers on the forum where I mentor.

How did you manage to write so many good poems throughout the month of April last year?

I don't have a secret recipe, if that's what you're asking! But I know that the more I'm thinking about poetry, the more I'm reading it and writing it, the better I seem to get. So being able to read the poems others were posting helped--it kept spurring me on to better poetry! Also, having the prompts helped a lot. Normally, I have one good poem every so often, largely because I wait to be hit with a great idea. But having a starting point helped get those ideas going. I also tried my hardest to find a different angle on the prompt each day. For example, on day one, when the prompt was to write about "firsts," I saw many poems about first love, first kiss, first child, etc. So I said to myself, "what is a first no one else has written about yet?" That's how I came up with the idea to write about the first time I donated blood. I love to find the tiny, hidden subjects. And if it makes anyone feel better, I had some real clunkers last year--they STILL make me cringe when I read them. So don't try to write 30 amazing poems, write 30 good poems and some of them will be amazing.

Any big plans or goals for 2009?

My goal this year is to get published. So I'm sending out submissions of both poetry and short stories on a regular basis. I'd also like to finish my current novel. And maybe learn another language. I like to have fun goals, and some that I know I can reach with a little effort. Unreachable goals aren't helpful at all.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given? And by who?

There are two that vie for first place. The first was "celebrate rejection." My high school creative writing teacher, Mrs. Warner, made this a huge part of our class--she threw a party for the first rejection slip, and really taught me how to embrace the more negative part of the writing life. Rejection is part of the writing business, and if you can't deal with it, or if you take it too personally, it's going to kill you. So I celebrate every rejection I earn--earning a rejection means I'm putting my work out there, and that's how I will get published.

The second is from one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult. Her advice: "You can't edit a blank page." That statement has gotten me writing more times than not. A blank page can be intimidating, and I know how easy it is to give into the white space. Sometimes, we are afraid for writing crap, afraid of what will come out, afraid it will be true, etc. But we can't do anything with that fear. We can't edit it, we can't cut out the bad parts, we can't make it better. But if we are willing to write, to fill the blank page, then we can move forward. Most writers aren't brilliant in the first draft. We all have to just get the words down. Once we've done that, it's much easier to make things better!

Do you have any advice for the poets who are entering the 2009 April PAD Challenge?

Yes! Get up and read the prompt early each day. Get it into your head. Then take some time to see it from all sides before you write. Some days, an idea will jump out right away, but some days it might take until nine at night. Don't be afraid to let the idea brew for a while! Pull out all the old tools you were taught in grade school: alliteration, meter, imagery, similes, metaphors, symbolism. Put them to good use. Try some new forms, even if the prompt doesn't call for it. I often use www.shadowpoetry.com as a resource, they list all sorts of poetic forms.

Then, just write. Get it out. Remember, you can edit it later.

And most of all, have fun! I had a blast last year, and I'm looking forward to this year's prompts. Let your friends and family know what you are doing, let them read some of your work. Be excited about poetry!

Skeltonic Poetry: Short, sweet and fun

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:36:29 GMT

Skeltonic verse is named after the poet John Skelton (1460-1529), who wrote short rhyming lines that just sort of go on from one rhyme to the next for however long you wish to take it. Most skeltonic poems average less than six words a line, but keeping the short rhymes moving down the page is the real key to this form.

Here's my attempt at one:

"My weekend with Tammy"

We perused
all the shoes
in Syracuse
and then cut my hair
until little was there,
and everyone stared,
though I didn't care--
more focused on wining
and elegant dining
with Tammy opining
she'd rather go mining
in the mountains for coal;
so we had a new goal,
but somebody stole
our beautiful car
delivered from Mars
(made from old stars
after the alien wars);
instead, we decided to sit
and not throw a fit
or pout or spit
(our plan already quit)
at the crowded park
where we waited 'til dark
for the invisible balloon
to carry us soon
to the crescent moon
where we'll live until June.

Some poetic forms (updated list)

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:04:09 GMT

In anticipation of National Poetry Month, here are some poetic forms to investigate and/or play with. I know forms can seem a little intimidating for some, but they can often lead you to unexpected destinations with your writing.

I hope you have fun playing around with these forms. My personal faves are the triolet, sestina and shadorma.

Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 037

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:53:17 GMT

As my stepson commented this morning, today is a messy day (at least, in the Atlanta area). Lots of rain, a little thunder and lightning, and even a little chill in the air. Since I've been coughing and battling a cold the past few days, this messy morning only feels that much messier. But I'm not too concerned, because I know that soon the mornings will get less messy and my cold will pass.

This is why for this week's prompt, I want everyone to write an ode. If you're not sure what an ode is, check out this link: http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/Odes+Praise+Poetry.aspx.

As you can see, odes can be formalized or irregular. The main point is to praise someone or something. You can praise a folk hero, a politician, a species of animal, an association, or even a pair of sweaty gym socks (though I'm not sure where I'd start on that one--Peeee-eeew!).

Here's my attempt for the day:

"An Ode to Poetry Collections"

They're always so thin
you worry about their health.
They don't make any money,
and they're never to be found
at the bookstore unless penned
by someone dead, famous, or
associated with MTV (remember
when MTV played music?).
Still, you can find them
in the seediest of locations--
coffee shops, college bookstores,
and author websites. Those
who sell them to you will not
look you in the eye as money
changes hands. However,
when you get home and crack
open these slim volumes, you
will feel part of a conspiracy
trying to shake meaning
down to its basest roots;
you will see someone working
hard at craft for the sake
of communication; you will see
a slice of humanity reaching out
until you feel the need to pick
up your pen and reach out, too.

Having Fun With Bad Poetry

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:24:01 GMT

Brian Klems (of Writer's Digest fame) brought the following thread to my attention from the WD.com forums: http://forum.writersdigest.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=19564&start=1

First post:
"I have this gift you see
to write very bad poetry
Try as I might
It's something I just can't fight
So I write stuff you wouldn't read to a tree"

-wondo

Starting up in July, this thread is still going strong (with more than 500 responses to date). While other random forms have entered into the chain, the thread seems to rely mostly on limericks. So if you want to play around with a group of other writers, here's your chance.

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Also, Amy Barlow Liberatore proposed on my Facebook page that we all try writing "bad haiku." (She mentioned that Iain Douglas Kemp was partially responsible for inspiring her.) So if you want to start writing bad haiku, feel free to post in the comments below.

Text Message Poetry: A New Poetic Form?

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:14:13 GMT

This morning, I was contemplating different poetry delivery methods, thinking of the obvious ones first: print books, chapbooks, journals, broadsides, websites, blogs, e-mail, PDFs, CDs, DVDs, etc. And finally, I thought of text messaging.

On my cell, one page is defined as 160 characters, and I'm unable break my lines. So I started wondering if there might be a cool new poetic form to play with on a Tuesday morning. Of course, without line breaks, these would be miniature prose poems on any topic under the sun.

One additional rule that could be added (to help give these focus) is that they should deliver some message.

So to recap the rules: Poem must be 160 characters or less and deliver some message (and yes, a message could be delivered in one word).

Here's my quick attempt (at around 150 characters):

A boy and girl raced each other along the sidewalk this morning waiting for the school bus to pick them up. The days are growing short and shorter.

Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 013

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:27:47 GMT

For this week's poetry prompt, I'm also going to discuss an interesting poetic form called the cento. A cento is a poem composed of lines from other poets' poems. It's similar to the "cut-up technique" made famous by William S. Burroughs and others. The main difference is that a cento uses only lines from other poets, whereas the cut-up technique uses lines from any and every where.

I want you to go through your favorite poems and piece together your very own cento. The lines do not need to be popular or well known--but you should know where and who you're drawing from. The method that helped me was to find the lines and write them down first before trying to make something out of them. Later on, you can try this exercise on your own poems, especially ones where you might like a line or two but feel disappointed in the whole (I know I've written many that fit this description).

Anyway, here's my effort for the week:

"And we let the fish go"

A bestiary catalogs these hips are
big hips: My mother is a fish.

In Goya's greatest scenes we seem to see
the best minds of our generation destroyed by madness,
starving hysterical naked, because we could not stop
for Death, beside the white chickens.

I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
"I am not a painter; I am a poet;
and I eat men like air." I have gone
out, a possessed witch, even as I speak,
for lack of love alone--sweet to tongue
and sound to eye--and that has made
all the difference. They tell me you

are wicked and I believe them, for I
have seen your painted women under the gas
lamps luring the farm boys. We wear the mask
that grins and lies, "The blind always come
as such a surprise." Let us go then,

you and I: We real cool. We rage,
rage against the dying of the light.

*****

(As you can see, many great lines were referenced and turned into a new whole, fighting for a new meaning. Btw, 21 poets--including the title--were referenced: I wonder who can figure out the most.)

New Poetic Form, Busiest Poet, and More

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:41:32 GMT

I've just got a few random links today, including a poetic form shared from a Poetic Asides reader and other stuff.

*****

The poetic form is from Salvatore Buttaci for a poem he calls The Aragman. He provided me a link to the article he wrote on the form at http://www.alongstoryshort.net/PoetCraft.html.

It's a little involved, but it looks like fun--and it provides the link for a cool anagram finder site.

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Then, there's this cool article about America's busiest poet--who is, of course, the Poet Laureate. What I like most about this piece is that several Poets Laureate are interviewed about their experiences in the position.

*****

Also, I found this article on spoken word poet Jon Goode from Atlanta. The piece interested me for two reasons: 1. I'm still not as well-versed in the spoken word scene as I'd like to be; and 2. I'm planning a move to Atlanta later this year. So, this may be a piece that only interests me, but just in case.

*****

Finally, here's a neat little piece on animated poetry, including an appeal to animators to create more poetic cartoons. I totally agree!

New Poetic Form: The Roundabout

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:25:59 GMT

Our Poetic Asides inaugural Poet Laureate, Sara Diane Doyle, has been busy-busy-busy this summer working with teen writers. But not too busy to share with her fellow Poetic Asides crew a new poetic form she developed with one of her students, David Edwards. Since Sara knows the form best, I'll let her explain the form to you in her own words.

*****

A few months ago I began exploring various poetic forms. With each form I tried, I would post my attempt on a forum for teen writers, where I am a mentor. One of the teens, David Edwards, got interested in forms, especially the “created” forms. He asked if anyone could invent a form and I said “sure!” Then, he got the crazy idea that we should create a form together.

To start, we wanted to throw in every poetic element that we really liked. David came up with the meter and feet and I added in the repeating line. We came up with the rhyme scheme and length together. The result is a form we call the Roundabout. In this form, the rhyme scheme comes full circle while offering repetition of one line in each rhyme set.

The Roundabout is a four stanza poem, with each stanza consisting of 5 lines. The poem is written in iambic and the lines have 4 feet, 3 feet, 2 feet, 2 feet and 3 feet respectively. The rhyme scheme is abccb/bcddc/cdaad/dabba. Roundabouts can be on any subject.

Several of the writers on our forum have written Roundabouts and have had a blast." We would love for other poets to give it a try! Here are some examples to get you started.

Crash

by David Edwards

Around around the carousel

across the circles face

we cry we shout

we crash about

across the circles face

and ever always breakneck pace

by this unending route

and twists and turns

and breaks and burns

by this unending route

of ever always in and out

the yearling quickly learns

to run and yell

at ocean’s swell

the yearling quickly learns

to run and leap and then he earns

but he will never tell

there’s not a chase

that wins the race

but he will never tell.

When Spring Trips ‘Round

by Sara Diane Doyle

When wildflowers bloom once more

and raindrops touch the earth,

the faeries come

to start the hum

and raindrops touch the earth!

Come join the song, the dance the mirth!

Enjoy the juicy plum.

beneath the sun

'til day is done-

enjoy the juicy plum!

The clouds let out the beating drum-

rejoice with us as one.

Our joy we pour

for pain we bore-

rejoice with us as one.

Of gleeful hope, the snow knows none,

but speaks of faeries lore,

of magic birth,

the greatest worth

but speaks of faeries lore.

Laughing with or at?: The simple joy of parody poems

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:00:43 GMT

It's been a while since I've covered a new poetic form, so what better form to cover than a humorous one: the parody poem.

A parody poem is one that pokes fun at another poem or poet. For instance, I recently read a parody of "We Real Cool," by Gwendolyn Brooks, in an online version of Coe Review called "We Real White" that cracked me up. I even showed former Poetic Asides co-blogger Nancy Breen, but now it's apparently disappeared in the ethernet.

Soooo... I'm going to provide my own example that is not nearly as funny as the "We Real Cool"-"We Real White" parody. Instead, I'm going to parody one of my all-time favorite poems by Walt Whitman--"Song of Myself."

Here goes:

"My Song"

I congratulate myself and talk to myself;
I make a bunch of assumptions and descriptions;
what I talk about you listen to me talk about;
I talk about myself a lot;
but that's okay;
and boring.

The original version was much longer,
but nobody read it,
because it was longer,
because it had too many long descriptions,
because I have an affinity for exclammation points!!!!!!!!!!!!

So let's cut to the chase,
and get this over with,
and celebrate me,
and celebrate you,
and whoopity-doo!

So here's the short version,
and you better read it.

Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 008

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:50:41 GMT

Back in the "good old days" of writing for creative writing courses in college, I found myself learning and becoming obsessed with form and structure--both in my poetry and my fiction writing. In fact, I became so enamored with form and structure that sometimes I tried forcing words into a structure without any cares about writing compelling material. My thoughts then seemed to be, "People should just appreciate the structure (of the story or poem)." Of course, that's a silly way for a writer to think. Structure without substance is just a skeleton, and skeletons are lifeless.

That said, I still do appreciate and love to play with poetic forms. If you're interested in them, I've defined several under the Poetic Forms category in the left-hand toolbar of this blog. Just click on the link and scroll down to dig for different forms.

For this week's prompt, I want you to write a shadorma. (Click here for my initial post on this specific poetic form.) This is a 6-line Spanish poem with a syllable pattern of 3/5/3/3/7/5--simple as that.

You can write your shadorma on any subject, but if you happen to need a subject, you can write your shadorma on something related to school, schooling, learning, or teaching. Something educational.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Numbers"

Seven men
followed six women
into the
lake water
before realizing they
were one woman short.

April PAD Challenge: Day 28

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:35:09 GMT

I was distressed to read the following message in the comments for yesterday's prompt this morning:

Doubt I can finish the month...spent the last 24+ hours in ICU after my husband suffered an accident. Had to be airlifted to a city 3 hours away (40 min. by air) Will get back and follow the rest of you once I am able to be home for a while. It has been a great month celebrating poetry.

Emily Blakely |ecblakelyAT NOSPAMmsn dot com

Please send some goodwill Emily's way; as you can probably tell from her comment, her husband's accident sounds very serious.

*****

Maybe Emily's horrible situation will put things into perspective for today's challenge, which may very well be the hardest poem of the entire month for many. Today's prompt is to write a sestina. (If you need a subject, you can write about catastrophe or loss or hope--to mirror the news above.)

So, what is a sestina? For those who have a few minutes to spare, please go to the following link: http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/Sestina6x6339+Thats+Math.aspx. Once there, you can read up about what a sestina is and can be.

For those in a hurry, here's the basics on the sestina:

* It's a poem consisting of 7 stanzas.

* The first 6 stanzas have 6 lines; the final stanza has 3 lines.

* There are only 6 end words to each line throughout the 39-line poem.

* They rotate in the following pattern:

1-End Word 1

2-End Word 2

3-End Word 3

4-End Word 4

5-End Word 5

6-End Word 6

7-End Word 6

8-End Word 1

9-End Word 5

10-End Word 2

11-End Word 4

12-End Word 3

13-End Word 3

14-End Word 6

15-End Word 4

16-End Word 1

17-End Word 2

18-End Word 5

19-End Word 5

20-End Word 3

21-End Word 2

22-End Word 6

23-End Word 1

24-End Word 4

25-End Word 4

26-End Word 5

27-End Word 1

28-End Word 3

29-End Word 6

30-End Word 2

31-End Word 2

32-End Word 4

33-End Word 6

34-End Word 5

35-End Word 3

36-End Word 1

37-End Words 1 and 2

38-End Words 3 and 4

39-End Words 5 and 6

Usually, the best strategy is to pick out 6 words you think you can have fun with and that are probably somewhat flexible in how you can use them (this includes modifying a word here and there--like changing "cold" to "clod" to fit your purposes). Maybe throw in a word that is a little unique--if you really want to challenge yourself. And remember to have fun.

Here's my sestina for the day:

"On the fly"

I am a big fan of eating Lemonheads,

little yellow spheres tasting like a kiss

on a summer day while sitting on a bench

and enjoying the words of some expert

on how to be true and love me tender,

maybe while watching the birds fly

overhead and swatting away a fly

or two. That is, I think Lemonheads

are worth more than they're tendered

in convenience stores. How do you kiss
and put a price on it? I'm no expert,

but I'm also not some dime-store bench

warming philosopher. I can bench

my weight in mistakes and open flies,

because I've always been one to expect

the need for a Plan B. That is, Appleheads

taste even better and led to my first kiss

in a long time--and at a very tender

moment. Maybe I'm just too tender-

minded. Maybe I should sit on the bench

of whatever court decides good kissing

practices. Maybe I should check my fly

before starting any hot talk on Lemonheads.

Maybe I should leave it to the experts.

After all, they are supposedly the experts

for a reason, right? I wonder if they tender

a smooch for the same price as Lemonheads.

I wonder if they set some kissing bench-

mark and expect us all to hit it on the fly,

just something we do without thinking: A kiss

on the cheek counting as much as a kiss

with tongues is blaspheme, whether experts

declare or not. One needs wings to fly

or we'd all slingshot crazy and turn into tinder--

a bright flaming star, a burning bench

where once I enjoyed eating my Lemonheads.

And the Lemonheads will always lead to kisses

on hot benches with or without the experts

to approve the tender moment of wanting to fly.

April PAD Challenge: Day 15

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:05:51 GMT

Half. Way. There. That's where we're at after you finish today's prompt. Somehow we've made it--huffing and puffing--to the top of the hill and starting tomorrow we'll be running downhill to the finish line. Soooo...let's get to today's prompt, which is a "Two for Tuesday" prompt actually.

Prompt #1: Write an insult poem. There aren't really any rules attached to the insult poem, but it's usually done in good fun. If you write one, you can often open yourself up to a retaliatory insult poem. And that can lead to the equivalent of an insult poetry food fight.

Prompt #2: I've been trying to avoid mentioning it, but today is Tax Day here in the States. So it's time to either file them taxes or file for an extension--or just continue procrastinating, I guess ("Whatever floats your boat," as my father would always say.). Anyway, the second prompt is to write a poem that deals with paying your taxes and/or meeting deadlines.

Here's my poem (predictably associated with the first prompt, since I'm all about verbal food fighting):

"Smoke and mirrors"

My mama always said,
"If you don't have anything nice to say,
don't say anything at all."
And that's been great advice,
helping me get all the friends I've got,
avoid petty conflicts,
and find a steady happiness through all life's ups and downs--
but let's make one thing clear:
My mama ain't ever met the likes of you;
she ain't ever seen your rain cloud prophesies,
your blame shifting two step,
or your sanded down points that lead nowhere.
You've got answers but no meaning;
you have an image with no identity;
and everyone who doesn't agree with you is wrong.
Here's my advice, boy:
Next time they all gang up on you without giving a fair shake,
save up all your money to buy the largest mirror you can find;
then, use it.

April PAD Challenge: Day 3

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:52:26 GMT

As with many programs, getting through the 3rd day is usually the toughest. So I'm going to try and make Day 3 a little easier to help everyone complete the first 10% of our challenge. The way I look at it 3 days should equal 3 lines; in other words, today we'll be writing a haiku.

The official Day 3 prompt: write a haiku.

Now, you ask: What constitutes a haiku? (Very good question, by the way.)

Here are some previous posts I've made about this form:

* Haiku: Easy or Hard?

* Haiku Revisited

* Haiku on September 11 (posted by Nancy Breen)

If you're not big on researching the haiku, here's a quick primer on what constitutes a haiku:

1. It's a 3-line poem.

2. While many think the lines should be 5-7-5 syllables, that's actually not true. It's 5-7-5 "sounds" if you're writing in Japanese. For English purposes, it tends to be a shorter 1st and 3rd line--with a slightly longer 2nd line.

3. The haiku describes nature--with an emphasis on description. Haiku do not rhyme or use metaphors and/or similes.

4. Haiku includes a word to indicate season. For instance, the word "frog" might indicate spring; the word "snow" might indicate winter.

5. There's also usually a juxtaposition of two sensory images. For instance, the most famous haiku involves a frog jumping into a pond as the first sensory image--the water's sound as the second. When put together, the sensory images turn a very simple moment into a profound poem.

There are more rules--if you want to do the research--but this gives a good enough outline of what makes a haiku. For writing your own, it's best to just observe the world around you, make notes, and see if you can spot connections that help you understand nature and the world around you better.

Here's my attempt:

Plastic bag
caught in the tree branches;
birds build their nests.

Now get haiku-ing!

Why there's no one true form of poetry (and why there shouldn't be)

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:40:59 GMT

Stumbled upon "Japanese Poetry Persists in Korea, Despite Disapproval," by Choe Sang-Hun from The New York Times, and found myself going back over that dangerous territory of what the purpose of poetry might be, could be and should be.

In this case, the poetic forms used by Korean poets can actually cause public shame and disapproval. Imagine getting dissed at a writers conference because you write triolets or kyrielles--not because they're bad poems, but because they're poetic forms with French origins. Such actions take poetry out of the realm of "just words" and makes it a very human activity.

Poetry is always important, but it reaches a new level when poets feel they have to hide their tanka and haiku out of fear and/or shame.

So read the article and think about it; talk about it with your friends; and keep it in mind throughout National Poetry Month (April here in the States).

Tanka: Bigger and More Relaxed Than a Haiku

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:13:51 GMT

If a haiku is usually (mistakenly) thought of as a 3-line, 5-7-5 syllable poem, then the tanka would be a 5-line, 5-7-5-7-7 syllable poem. However, as with haiku, it's better to think of a tanka as a 5-line poem with 3 short lines (lines 2, 4, 5) and 2 very short lines (lines 1 and 3).

While imagery is still important in tanka, the form is a little more conversational than haiku at times. It also allows for the use of poetic devices such as metaphor and personification (2 big haiku no-no's).

Like haiku, tanka is a Japanese poetic form.

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While I'm sure there are problems with my attempt, here is my tanka attempt, which you can use as an example of the form:

Chopin's waltzes
turn circles in my head
for hours
as I think of her hand
turning the world inside out

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Here are some other online tanka resources:

* http://www.americantanka.com/about.html

* http://www.ahapoetry.com/richtank.htm

* http://www.modernenglishtankapress.com/tankacentral/

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Help me Rondeau! Help, help me, Rondeau! Another French poetic form

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:09:00 GMT

It's been a while since I've tackled a poetic form, but as you know, I love the French forms. The rondeau is no exception. It has a refrain and rhymes--two elements I love in many French poems. The traditional rondeau is a poem consisting of 3 stanzas, 13 original lines, and 2 refrains (of the first line of the poem) with 8 to 10 syllables per line and an A/B rhyme scheme.

The skeleton of the traditional rondeau looks like this:

A(R)
A
B
B
A

A
A
B
A(R)

A
A
B
B
A
A(R)

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I recently visited Stone Mountain in Atlanta, Georgia. It's this mountain that is basically a huge granite rock. If you're interested, here's some more information on the mountain and park: http://stonemountainpark.com/.

As part of my visit, I hiked to the top of the mountain, which was exposed to very strong and very cold winds. If my boys were with me, I'd've been afraid they might blow off the mountain top. But as you'll see in my rondeau example, I'm masochistic enough to have enjoyed getting a windburnt face and sore muscles.

"Rounding Stone Mountain"

But I suppose that wasn't so bad,
finding our way to the triad
of Confederate Generals
who fought to maintain protocol
in a war that drove people mad--

when even sons fought their own dads
and the deaths of the myriad
Americans grew mystical.
But I supposed that wasn't so bad.

We saw the granite picture and
followed the yellow path, our hands
holding our hands against a crawl,
knowing we had no chance to fall,
still we fell and said, with hearts glad,
"But I suppose that wasn't so bad."

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As you can see, my A rhymes were: bad, triad, mad, dads, myriad, and, hands, glad.

My B rhymes were: Generals, protocol, mystical, crawl, fall.

Yes, there was a little slant in my rhymes, but there's nothing wrong with that.

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There are variations of the rondeau, including the rondeau redouble, rondel, rondel double, rondelet, roundel, and roundelay. Of course, poets tend to break the rules on each of these as well, which is what poets like to do. Because rules and poets don't get along sometimes, right?

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Here are a couple other online resources on the rondeau:

* Wikipedia entry

* from Alberto Rios

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Sestina--6x6+3=39 (that's math)

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:35:34 GMT

So yeah, I've been meaning to post something about the poetic form known as the sestina for quite some time. It's actually one of my favorite forms. You pick 6 words, rotate them as the end words in 6 stanzas and then include 2 per of the words per line in your final stanza.

Let's pick 6 random words: bears, carving, dynamite, hunters, mothers, blessing.

Here's how the end words would go:

Stanza 1
Line 1-bears (A)
Line 2-carving (B)
Line 3-dynamite (C)
Line 4-hunters (D)
Line 5-mothers (E)
Line 6-blessing (F)

Stanza 2
Line 7-blessing (F)
Line 8-bears (A)
Line 9-mothers (E)
Line 10-carving (B)
Line 11-hunters (D)
Line 12-dynamite (C)

Stanza 3
Line 13-dynamite (C)
Line 14-blessing (F)
Line 15-hunters (D)
Line 16-bears (A)
Line 17-carving (B)
Line 18-mothers (E)

Stanza 4
Line 19-mothers (E)
Line 20-dynamite (C)
Line 21-carving (B)
Line 22-blessing (F)
Line 23-bears (A)
Line 24-hunters (D)

Stanza 5
Line 25-hunters (D)
Line 26-mothers (E)
Line 27-bears (A)
Line 28-dynamite (C)
Line 29-blessing (F)
Line 30-carving (B)

Stanza 6
Line 31-carving (B)
Line 32-hunters (D)
Line 33-blessing (F)
Line 34-mothers (E)
Line 35-dynamite (C)
Line 36-bears (A)

Stanza 7
Line 37-bears (A), carving (B)
Line 38-dynamite (C), hunters (D)
Line 39-mothers (E), blessing (F)

While many poets try to write sestinas in iambic pentameter, that is not a requirement. Also, when choosing your six end words, it does help to choose words that can be altered if needed to help keep the flow of the poem going. For instance, take a look at the six end words chosen above:

Bears could be the noun or the verb and singular or plural; it could also be modified to bares, and I could possibly even get away with changing it to beer or beard.

Carving could be made plural and be a noun or verb; it could also be turned into craving or cravings--maybe even caving.

Dynamite has less potential for change; or does it? Dynamite could be used as a noun, verb or adjective. It could also be changed into dynamo or possibly even be changed to mite, miter or might.

And so on. I think you can see what I'm getting at.

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I got into sestinas as a result of taking a creative writing: poetry course at the University of Cincinnati taught by sestina master craftsman, James Cummins.

I'm going to go ahead and humiliate myself by posting one of my first ever sestinas (possibly, THE first ever sestina I've written). I was 18 at the time, so it truly is horrible.

"Senor Eastwood"

I can hear your blood
It's making noise
It is celebrating
The way you took that man down
With the guns in your hands
Now you can finally breathe

You begin to breathe
When you notice the blood
You cover with your hands
Your mouth mumbling noise
As your knees drop down
No more celebrating

The mortician is celebrating
As your lungs hypobreathe
He'd like to lower you down
After you run dry of blood
And run void of noise
He'd like to cross your hands

All a result of the man's hands
Not quick enough for celebrating
He didn't get any of that noise
He didn't get to hypobreathe
And he didn't notice any blood
He just went down

He got to take you down
With him and his hands
Just quick enough to draw blood
You didn't get much celebrating
As now you don't have to breathe
And you're deceased of noise

And now do you hear noise
Did you go up or down
Does it hurt to not breathe
Are you still trapped with your hands
Is there any celebrating
Is there any blood

I really would like to know about the blood and noise
For though the celebrating has all calmed down
I'm old and my hands are shaky as is the way I breathe

About the only thing going for this piece is that I did keep the end words in the right order. Outside of that, I picked horrible end words. Beyond that, I was still writing very, very, VERY abstract. Oh yeah, and there's like totally no punctuation. O, am I blushing!

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Here's a little more on sestinas from around the Web:

* Wikipedia entry

* The Sestina Verse Form, by Ariadne Unst

* McSweeney's Internet Tendency sestinas page featuring several examples by many, many writers (including Professor Cummins)

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Elegy--Poem for the End

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:17:58 GMT

Earlier this year, I wrote about a post about epitaphs. At that time, I made the decision to not combine them with elegies.

An elegy is a song of sorrow or mourning--often for someone who has died. However, poets being an especially creative and contrary group have also written elegies for the ends of things, whether a life, a love affair, a great era, a football season, etc.

While there are such things as elegiac couplets and elegiac stanzas, form does not rule an elegy; content is king (or queen) when writing elegies.

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Here are some examples:

"Elegy in Present Tense," by Nancy Krygowski

"Elegy Written in a Country Courtyard," by Thomas Gray

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Here's some more on elegies:

Wikipedia entry

Academy of American Poets entry

Giving a little form to the Poetic Forms section

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 20:15:59 GMT

I've been adding Poetic Forms irregularly for the past 4 months. While everything is in the Poetic Forms category in the left-hand toolbar, I realize it's in a rather random order. So here's an alphabetized list up to this point of the Poetic Forms we've covered so far:

This list will continue to grow with the blog, but I figured a little order every once in a while might be helpful.

Have a great weekend!

Anagrammatic Poetry: Emphasizing Letters

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:45:00 GMT

Still reading The Best American Poetry 2007, and it's been slowing up some, because all these different styles of poems always get me trying new things out. For instance, Christian Bok's poem "Vowels," in particular, got my experimental brain think-think-thinking.

You can read "Vowels" here.

In his comments about the poem in BAP 2007, Bok writes, "'Vowels' is an anagrammatic text, permuting the fixed array of letters found only in the title. 'Vowels' appears in my book Eunoia, a lipogrammatic suite of stories, in which each vowel appears by itself in its own chapter."

Since reading this, I've been very interested in trying to write my own poem using only the letters within the title word. During lunch today, this is what I came up with:

"Spread"

Red dresses drape spare dressers,
pass dreaded pear parades...

Spears reads radar passes,
spares dapper dad seeds...

Dear are dead are dads
are ads pressed deep sea dares...

Dear papa pared raps,
spread seeds, snapped red era apps...

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The real challenge with this kind of poem was first picking a word that had at least a couple vowels and a good mix of consonants. Then, I brainstormed all the words I could think of using only those letters (as many times as you wish, of course). Creating that word list really gave me a new appreciation of the importance and diversity one extra letter can bring to the table.

After creating a word list, it's just a matter of playing around with different word combinations. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a better "Spread" poem lurking out there since I crammed all these steps in during my lunch break, but it does help illustrate the possibilities and limitations of writing this kind of poetry.

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Limericks--the naughty side of poetry

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 04:53:11 GMT

Okay, I admit it: I'm not going to be writing any dirty limericks, though I'm sure you've all heard a few in your time. And I can't really stop anyone from sharing one or two below in the comments (that's what they're there for, I guess--that is, for dirty limericks).

The origin of the limerick is shrouded in some mystery, but most sources seem to point to the early 18th century--one theory being that soldiers returning from France to the Irish town of Limerick started the form, the other theory pointing to the 1719 publication of Mother Goose Melodies for Children. Either way, Edward Lear popularized the form in the mid-19th century.

Basically, the limerick is a five-line poem consisting of a triplet split by a couplet. That is, lines 1, 2, and 5 are a bit longer and rhyme, while the shorter lines of 3 and 4 rhyme. After studying many effective limericks, there is not a precise syllable count per line, but the norm is about 8-10 syllables in the longer lines and around 6 syllables in the shorter lines.

Here's one of my basic examples:

My eldest son's scared of small flames,
and I know just what is to blame:
those Frankenstein movies,
though they can be goofy,
burn monster and my son the same.

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Here are some other resources related to the limerick:

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Odes: Praise poetry!

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:44:19 GMT

The ode is a poetic form formed for flattery. There are three types of odes: the Horation; the Pindaric; and the Irregular.

The Horation ode (named for the Latin poet, Horace) contains one stanza pattern that repeats throughout the poem--usually 2 or 4 lines in length.

The Pindaric ode (named for the Greek poet, Pindar) is made up of a pattern of three stanzas called triads. This type of ode can be composed of several triads, but the first (the strophe) and the second (antistrophe) should be idnentical metrically with the third (epode) wandering off on its own metrical path.

The irregular ode (named for no one in particular) does away with formalities and focuses on the praising aspect of the ode.

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Many odes are longer poems, but I'm going to share a basic example of my irregular ode here:

"Ode to Rain"

Without rain
there would be no frog
to leap into the pond.
No pond.
No sound.

Of course, this piece is also tipping its hat to Basho's famous haiku as well.

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I've, of course, got some more resources to share on odes:

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Kyrielle: a French poetic form

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:56:02 GMT

The kyrielle is a French four-line stanza form that has a refrain in the fourth line. Often, there is a rhyme scheme in the poem consisting of the following possibilities:

aabb
abab
aaab
abcb

The poem can be as long as you wish and as short as two stanzas (otherwise, the refrain is not really a refrain, is it?), and, as with many French forms, it is very nice for stretching your poetic muscles.

Also, tres importante! Your lines must contain 8 syllables. I've written an example below to show how this poem works (on a technical level).

"She's not a Pretty Singer"

Evening cell phone conversation--
he rakes his hair with long fingers
that were once filled with devotion,
though she's not a pretty singer.

He never was a man to say,
"baby," or let his eyes linger,
and she only likes boys who stay,
but she's not a pretty singer.

So he offered his warm coat to
another to start a fling her
aging looks could never undo,
and she's not a pretty singer.

Some say she moved to another
state and made her name selling or
buying something, though why bother
when she's not a pretty singer?

*****

Here are some other resources on the kyrielle form:

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List Poem: A Surprisingly American Poem

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:58:29 GMT

Of course, I don't mean to say that the list poem was founded in America--far from it. The list poem was used by the Greeks and in many books of the Bible. But two of the most popular American poems, Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" and Allen Ginsberg's "Howl," are list poems. So what is a list poem?

Basically, a list poem (also known as a catalog poem) is a poem that lists things, whether names, places, actions, thoughts, images, etc. It's a very flexible and fun form to work with.

For instance, I've written a list poem below to describe the experience of watching my high school football team for four years (and maybe that many wins over the entire period). Our team mascot, the Pirate, is clearly visible from I-75 if you're ever driving between Dayton and Cincinnati. We have a large set of bleachers and even this really cool wood pirate ship with a canon for when we score (sadly, underused most seasons). You would think we'd have some sort of great football team, but:

"Watching the Pirates"

We watched them lose every Friday;
first, they lost to the Beavers;
second, they fell to the Vikings;
third, they were knocked off by Elks;
fourth, the Green Wave swept over them;
fifth, the Trojans had their way;
sixth, they succumbed to Spartans;
seventh, the Skyhawks flew to victory;
eight, the Rams clobbered them;
ninth, it was the Golden Knights;
in the tenth week, they finally won,
but no one was there to see it.

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Fibonacci Poetry: A new poetic form!

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:05:21 GMT

Fibonacci poetry was founded by Gregory K. Pincus last year as a 6-line poem that follows the Fibonacci sequence for syllable count per line.

For the 6-line poem that means:

1 syllable for first line
1 syllable for second line
2 syllables for third
3 syllables for fourth
5 syllables for fifth
8 syllables for sixth

An example:

"Confession"

My
first
poem
was not a
Fibonacci or
even an unrhymed sestina.

There are variations where the Fibonacci expands even further with each line, but to understand how to accomplish this, you need to understand the Fibonacci math sequence of starting with 0 and 1 and then adding the last two numbers together to add to infinity.

0+1=1
1+1=2
1+2=3
2+3=5
3+5=8
5+8=13
8+13=21
13+21=34
and so on and so forth...

Anyway, those lines can easily get more and more unwieldy the more you let them expand.

Here's how my example might expand, for instance:

"A Longer Confession"

My
first
poem
was not a
Fibonacci or
even an unrhymed sestina;
my first poem was not a sonnet or triolet,
a ghazal or haiku; my first poem wasn't free form, either: I don't know what it was.

Yeah, 21 syllables is a lot of syllables for one line. So, there's another variation that has taken flight in making Fibonacci poems that ascend and descend in syllables.

My tired example:

"A Bell Curve Confession"

My
first
poem
was not a
Fibonacci or
even an unrhymed sestina;
my first poem wasn't a sonnet,
triolet, ghazal,
haiku or
even
free
verse.

For poets who also like mathematics (am I the only one raising my hand?), this is definitely an interesting form to get your mind working.

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Here's more on the Fibonacci poem:

A New Mathematical Form, by Georgia Luna Smith Faust
Fibonacci Poems Multiply on the Web After Blog's Invitation, by Motoko Rich
The Fib, by Fibonacci originator Gregory K. Pincus

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Shadorma: A highly addictive poetic form from Spain

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:20:27 GMT

I recently discovered a poetic form called shadorma (thanks to P.J. Nights via Tammy Trendle) that I had no record of in my two poetic form handbooks [kind of like my recent posting about hay(na)ku]. Shadorma is a Spanish 6-line syllabic poem of 3/5/3/3/7/5 syllable lines respectively. Simple as that.

Also, you can link multiple shadorma (shadormas? shadormae?) like in my example below:

"Miss Shadorma"

She throws birds
at the school children
on playgrounds
made of steel
who run intense spirals to
the chain-link fencing.

Sad teachers
watch as they spiral
into air
like reverse
helicopter seeds searching
for their maple trees.

I've found myself addicted to writing in this shadorma form. It's simple and has a nice ebb and flow to the lines. Very fun!

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Hay(na)ku: Counting up a new poetic form

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:27:51 GMT

Hay(na)ku is a very simple poetic form, and it's also one of the newest. It was apparently created in 2003 by poet Eileen Tabios.

Hay(na)ku is a 3-line poem with one word in the first line, two words in the second, and three in the third. There are no restrictions beyond this.

A really basic example:

Boys
chase girls
on the playground.

There are already some variations of this new poetic form. For instance, a reverse hay(na)ku has lines of three, two, and one word(s) for lines one, two, and three respectively. Also, multiple hay(na)ku can be chained together to form longer poems.

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Here are some links to other hay(na)ku sites:

The Hay(na)ku Verse Form, a 21st century poetry form, by Joan Zimmerman
HAY(NA)KU POETRY blog

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Haiku on September 11

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:57:01 GMT

I read Robert's posts about haiku here and here, as well as Michael Dylan Welch's comments, with great interest. I've tried haiku in the past, knew I failed, and have also felt "fearful" about trying again. I'm intrigued by everything that goes into writing a true haiku, including saying more with less.

In e-mailing back and forth about an article for the 2009 Poet's Market, Michael and I discussed this fear a bit. I promised Michael I would seriously attempt haiku and post a few here at Poetic Asides.

I realized there was no more challenging subject about which to say more with less than the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I experienced September 11, 2001 in a very peripheral way--literally. That morning my mother and I were in Gettysburg, having spent the night en route to a few days in Amish country. We were actually blissfully unaware of the attacks as we searched for Marianne Moore's grave in Evergreen Cemetery and contemplated the beautiful, peaceful scene in the Valley of Death from Little Round Top.

It wasn't until we stopped at an antique mall halfway to York that we first heard what had happened. In shock, we immediately started back to Ohio. With Washington so close to the south, there was a special urgency in the radio reports we were listening to. In one of the rest stations on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, we overheard plenty of discussion of the New York part of the tragedy, as people wandered with cell phones to their ears, absorbed in agitated conversations, their eyes wide with fear and confusion.

And, as we sped through Somerset County within miles of Shanksville, we passed emergency equipment heading east, lights flashing, although Flight 93 had gone down hours before.

In 2002, on our way home from the Dodge Poetry Festival, we made a detour off the turnpike to visit the Flight 93 memorial. It was only a year and week later; a mood of requiem was still strong--at the festival, in the small towns of New Jersey, and in Pennsylvania.

It's definitely a challenge to distill all that into captured moments; to forego the emotions, the intensity of the memories, the politics, the impulse to comment at length and memorialize. But I said I'd try, so here they are--my haiku for September 11 (attempted):

bone-white stones

the poet's grave eludes us

crow and dried roses

          ***>

clear September day

a blue sky to remember

leaves papers ash drift

          ***
>

soft yellow showers

faint whiffs of distant smoke

crickets on stone walls

          ***
>

stillness on Round Top

in the cannon's muzzle

a spider's web

          ***
>

cows and goldenrod

a siren on the turnpike

milking time is soon

          ***
>

field in late summer

tributes on a chain-link fence

grass conceals the scars>

--Nancy

P.S. Here's a moving piece about an artist's musical response to 9/11.

Concrete Poems: Or Sculpting Poetry

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 14:13:25 GMT

Concrete poetry is one of the more experimental poetic forms available to poets. Concrete poems use space and sound to communicate the meanings of the words. Words can cover other words; and the poem has trouble standing without the structure. Concrete poetry is more visual than other poetic forms.

Of course, concrete poetry has plenty of detractors because of the weight structure has on the words, but as much thought goes into concrete poetry as any other form.

Here's an example:

"The 800"

We line up. We     wait    for   the "set"
and then gunblastexplosionbangandwe'reoff
run
ni      ng
in        ou
rf            ir
st           ci
rc           le,
ou       rf
ir    st
lap,
but
th   er
ea       lr
ac         es
ta          rt
so          nt
he       se
co    nd
lap,
and
then
we're
tumbling
   in
from
              first
            to
last.

As you can see from this example, taken from my days of running track & field, the structure gives the poem added weight and importance. Without the structure, this poem would just read:

"We line up. We wait for the 'set' and then gun blast explosion band and we're off running our first circle, our first lap, but the real race starts on the second lap, and then we're tumbling in from first to last."

In the concrete form, I was able to simulate the two laps that an 800 racer must run, which coincidentally forms a figure 8. Also, I can simulate the wait before the gun blast to start the race and the initial jumbled feeling of the start all the way through to the way each runner finishes in a different place "from first to last."

This form can be very fun to write. Of course, you'll need to think of subjects that open themselves up to a certain type of form. You could write a heart-shaped love poem, a scary jack-o-lantern poem. The sky really is the limit (or is it?).

*****

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Found Poetry: Converting or Stealing the Words of Others

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 15:26:38 GMT

Here's one of my earliest published poems from a 2006 issue of Children, Churches & Daddies.

"RE: your hips"

OK
time to get serious...

Don't you think it's about time you dropped a few pounds?

No diet, No exercise...
No BS,
Only safe, substantial results in a few weeks,
period.

It only takes 24 bucks
to see if this is what you've been searching for
the last few years...
we bet it is.

This poem is not my typical style. In fact, I had very little involvement in composing this poem outside of how the line breaks were structured. This is a "found" poem that was originally a spam message found in my e-mail inbox.

Found poetry is all about taking words not originally meant to be a poem (as they originally appeared) and turning those words into a poem anyway. You can use newspaper articles, bits of conversation (something I've done more than a few times with my 4 and 6 year olds), instructions, recipes, letters, e-mails, direct mail and even spam e-mail (they had to have some value, eh).

With found poetry, you do not alter the original words, but you can make line breaks and cut out excess before and/or after the poem you've "found." The power of found poetry is how words not intended as poetry can take on new and profound meanings as found poems.

For instance, the spam e-mail I received above gave me a little chuckle at first. But then, the content stuck with me, and I began thinking about two different sides of this message. First, obesity is more of a widespread problem now than at any other time in human history. Second, more people have eating disorders (whether eating too much or too little) and body image issues now than, perhaps, at any other time in human history, too.

As a result, this poorly crafted spam message that was intended to try and get people to check out some dietary product takes on a much more powerful commentary as a found poem. For some, it will draw a smile. For others, it will speak to the problems of overeating and lack of exercise. For still others, it will symbolize how people are harming themselves physically and mentally by placing too much emphasis on their body image.

Not every found poem has to make a commentary, but this is one example. For "writing" your own found poems, you just need to continue doing what all writers do: Pay attention to your surroundings. If you find something interesting, see if it'll work as a poem.

*****

Also, if you're reading this blog in the United States, have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend!

*****

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Alphabet Poetry: Or, Going Back to School

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:23:05 GMT

This week, my oldest son (6) started kindergarten (and riding the school bus), and my youngest son (4) started preschool. Besides making me feel sentimental and teary eyed about how fast my little guys are growing up, the beginning of school reminds me of my own days as a youngster. While both my boys know computers about as well as I do, back in the day we were just tackling the alphabet in kindergarten.

And so, of course, today I want to cover the alphabet poem.There are many different ways to write an alphabet poem.

You can write a poem where the first letter of each word is a different letter of the alphabet:

Kangaroos queried zebras
for clues about disappearing
x-ray machines, but those
striped horses were pathetic:
"You never ogle vain
underoos." Even jumping
retain less gibberish.

A tactic for writing this poem is to write out the alphabet ahead of time so that you can pay attention to which letters have been used and which letters are still up for grabs. This poem will stretch your mind in unexpected ways.

Of course, you can also do this consecutively through the alphabet:

A barbaric canopy divided elephant
flag givers high in jumping karate leg
mounts nevermind old pirate quarrels
registered self-employed tax-paying
units vacated wordlessly xylophonic
yesteryear zealots.

So yeah, I'm totally not proficient with the alphabet poems, but you get the idea, right? (I'm sure both my sons could do a better job.)

Another method for alphabet poems is to go through the alphabet using the first letter of the first word for each line:

After much deliberation,
Bob decided he should
Cancel his appointment with the
Dentist, because he has an
Ear ache, not a tooth ache.
Figuring this fact out
Gave Bob all the help
He needed to say,
"I need to cancel tomorrow's appointment
Just because I now
Know what is wrong with me.
Last week, I somehow
Made the mistake of
Not knowing my
Own teeth from my ears.
Please forgive the
Questionable error in
Recognizing simple
Symptoms."
Then, Bob called
Up his town's
Very good ear specialist,
Who understood from Bob's background in
Xylophone playing and excessive
Yelling made him prone to
Zealot ear canal damage.

You can always flip the alphabet, too. That is, instead of going A to Z, you could write these pieces from Z to A. It's all about having fun and stretching your mind. Kind of like school.

*****

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Pantoum: Long Distance Runners and Poetry

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:59:31 GMT

The pantoum is a poetic form originating in Malay where poets write quatrains (4-line stanzas) with an abab rhyme scheme and repeat lines 2 and 4 in the previous stanza as lines 1 and 3 in the next stanza.

Poets differ on how to treat the final quatrain: Some poets repeat lines 1 and 3 of the original quatrain as lines 2 and 4 in the final quatrain; other poets invert lines 1 and 3 so that the beginning line of the poem is also the final line of the poem (what I've done in the very basic example below).

"Long Distance Runners"

They don't like running in the heat,
because only so many layers can come off
as their shoes bounce along the street
and the city's exhaust makes them cough.

Because only so many layers can come off,
unlike the adding of shirts in winter,
and the city's exhaust makes them cough
they sometimes wish they were sprinters.

Unlike the adding of shirts in winter,
they prefer long distances in fall.
They sometimes wish they were sprinters,
though their talent in speed is small.

They prefer long distances in fall,
though spring is also nice.
Though their talent in speed is small,
long distance runners pay the price.

Though spring is also nice
as their shoes bounce along the street,
long distance runners pay the price.
They don't like running in the heat.

As you can see, it's a very basic pattern for keeping the poem going. Of course, one trick is to always have an idea of how a line might be able to repeat in the next quatrain. Very fun brain teaser type of poem, for sure.

(Also, the pantoum can be as long or as short as you wish it to be, though mathematically it does require at least 4 lines.)

*****

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Epitaphs and food poisoning...

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 18:49:49 GMT

Robert's post on epitaphs was quite timely for me, since I felt like I was at death's door most of the weekend. The doctor confirmed yesterday I had probably been debilitated by a food-born illness, confirming what I suspected from the minute the abdominal pains set in. I'm on two separate antibiotics now, which I'm sure are helping, but I think it will be a couple of days before I'm feeling like my old self. I'm still not sure of the actual source of the contamination or where I consumed it, which is the unnerving aspect of the whole gory incident.

I couldn't resist imagining what my family might have put on my tombstone had I succumbed to this vile ailment. Perhaps:

She died of an infected tummy.

(But at least the meal was yummy!)

>

***************************************

Done in by a tainted dish,

her final words: "Don't eat the fish!"

********************************************>

"Mmmm!" she said, and cleaned her plate,

whereby she met an awful fate.

********************************************>

She's passed on to a higher plane

where there's no danger of ptomaine.

>

Those are nice and economical (in more ways than one--epitaphs ain't cheap). However, I'm sure my loved ones would spring for something with a little more "substance":

Beloved food,

her fickle friend,

destroyed poor Nancy

in the end.

********************************************>

Nancy lies beneath the sod,

thus endeth her ordeal--

brought down by hands that weren't washed

before they fixed her meal.>

Actually, I intend to be cremated, so the issue of what goes on my tombstone is moot. However, I noticed there's a growing trend toward cremation jewelry. Cool, maybe swag bags with a pendant for each person who attends my wake (with live music, ceili dancing, and flowing Guinness, please note)…

--Nancy

Epitaphs--Or, My Hard Drive Nears the End

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 14:58:53 GMT

For years now, I've been convinced my hard drive is close to death. Somehow it continues to soldier on day in and day out. But today, my hard drive is being especially noisy. So, of course, I'm already starting to think about a suitable epitaph for my workplace companion.

The epitaph is a note meant to appear on a tombstone. From the Greek, epitaph means "upon a tomb." Since it has to fit on a tombstone, this note is usually brief and often rhymes. Some epitaphs are funny; most are serious. Most try to get the reader thinking about the subject of the tombstone.

Here is the one I have written for my death avoiding hard drive:

After years of rattling like thunder,
you no longer record my blunders.

*****

Go here for more on epitaphs.

*****

Here are some funny epitaphs.

*****

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Triolet--an easy way to write 8 lines of poetry

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 17:20:08 GMT

Today, we're going to look at the triolet (TREE-o-LAY), which has 13th century French roots linked to the rondeau or "round" poem. For over a year now, I've been trying to find a way to use the repetitive line heard so often in airport terminals: "The moving sidewalk is about to end."

The triolet is perfect for this kind of repetition, because the first line of the poem is used 3 times and the second line is used twice. If you do the math on this 8-line poem, you'll realize there are only 3 other lines to write: 2 of those lines rhyme with the first line, the other rhymes with the second line.

A diagram of the triolet would look like this:

A (first line)
B (second line)
a (rhymes with first line)
A (repeat first line)
a (rhymes with first line)
b (rhymes with second line)
A (repeat first line)
B (repeat second line)

So for the construction of my triolet, I already had my first line: "The moving sidewalk is about to end." So after some quick thinking I decided to make my second line: and I'm not sure where to go. Pretty good (and true), since I usually don't know where to go in airports. At this point, my poem looked like this:

A "The moving sidewalk is about to end"
B and I'm not sure where to go
a
A "The moving sidewalk is about to end"
a
b
A "The moving sidewalk is about to end"
B and I'm not sure where to go

With more than half the poem already down, it was a simple matter of brainstorming some rhymes and crafting some lines that fit the airport situation. Then, of course, I had to think of a title. This is the end result:

"Terminal Triolet"

"The moving sidewalk is about to end,"
and I'm not sure where to go
to meet my long distance girlfriend.
"The moving sidewalk is about to end,"
repeats the disembodied voice again
as the conveyor conveys me slow.
"The moving sidewalk is about to end,"
and I'm not sure where to go.

*****

For some more on the triolet, check out the following links:

"Poetic Forms: The Triolet," by Conrad Geller for Writing-World.com

"The Triolet Verse Form," by Joan Zimmerman

*****

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Haiku Revisited

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 17:19:19 GMT

Michael Dylan Welch, who wrote on haiku for the 2005 Poet's Market, stopped by and offered some great advice in the comments to my "Haiku: Easy or Hard?" post from earlier this week. While it's probably best to read the comments first-hand, I figured I'd make it easy on people since the advice is very useful.

Some highlights:

"My sense of things is that practically no current literary haiku writers believe the 5-7-5 pattern of syllables is applicable in English (in Japanese they count sounds, not syllables, which is why a one-syllable word like 'scarf,' in English, is counted as FOUR sounds when said in Japan, something like 'su-ka-ar-fu'), so I'm not sure I'd call 5-7-5 a 'traditional' viewpoint in English. More like a traditional misunderstanding."

"Rather, what matters most in the tradition of haiku is kigo (season word) and kireji (cutting word), as well as objective sensory imagery (thus one wouldn't say that rain 'stampedes' the mud, because, as interesting as that is, it shows your interpretation and lacks the objectivity that lets readers have their own reaction to a carefully crafted image)."

"At any rate, I always like to quote philosopher Roland Barthes on haiku. He said that 'The haiku has this rather fantasmagorical property: that we always suppose we ourselves can write such things easily.' Paradoxically, haiku is both easy and hard."

Welch also provided to links to check out:

His essay "Becoming a Haiku Poet" at http://www.haikuworld.org/begin/mdwelch.apr2003.html

Keiko Imaoka's essay "Forms in English Haiku" at http://asgp.org/agd-poems/keiko-essay.html

I would like to thank Welch, who is an expert in his field, for sharing so much great information with everyone. This is what having a community of poets is all about as far as I'm concerned.

SPAM Prompts vs. SPAM Poetry (or spoetry)

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:58:21 GMT

In my Friday SPAM prompts I offer the subject line of a SPAM message as a springboard for a writing exercise. This isn't the same as actual SPAM poetry, or spoetry, which has been around since the late 90s. Ben Meyers, blogging on The Guardian Unlimited website, offers his views on "this odd art form" along with interesting examples. Commenters continue the conversation, presenting their own perspectives (and samples).

--Nancy

Stealing each other's kittens...

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:09:44 GMT

The October 2007 issue of Writer's Digest includes "Vice Versa" by Michael J. Vaughn, in which "three author/poets discuss why prose writers should try poetry, and poets should pen prose." The three poets interviewed are Diane Ackerman, Kim Addonizio, and Naomi Shihab Nye.

In answer to the question "How do the two forms interact? Do you ever borrow phrases or ideas from one to use in the other?", Ackerman notes that she once had two female cats that got pregnant at the same time and had their kittens within days of each other. Perhaps because their scents got confused, "they began stealing and nursing each other's kittens. My prose and poetry sometimes steal each other's kittens, as I try to decide where an image or observation belongs."

The October issue includes Kara Gebhart Uhl's "On the Edge" column, in which she discusses Jack Prelutsky, the first United States Children's Poet Laureate (inaugurated by The Poetry Foundation); and the ongoing popularity of the novel-in-verse for younger audiences.

--Nancy

P.S. There's also a "writer's workbook" section (formatted for three-hole punch) that includes a two-page discussion of the sestina by James Cummins. Quite a poetry-rich issue of WD for poetry lovers!

>

Haiku: Easy or Hard?

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:11:23 GMT

Haiku is one of the most popular forms of poetry; it's also one of the least understood forms. And since haiku are so short, many writers think they can write them as easy (and nearly as fast) as snapping their fingers.

During the summer months, I'm even occasionally assaulted by Budweiser Summer Haiku radio commercials, which often come off like those Real Men of Genius commercials with less humor and less genius (so really not the same at all).

Haiku is descended from the Japanese renga form, which was often a collaborative poem comprised of many short stanzas. The opening stanza of the renga was called hokku. Eventually, haiku evolved from the left-over and most interesting hokku that were not used in renga.

Most haiku deals with natural topics. They avoid metaphor and simile. While (I think) most poets agree that haiku have three short lines, there is some disagreement on how long those lines are. For instance, some traditional haiku poets insist on 17 syllables in lines of 5/7/5. Other contemporary haiku poets feel that the first and third lines can be any length as long as they're shorter than the middle line.

Haiku do not have to include complete sentences or thoughts. They do not have titles. The best haiku contain some shift in the final line.

I do not claim to be a haiku master, but here's my attempt at a 5/7/5 line structure:

Clouds mushroom upward
where rain stampedes to the earth,
makes mud fresh again.

But I kind of favor this more contemporary revision I made in a 3/7/4 line structure:

Clouds mushroom
where rain stampedes to the earth,
making fresh mud.

And I could even get as radical as:

Clouds mushroom
where rain stampedes
fresh mud.

Anyway, as my pal S.A. Griffin would say, "It's all about the process."

*****

For a ton of info on haiku, go to http://www.ahapoetry.com/haiku.htm

Some more on haiku can be found at http://www.toyomasu.com/haiku/

Also, http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Literature/Poetry/Forms/Haiku_and_Related_Forms/

*****

Check out the Haiku Society of America at http://www.hsa-haiku.org

*****

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Mom Jokes & Insult Poetry

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:18:04 GMT

Back in the days of track & field and cross country, the guys and I would be running for literally miles and miles with little to occupy our minds but the joys of breathing and muscle fatigue. Maybe joy isn't the proper word.

Anyway, we would distract ourselves by talking on most of our longer runs. We'd make small talk, sing songs we knew, and often joke around. And a common way to joke around was through making silly "mom" jokes. (If mothers are reading this, these "mom" jokes weren't really directed at the mothers; when you're running 12 miles, you just get desperate for ways to pass the time.)

I didn't know it at the time, but mom jokes are relevant to poetry through a format called the insult poem. There are no hard and fast rules to the insult poem, but it's usually done in a joking (all in good fun) fashion as opposed to seriously trying to annoy anyone.

Many insult poems also have a repetitive form or recurring method of delivering the insults. The insult poem is a good way to show just how clever you are (or think you are). But beware writing them! Once you attack someone (even in jest), you are suddenly fair game to receive an insult poem retaliation.

And now, mothers everywhere will be able to retaliate to me. Oh gosh, here goes my attempt at an insult poem about yo' mamma.

"Your Mom"

Runs like a squirrel with her hands always leading;
has eyes in the back of her head, but she can't see
anything; smells like boiled cabbage or, on bad days,
the dumpster behind Burger King on a triple
digit summer day; tells children her favorite
day is everyone that includes the Golden
Girls, as if children know who any golden girl
is--besides her; belches when she thinks no one listens;
farts in public; picks her nose; clips her toe nails in
front of company; sells bad news to anyone
who'll listen, whether by their own will or not; sends
me Christmas cards confessing her love for midgets
and that she was drunk when she wrote the freaking thing.

I guess I could go on about "Your Mom," but this kind of gets the point across. This piece incorporates a repetitive method of using the the verb directly following "Your Mom" to start each insult, but also varies the length and depth of each insult. Just to keep things interesting.

So now that you're aware of the insult poem, I encourage you to strike out and insult your parents, siblings, milkman, political candidates, pets, friends, etc. Just don't insult me, because that would hurt my feelings. ;)

*****

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Occasional Poems: Or, Happy Birthday to Me!

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:57:12 GMT

Today is July 18th, otherwise known as my birthday. So, of course, my birthday got me thinking about occasional poems--poems that are written for specific occasions, including weddings, funerals, graduations, and birthdays (especially mine!).

There are no specific guidelines for occasional poems outside, except that they mark a specific occasion. The poems can be long or short, serious or humorous, good or bad (ha!)--just as long as they mark the occasion.

While it's fun and challenging to write occasional poems on your own, they also open themselves up well to collaborations with other writers who also experience the occasion. For instance, I recently collaborated with another poet to mark the marriage of two good friends. It was fun and a unique (and thoughtful) bonus gift to mark the union of two people.

I will not share that poem with you, but I will share an example of an occasional poem for, of course, my birthday!

"My Birthday"

Snuck up on me this year,
the routine of growing older
making me think my biggest
achievement today was
getting in to work on time.
Well, that was good too, fine
enough for another day
where work sometimes feels like play.

(Okay, so I didn't re-write the "happy birthday" song. Cut me some slack; it's my birthday!)

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Acrostic Poems & Poetry

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:25:58 GMT

Continuing on with the poetic forms available to poets, I have to discuss acrostic poetry. Acrostic poetry is very easy and fun. The most basic form spells words out on the left-hand side of the page using the first letter of each line.

I like to write
Acrostic poems
Mostly because
Reading them
Out loud is
Bound to be fun.

If you notice, the first letter of every line makes the simple sentence, "I am Rob." It's very simple, and you can make it as difficult as you want--where the fun part begins.

The brave at heart can even try double acrostics--that is, spelling things out using the first and last letter of each line.

MonkeyS
Yell and slaP
Lions tO
Offend micE
Visiting the eleganT
Elephant to heaR
It hide and crY.

In this silly example, I've spelled out "My love is poetry."

The acrostic is easy to do in its simplest form, but ambitious poets could write a whole paragraph or stories using acrostics if they had enough spare time. Or even write a double acrostic sonnet or sestina.

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Abstract or Sound Poetry

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:19:27 GMT

One thing I would like to do with this blog is present a picture of the different poetic forms available to poets. I will lump all these in the Poetic Forms category in the left-hand toolbar. By knowing the different forms, you can experiment and ultimately grow as a poet and as a writer.

In this post, let's look at Abstract or Sound Poetry. Apparently, abstract was a term used by Dame Edith Sitwell to describe poems in her book Facade. There are different definitions provided below, but this form of poetry is more about how sounds, rhythms, and textures evoke emotions than about the actual meanings of words.

For instance:

My rat-a-tat-tat hat
was smacked and whacked
by Thedulius Jack-a-bat-snat
while holding his gat.

Obviously, the draw of these lines is the sounds produced more than figuring out who is doing what. Abstract or Sound Poetry is definitely a fun form to play around with.

And as promised, here are some definitions to check out (for poets who need meanings):

Abstract Poetry
Sound Poetry
Nonsense Verse