-
Zappai
Here it is! The final A-Z Challenge post! I fucking did it!!!! Zappai poems are like haiku; they have a 5-7-5 syllable pattern but do not contain the seasonal reference expected of haiku. In other words, zappai are all those haiku people write that haiku poets recognize as not being haiku. In fact, I’d say most of the “haiku” I’ve written over the years have actually been zappai. Go figure…learned something today! The End I walk to the end, realizing it circles back, and sigh, audibly.
-
Ya-du
2 more to go…and the A-Z Challenge is in the bag! The ya-du is a Burmese poetic form. Here are the guidelines (taken from Writer’s Digest): Quintains (or five-line stanzas). Four syllables in the first four lines. The final line has either five, seven, nine, or 11 syllables. The fourth syllable of the first line rhymes with the third syllable of the second line and the second syllable of the third line. The fourth syllable of the third line rhymes with the third syllable of the fourth line and the second syllable of the fifth line. The fourth syllable of the fourth line rhymes with the final syllable of the…
-
Xiaoshi
I had to dig deep to find a poetic form starting with “X”. This explanation is from Judi Van Gorder: Xiaoshi, (small poem,shi = poetry / xiao = little, diminutive or small) is a genre of Chinese poetry from the 1920s. It is a fragmented poem with minimal explanation. It teams seemingly unrelated images with little indication of cause and effect. The frame is at the discretion of the poet although in sync with most Chinese poetry, it is common to be written as a quatrain. Here’s my attempt… Somewhere sweat beads on brows muscles pulse, playing heart beats audible breath turns to pleasure moan somewhere–lovers lay spent rooms filled…
-
Utendi
Okay, guys, I’m digging deep on this one. “U” was a tough one to find, and none of them have looked real easy to achieve (the first one I found was an Arabic form written in the “meter of the camel”…not sure what that means, but, hey, maybe it’s a cultural thing, and I’d have to have been there to understand). I’ve opted to go with the Utendi or Untenzi (Swahili meaning “deed” or “act”) which is a Swahili form. These poems are apparently usually narrative and should tell a story. Swahili epics appear in this form, not that I’ve read many of those. The elements of the Utendi are:…
-
Tricube
Alright then, I’m back for more poetry!!! And we are soooo close to the end of the A-Z Challenge. Today, I don’t have a lot time for writing, so I’ve chose the tribcube. Here are the rules of tricubes: Each line contains three syllables. Each stanza contains three lines. Each poem contains three stanzas. Meditation I sit here with the cat listening. His soft purrs vibrating right through me. It calms me, prepares me, to face things. A Hundred Times HIs cock grows: skin stretching, blood flowing. I watch it come to life in my hand… even though I’ve seen it a thousand times. I always feel that each line…
-
Sijo
For my National Poetry Month A-Z Challenge today, I considered attempting a German shuttelreim (go ahead…look it up), but it scared me a bit, so I’m falling back on the Korean sijo. The sijo is actually older than haiku, and since I haven’t done a Korean form before, I figured this was a good time. Like haiku, the sijo is only three lines long. The poems are meant to be songs. Here are the guidelines: 3 lines in length, averaging 14-16 syllables per line The traditional syllable break: Line 1: 3-4-4-4 Line 2: 3-4-4-4 Line 3: 3-5-4-3 Each line should have a pause or break in the middle Line 1…
-
Rhupunt
Today, for the National Poetry Month A-Z Challenge, I’m attempting a Welsh form, the rhupunt: The form can be broken down into lines or stanzas Each line or stanza contains 3 to 5 sections Each section has 4 syllables All but the final section rhyme with each other The final section of each line or stanza rhymes with the final section of the other lines or stanzas Sound confusing? Well, let’s give a try, and maybe my example will help you. I’m using a poem from Robert Lee Brewer of Writer’s Digest as a model. An Open Book I tried to hide desires inside, but eyes don’t lie, and he…
-
Quatern
Welcome back to the A-Z challenge! Today, I’m trying out the quatern, another French form that is totally new to me. This poem has 16 lines broken up into 4 quatrains (or 4-line stanzas). Each line is comprised of eight syllables. The first line is the refrain (which means it needs to be a good one). In the second stanza, the refrain appears in the second line; in the third stanza, the third line; in the fourth stanza, the fourth (and final) line. There are no rules for rhyming or iambics. Foghorns Foghorns echo in the distance, though night is coming to an end. I unwrap myself from your warmth making…
-
Palindrome
Almost all (and there weren’t many) the poetic forms I found for “P” had something to do with repetition of lines or words. But I didn’t want to wuss out and just do a prose poem, since I’m trying to experiment with forms I’ve not written before. So, I’m going to go ahead and give this one a go. For the palindrome poem: You must use the same words in the first half of the poem as the second half, but Reverse the order for the second half, and Use a word in the middle as a bridge from the first half to the second half of the poem. Note:…
-
Ottava Rima
For the A-Z Challenge, I’m celebrating to National Poetry Month. For O…it’s the ottava rima. Ottava rima are 8 lines with an abababcc rhyme scheme, most commonly written in iambic pentameter (or 10-syllable lines). The form can work as a stand alone poem, or be used as connecting stanzas. Some Loves Some loves are harder than others to forget. They burrow deep in our soul and wait for inconvenient times. Questions and regrets feed the memories, and never satiate our need for closure. We give what we get: endlessly fishing on a hook with no bait. Our only recourse is to walk away, Hoping years and distance will lead to decay.
