About Poetry
Intro - Symbols and Reference
Poetry is an art of words. It consists of symbols and references to other people, places, things, memories, visions, senses, etc. Oft times it is not to be understood by a reader as the writer understood it. Oft times it is to be fully understood. Many times there is no "getting" a poem other than what it means to you. In other words, poetry is whatever you get out of it for yourself.

There are many forms, rhymes, syntaxes, etc. that form poetry. In this site I hope to illustrate some of the methods used to write poetry and some of the forms that are incorporated as well as vocabulary to facilitate understanding poetry and its art.
 
Poetry Glossary 

(top)
I began to write a glossary and then found one that would out do any that I could ever write. It is by far the best glossary I could find for a poet. When you open it scroll down and click on the links of the glossary terms and they will take you to the corresponding vocabulary meaning. Click Glossary. 
Poetry Types and Forms

(top)
Haiku  
  • Three lines
  • The first and third lines have five syllables
  • Line 2 has seven syllables
Limerick 
  • Five lines
  • Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another
  • Lines 3 and 4 have five to seven syllables and also rhyme with each other
Couplet 
  • Rhyming stanzas each made up of two lines.
Triplet 
  • Rhyming stanzas each made up of three lines.

 
Quatrain 
  • Has four lines
  • Lines 2 and 4 must rhyme.
  • Lines 1 and 3 may or may not rhyme.
  • Rhyming lines should have about the same number of syllables.
Cinquain 
  • Five lines
  • Line 1 is one word (names object)
  • Line 2 is two words that describe the title (two adjectives or describing words)
  • Line 3 is three words that tell action (three -ing verbs, or action words)
  • Line 4 is four words that express feeling (describe how you feel)
  • Line 5 is one word that recalls the title (rename object)
Tanka 
  • Five lines and 31 syllables
  • Lines 1 and 3 have five syllables each
  • Lines 2, 4, and 5 have seven syllables each
Acrostic (also called Name Poem)
  • The first letters of each line are aligned vertically to form a word
  • The word often is the subject of the poem
ABC poem 
  • Five lines 
  • Creates a mood, picture, or feeling.
  • Lines 1 through 4 are made up of words, phrases or clauses - and the first word of each line is in alphabetical order from the first word
  • Line 5 is one sentence, beginning with any letter
Parts of speech 
  • Five lines
  • Line 1 is one article and 1 noun
  • Line 2 is an adjective, a conjunction, and another adjective
  • Line 3 is one verb, one conjunction and one verb
  • Line 4 is one adverb
  • Line 5 is one noun or pronoun that relates to line one
Shape (Diamond, Square, Circle, etc.) 
  • When the text of the poem is centered (or something else is done with it) it will form a shape
5 W's (Who, What, When, Where, Why)
  • The five lines of the poem will answer the five questions
Ballad  
  • Often sung
  • Narrative in style with simple metre, rhyme and often a refrain
  • Consists of four-line stanzas
  • Subject include historical events, folklore and love
Minute (created by Verna Lee Hinegardner - American form devised in the late 20th Century)
  • Has 60 syllables divided into 12 lines
  • The 1st, 5th and 9th lines have 8 syllables
  • All other lines have 4 
  • It rhymes in couplets - aabbccddeeff 
  • Should represent a momentary mood or the events of a minute in time
  • Should be punctuated and only have capital letters after full stops
Sonnet
  • Fourteen lines in iambic pentameter
  • Usually consists of Petrarchan or Shakespearean rhyme schemes 
Triolet
  • Consists of eight lines with two rhymes
  • The first 2 lines are repeated in lines 7 and 8 
  • The first line is repeated in line four

 Links and Resources (top)