Formula Poems

1. Formula Poems

2. Haiku • A haiku is a three-line Japanese verse form. The first and third lines each have five syllables. The second line has seven syllables. A writer of haiku uses images to create a single, vivid picture, generally of a scene from nature. Sun low in the west . . . Moon floating up in the east Flowers in shadows --Buson

3. Above the meadow A skylark, singing, flies high High into silence. --author unknown Rain went sweeping on in the twilight, spilling moons on every blade of grass. --Sho-u The sea in springtime— All the warm day is breathing Swells in breathing swells --Buson

4. Limericks A limerick is a five-line poem. The first, second, and fifth lines rhyme and have three beats to the rhythm. The third and fourth lines rhyme and have two beats to the rhythm. Limericks are often silly and humorous. There was an Old Man with a beard Who said, “It is just as I feared! Two Owls and a Hen Four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard!”

5. Limericks The bottled perfume Willie sent Smelled displeasingly to Millicent; Her thanks were so cold They quarreled, I’m told, Through that silly scent Willie sent Millicent. There was a Young Lady of Niger Who smiled as she rode on a tiger; They returned from the ride With the lady inside, And the smile on the face of the tiger. I raised a great hullabaloo When I found a large mouse in my stew, Said the waiter, “Don’t shout And wave it about, Or the rest will be wanting one, too!

6. Cinquains Cinquains have five lines. In one popular form the number of syllables in successive lines are two, four, six, eight, and two. Baseball Bat cracks against The pitch, sending it out Over the back fence, I did it! Homerun

7. Cinquains Bubbles by Cindy Barden Bubbles Shiny, short-lived Shimmering, bursting, floating In the summer breeze Freedom November Night by Adalaide Crapsey Listen . . . With faint dry sound, Like steps of passing ghosts, The leaves, frost-crisp’d, break from the trees And fall.

8. Cinquains Mirror Sleek silver glass Watching so silently. Are you my friend or enemy? Mimic. Cobweb Fragile structure Do spiders lurk in you? So beautiful, so dangerous . . . Ambush!

9. Cinquains Here are other popular patterns for writing cinquains: Line 1: One word Dinosaurs Line 2: Two words Lived once, Line 3: Three words Long ago, but Line 4: Four words Only dust and dreams Line 5: One word Remain Line 1: A noun Spaghetti Line 2: Two adjectives Messy, spicy, Line 3: Three verbs Slurping, sliding, falling Line 4: Prep. Phrase Between my plate and mouth Line 5: One word for noun Delicious

10. Septones A septone is a seven-line poem that uses telephone numbers to determine the number of syllables in each line. Late Autumn—Linda Hoffman 3 Abandoned 5 Is the dead cornfield 4 Harvest has passed 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 One crow 6 Burrows ‘midst the stalks for 1 food. Leaves—Judith White 3 Leaves flutter 5 Something like feathers 4 As they near earth; 6 Dancing with the breezes 6 They light upon the ground 2 To make 8 A golden carpet for my feet.

11. Acrostics An acrostic poem uses a word or name to indicate the first letter of each line. R Robert O obviously is B being E enormously R ridiculous T trying to do this S silly M mind-racking assignment I it’s really T the H hardest assignment ever. M Marvelous, wonderful me A Always I in a good mood D Don’t you see? O Or think so?

12. ABC poems An ABC poem is like an acrostic poem but instead of using a word or name it uses the alphabet. Angry winds Bending the treetops Clouds scudding across the sky Deepening darkness Eerie howling winds From the mountain peaks. The storm will break tonight. Angry patriots Brutal massacres Cruel killings Deadly ambushes Everyone running Fear rampages The revolution has begun.

13. List Poetry A list poem is just that a list of things that have something in common. Swift things--Elizabeth Coatsworth Swift things are beautiful: Swallows and deer And lightning, that falls Bright veined and clear, Rivers and meteors, Wind in the wheat, The strong-withered horse, The runner’s sure feet. Slow things —Debbie Townsend Slow things: Turtles and snails. Ice when it is melting. Learning at first, when you’re Not really thinking. Waiting for vacations and Birthdays when you’re turning 14. These are the things That are very slow to me.

14. Color Poetry A color poem is a celebration of a color it usually employs figurative language. Red—Charles Perry Red is the color of Rit dyes. Red is the color of bloodshot eyes. Red is the color of autumn leaves. Red is the color of patented keys. Red is the color of a clown’s nose. Red is the color of frostbitten toes. Blue—Carissa Barlow Blue is a starlit paradise Blue is the sound of a butterfly Blue is a rippled, spiraled kiss Blue is what falls in the hourglass Blue is the touch of descending dew Blue is the instant of rendezvous Blue is the strum of a mountain strain Blue is peace unfettered—unfeigned.

15. Five Sense Poetry A five sense poem employs images that appeal to each of the five senses. Fear is Black —Theresa Dubois Fear is black It smells of sauerkraut And tastes like sardines It sounds like silence And feels slimy like anchovies. Kindness is Golden —Carissa Barlow Kindness is golden It looks like a smile And sounds like hello It smells like fresh-baked bread And tastes like shared French fries It warms, it brightens, it sustains, It heals.

16. Assignment • Write a free verse, formula, or a concrete poem using imagery (at least 5 examples). The poem can be about any subject but should conform to the structure for that type of poem. • Free Verse: 12 lines or more, no end rhyme, use parallelism • Concrete Poem: Can use text-play or shape, must show creativity in design and effort in execution

17. Assignment • Formula Poem: Select one of the types listed below and follow guidelines. Models of each type are available below. You may not write a color poem; you wrote one last year. • Limerick (5 lines, 3 beats in lines 1, 2, 5; 2 beats in lines 3, 4; Rhyme scheme: AABBA) • Cinquain (5 lines, 2-4-6-8-2 syllable pattern) • Septone (10 lines, syllables match number in phone number, including area code) • ABC (minimum 7 lines, at least 2 words per line, each line should begin with letter of alphabet in order except for the last line (A-B-C-D-E-F-last line or R-S-T-U-V-W-X-last line) • List (minimum 7 lines, all images have something in common) • Five Sense (minimum 7 lines, each line describes an emotion or idea in terms of the five senses)