Poetic Forms

1. Poetic Forms

2. What is form? • Form, in poetry can be defined as the physical structure of a poem on the page or the rules and patterns that shape a poem • Rules and patterns can include: • syllables per line • rhyme scheme • repetition of words and/or lines

3. Syllables • Some poetic forms are defined by the number of syllables in each line • the number of syllables in a word is the same as the number of vowel sounds • Ex. Cat = one vowel sound = one syllable • Little = Litt – el = 2 vowel sounds & two syllables • Lion = li – on = 2 vowel sounds & 2 syllables • Beautiful = byoo – ti – ful = 3 vowel sounds & 3 syllables

4. Tips for counting syllables • Read the word out loud so you can hear it • clap the syllables • place your hand under your jaw as you saw the word – the number of times your jaw moves = syllable count

5. Haiku • A haiku has: • 3 lines and 17 syllables in total • line 1 = 5 syllables • line 2 = 7 syllables • line 3 = 5 syllables

6. Haiku Example • By Gail Goto • warm soup in a bowl • letters of the alphabet • hang on the teaspoon

7. Haiku Practice!  • You have 5 minutes to write an original haiku about nature. • Syllable count per line: 5-7-5

8. Tanka • A tanka consists of 5 lines • the syllable count per line is: 5-7-5-7-7 Ex. by Dendrobia A cool wind blows in With a blanket of silence. Straining to listen For those first few drops of rain, The storm begins in earnest.

9. Cinquain A cinquainhas: • 5 lines and 22 syllables in total • Line 1= 2 syllables • Line 2= 4 syllables • line 3 = 6 syllables • line 4 = 8 syllables • line 5 = 2 syllables

10. Cinquain example • Cherry Blossoms By Marie Summers • Cherry • blossoms float on • the afternoon breezes. • Petals fluttering down like snow • in spring.

11. Etheree • An Ethereeis another form that relies on the syllable count • it has 10 lines and the syllable count is the same as the line number – ie. line 1 has 1 syllable, line 2 has 2 syllables, etc. until line 10 has 10 syllables • A reverse ethereehas the syllable count going backwards • A double ethereehas syllables that count up and then down

12. Etheree example • Anonymous Solitude • By Andrea Deitrich • She’s • inclined • to want more • to ease her mind • than do you or I. • She disappears to find • anonymous solitude. • We look for it, but we are blind. • Left behind, we become mere figments • of her illusions; . . . . we call her unkind.

13. Blurred Vision (Double Reversed Etheree) by Marie Summers Blurred is the Poet’s vision when grieving - Penning release, striking out against the pain raging inside, casting out the love that once stemmed from passion’s ink in the night. Driving poetry like a prized slave until limp, red eyed, cold. Sleep and dream of lifeless limits in ink. Poethood of guilt, a sentence to be served, ‘til the blinded and enraged can make peace with the opal eye of passion’s night, and create poems to heal the heart of the grieving Bard.

14. Practice!  • Using different poetic forms that rely on syllable counts, create at least three (3) original poems • The syllable counts for each line of each form are below: • Haiku : 5-7-5 • Tanka : 5-7-5-7-7 • Cinquain : 2-4-6-8-2 • Etheree : 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 • Experiment!