Poetry Guide

[Kyosuke]

I have decided to post a little summary, of the diffrent types of poetry, there are plenty others, but I'm just naming a few that are common. If you know of more types, you can submit them too. I was trying to make this as easy to understand as I can (hey that rhymes XD).

Haiku: A japanese type of poetry with no rhyming, its usually assosiated with nature. Its three lines long, with a certain number of syllables.

eg. The dying plant bends (5 syllables)
And drips its dew to the ground (7 syllables)
It falls like a tear (5 syllables)

Tanka: Another Japanese form that relies on the number of syllables, and lines with no rhyming except the forth and fifth line.

eg. I have my own place (5 syllables)
Where I can go for hours (7 syllables)
I go there to write (5 syllables)
It is not difficult to find (7 syllables) (rhyming)
Search within your heart and mind. (7 syllables) (rhyming)

Acrostic: A type of poetry that spells out a word with the first letters vertically. It could be about anything, just as long as the first letter of the word spells something out.


School
Catching up on homework I forgot to finish
Hurry on to school before I'm late!
Observing the class as the teacher speaks about the day
Opening my backpack to get my pen and pencils
Lingering home after a grueling day of learning

Cinquain: Another type that has a total of five lines, that relates to a topic. There are 5 things that must go in a line: the title, a descrption of your topic, a action relating to it, your feeling towards it, and a title that relates to it. A certain number of syallables, is required to do it properly.

eg. Newbies (Title) (2 syllables)
active, friendly (Description) (4 syallables)
posting, viewing, spamming (action) (6 syllables)
Wonders what will become of them (feeling) (8 syallables)
Members (Title) (2 syallables)

Free Verse: A poem without any sort of "rules" applyed to it. It can talk about something, but not have a meaning behind it.

eg. What do the oceans do at night?
Do they tease and tickle the bottom of boats?
Do they ripple away in fright?
Or are the beaches like coats
That keep them still and quiet
And once the day breaks and it's breakfast time
Do the oceans wish for some other diet than fish?

Sonnets: A poem that consists of 14 lines. There is sometimes a sort of suprise at the end.

eg. Why do we continue to kill in various ways?
Why do we waste time with jealousy and hate?
Why not take advantage of the current date?
Stop the violence now, don't let it grow.
Love is important, a fact that we all know.
As the fires of hate continue to burn
The hands of clock continue to turn.
No one can find reason to our madness today.
The gift of life is extremely short
Demand no more violence of any sort!
With kindness, life's quality we can improve!
As those hands on the clock continue to move.
Day becomes night and night becomes day
The hands of the clock keep ticking away.

Rap: Yes even rap is a type of poetry, it started in the 1970's and it mainly told what life was like growing up. Evolving into what it is now.

eg. Don't wait to beat the street
Stay in school and keep your seat
The entire eight parts of speech
Will your reading, writing, and speaking teach!

Narrative poems: Narrative poems tell stories about an event, or just tell a story altogether.

eg. There once was a man named Bob
Who was out looking for a great job
He really needed money to feed pets
His cat's name was Tiger
His dog's name was Ted.
His pets were hungry most of the day
The animals were hungry - they couldn't play
Bob had been laid off for a month or two
There was plenty of work that Bob wouldn't do.
Bob was really hungry.
His stomach was an empty tank
He decided to go rob a local bank.
He walked through the door and looked around
He pointed his gun and yelled "Get down"
Bob took the money and headed for the door.
If only he had seen the officer in the store.
The policeman came out with a shout
Bob thought for a second and then pulled his gun out
One shot, two shots and with a deafening sound
Poor old Bob's body hit the ground.
With his last breath
He thought back to his pets
He sure hoped Tiger and Ted
Would have a great life after he was dead!

Diamonte poems: Diamonte is just what it sounds like, diamond shaped poems, that are written (or typed) in 7 lines. They resemble cinquain type poetry, but with no rhyming. Each line consists of 7 parts, look at the example to find out.

eg.​

Home (Subject)​

Safe, caring (2 descriptions)​

Loving, sharing, talking (Three "ing" words)​

Friendship, food, car, travels (Four words about the topic)​

Living, loving, enjoying (Three "ing" words)​

Joyous, adventurous (2 discriptions)​

Family (Another word that relates to the subject)​

​

 

[Lily]

I found only one problem...I think. XP

The sonnet consists of exactly 14 lines, true, but they also MUST have ten syllables in each line as well. And if I remember correctly, it has to follow the ABAB or AABB pattern of rhyming...

^^? I know this isn't the best example, but I typed it up in a rush long ago and never bothered to fix it:

?Tis nothing but misfortune when one sees
The glory and sheer pride of all mankind
As every man keeps the promise to please
Leading to nowhere as we had in mind
One might have took note of the wary fool
Thinking he will always tend to his need
The wings of whiteness are fiery but cool
The risen Angel has yet to succeed
Rebuking God?s touch and his final word
It would have given us a chance to live
As they are often seen but never heard
If else humanity asked to forgive
Presumptions and lies; the love God has made
Angels and cross; where our savior has laid

 

[Kyosuke]

I was going to post that, but its sort of hard to understand, even for me ^^' I just learned that form recently in english.

 

[~Ozy~]

Also, you should bring up the differences between Petrarchan and Shakespearian sonnets (break in the rhyme scheme). Sonnets, I believ, flow in the AABB pattern.

 

[Pogiforce-14]

I've learned that the sonnet also usually is about an unrequitted love, where the problem is stated in like the first eight or so lines and then resolved or accepted in the remaining lines.

 

[Kelsey]

I have a few more we can add to the list if you'd like, LT. ^^;

Limerick- A limerick is humorous nonsense verse consisting of a triplet and couplet, making it a five line poem. Lines one, two, and five are the triplet and rhyme. Lines three and four form a rhyming couplet.

Here are a few examples:

There was an old man of Nantucket,
who kept all his cash in a bucket;
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man,
And as for the bucket- Nantucket

--------------
Ballad- a ballad is a story song that often has a refrain or chorus as in the example below.

The Ballad of Marian Blacktree

Refrain:
Oh, do you know the mountain road
That leads to yonder peak?
A few will walk that trail alone,
Their dreams they go to seek.

(1)
One such was Marian Blacktree,
A lowly sheperdess,
And courting her was Tom, the swain,
Who loved her nonetheless.

(2)
A thought occurred to Marian
While watching o'er her sheep,
And gazing at the mountain thus
She nodded off to sleep.

(Refrain)

(3)
That night she came to Tom and said
She longed to know the sky.
"I'm weary of this valley, love,
I want to learn to fly!"

(4)
Poor Thomas did not want to leave,
This valley was all he knew.
So when she turned and left him there
Her heart, it broke in two.

(Refrain)

(5)
Her faithful swain did track her,
All night the trail led on,
And finally at the mountain top
He looked, but she was gone.

(6)
As morning broke and lit the sky
An eagle he did see:
It circled 'round him thrice and cried.
He knew now she was free.

(Refrain)

Now, the ballad is more of a song form of a poem. But a few people in the poetry forum also post their songs. Really, songs are also forms of poetry anyways. ^_____^

~Kelsey

 

[Natsuki]

Poetry FAQ

Well, here's a bit of an edited version of the Poetry FAQ we all know and love. XD I'll put in some old info as well as a bit of new info too. =3 Please refer to this thread if you have any little questions and stuff. =P

Q: What is 'flow' and how do I know if my poem has it?
Well, when people say "Your poem's flow should be fixed." they are saying that when you read the poem, it sounds disfigured and choppy. Almost as though it isn't finished. To be exact, 'flow' is just how smoothly your poem fits with itself when you read it. If your poem has several different things going on at once, but you don't have transitions there help guide the poem along, your poem is considered to have no flow.

Q: What are some different kinds of poetry and/or song write types?
We have a thread for this right here: Types of Poetry
Please feel free to use this thread to your advantage. Also, you may add information on any poem types that are already there; or add a new poem type that isn't listed.

Q: Does my poem have to rhyme?
Most certainly not. A poem is anything that comes from the heart. Rhyming is never a component to writing that is absolutely necessary. Some prefer to rhyme, while others use good word choices to make their poems have a greater impact on the reader.

Q: Is there a length limit to poems?
Your poem and/or song write can be of any length or format. Some people prefer the short-and-sweet approach, where their poems are about one stanza long, yet the poem still gets it's meaning out clearly. Others make incredibly long poems which have greater impacts on the reader in most cases, but this does not mean a longer poem is a better one. You can always revise and revise your poems to make them better.

Q: What do I do about punctuation?
When someone reviews your poems, they might say that you need a period here or a comma there. In case they don't really specify what they mean, here's what they're talking about. ^.~

Now, when writing a poem, punctuation is a large factor of good poem etiquette. You need to have some form of punctuation at the end of each and every line. Here's an example:

Tranquility

I saw in the forest, a demon take flight,
Pounding its wings with all of its might.
The demon, it soared, just overhead,
Rather than running, I gazed instead.

I could hear its heart, steady and strong,
Helping it forth as its wings pulled it along.
The demon was old, yet he didn't know,
For the world is changing, to and fro.

As I gazed upon the beautiful sight,
Seeing this monster take its last flight.
I thought to myself, how could this be,
That this monster had come to me?

With one last plunge, the demon fell,
Diving into the very depths of Hell.
As I gazed upon this demon's flight,
I thought to myself, what a beautiful sight.

Notice the commas and periods at the end of each line. This not only shows proper usage of grammar but it also increases the flow's quality as well as the overall appearance of the poem.

--------------
Well, there's some information for you. I'll come back and just edit this thread if I think of more stuf. ^^ Well, keep writing those awsome poems everyone! ;D

~Kelsey

 

[Other Lip]

Advice For Reviewing Poetry

I thought I might post this to help people who are not sure how to review poetry. If you have an idea of a good way to review poetry, than please post it.

When reviewing poetry there are a few things you can comment on:

- A good poem does not use cliches (there are exceptions, such as the cliche used sarcasticly). Examples of cliches are: lost paradise, hand in hand, or any other saying.

- look at how natrual the poem sounds. If a big uncommon word is used, then it may not sound natrual, same with oddly worded lines, often used to creat a ryhme, or keep in rythem. An example of this is the lines:

His blood is frozen and curdled with fright.

Notice how curdled does not make sense, and is used to keep in rythem. Meaning is far more important that ryhme and meter. Even in poetry, grammer can be important, escpecally when double negatives are used to keep in meter.

_____

As for actually reviewing, keep the above list in mind.

I prefer to review each stanza, and pick out the cliches and odd lines, but we all have different ways of reviewing.

_____

When giving advice for poems, be tactful, don't rewrite it for them. You might want to make sugestiond for replacing an irregular word, but know that it is not your poem.

Also keep in mind that meaning is always something you should comment on. Pointing out cliches and odd lines is not the only thing one can do. If the meaning is very sterotyped and rather shallow, it does not mean the poem is bad, but it is worth commenting on. Sometimes a poem could have a great meaning but might not be written very well.

It is possible that someone may have a great idea but may not be able to write it. Don't bash poems for not making any sense, it is always possible that the meaning is simply not clear.

If you have any other advice or styles for reviewing poems, please post them.

Other Lip

 

[Natsuki]

OL has pointed out some very useful tactics fors reviewing poems. ^^ As you all know, short reviews or replies are not allowed in the Poetry section.

By reading this, you should get a good idea of what it means to review a poem. ^^ Basically, just pull the poem apart bit by bit and just explain your feelings on it. ^___^

*stickies*

~Kelsey

 

[JX Valentine]

If there's no problem with posting in stickies older than a month (as I know that some forums do get a little peeved at that), I figured I'd define sonnets a bit more, specifically answer a semi-question the Adamant Dodger had.

Technically speaking, there's three types of sonnets. All of them follow iambic pentameter (five iambs -- or sets of one stressed and one unstressed syllable -- to each line) and have a particular rhyme scheme. However, it's how those lines are arranged that makes all the difference.

Petrarchan sonnets (also called Italian sonnets) consist of one octave (or two quatrains) and one sestet. Thus, the sonnet usually follows the rhyme scheme ABBAABBA CDECDE (or CDCDCD), where all of the A lines rhyme with each other, all of the B lines rhyme, and so forth. It usually tells gives some sort of philosophical statement about an ideal. You can see an example here.

"On His Being Arrived to the Age of Twenty-three"

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stolen on his wing my three and twentieth year!
My hasting days fly on with full career,
But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,
That I to manhood am arrived so near,
And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
That some more timely-happy spirits indu'th.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,
It shall be still in strictest measure even
To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven.
All is, if I have grace to use it so,
As ever in my great Task-master's eye.

-John Milton

There's two types of English sonnets, but the most common is the Shakespearean sonnet (or Elizabethan sonnet). Both types of English sonnets follow similar formats, which contain three quatrains and one couplet. Thus, its rhyme scheme is usually ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.

You most often see Shakespearean sonnets dealing out the same sort of philosophical statement as a Petrarchan, but Shakespeareans usually like to connect it to some sort of object, such as a toaster. The quatrains are spent describing the toaster and what it does, whereas the couplet connects the toaster's function to life.

If you want an example of a Shakespearean sonnet, your best bet is actually looking at one of Shakespeare's sonnets.

Shakespeare's Sonnet CXXX

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun,
Coral is far more red than her lips red.
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun,
If hair be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks,
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound,
I grant I never saw a goddess go,
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as fair
As any she belied with false compare.

Lastly, you've got Spenserian sonnets, which are basically Shakespearean sonnets following a different rhyme scheme. Instead of the same ABAB CDCD scheme, it follows this: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE, a scheme where the last line of the quatrain before rhymes with the first line of the quatrain after. A good example is here.

"London, 1802"

Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,
Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,
Have forfeited their ancient English dower
Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;
Oh! raise us up, return to us again;
And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.
Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart;
Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:
Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,
So didst thou travel on life's common way,
In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart
The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

-Wordsworth

Again, sorry for the late revival. And no, none of the above poems are mine. They belong to their late creators.

 

[~Ozy~]

Advice for writing poetry

Yes, we already have an FAQ, but that is mainly mechanics. Although this will cover those basics, I also intend to get into some slightly more abstract aspects of the art. So, here we go.


The Art of Poetry: I don't know what to tell you here. Poetry is personal to both the poet and the reader and cannot truly be defined. I'm hardly an authority on the subject, but here is what I believe: Poetry is almost entirely emotional. Thus, a poem should inspire an emotion in the reader, and reflect the emotional state of the poet at the time of writing it. I also believe that poetry cannot be forced, in a way that poetry rules the poet (or, at least, the IDEA of the poem does) and that it can only be written when the muse strike, beats you upside the head, stabs you, or ties you up and leaves you for dead in your basement, whatever you prefer.

Now, onto the other stuff. First, a brief talk about...

Revision: Yes, I know. I sound like your English teacher. Nasty, eh? Who wants to revise? The answer is relatively simple. Your readers do. Good poetry is not like taking diction from the divine, whatever you may consider that to be. Good poetry takes time, effort and a careful consideration of every word. Remember, you don't have as much space as in a fic making every word count all the more (unless you're writing an epic, in which case I commend you). After your basic spelling and grammar checks, you might revise another ten times and only change one or two words each time. You also might emilinate entire stanzas, scrap the entire thing or rewrite it from the ground up. In short, if your poem is reviewed you should be able to defend everything you have done. The critic might be right, but it shouldn't be an automatic thing. You should make your poem stronger with each successive draft, more interesting to read and more emotional.


Point 1: Word Choice This is a major problem I see in many of the poems posted here. The language simply doesn't interest me. In general, it is repetitive and bland, or in some cases annoyingly over-the-top to avoid the former problem. I cannot emphasize how carefully your words must be chosen to be meaningful both to yourself and to the reader.


Point 2: Mechanics Your poetry should be free of punctuation, spelling, and grammatical errors. Period.


Point 3: Rhyming, Rhythm, and Meter Poetry can rhyme. It can have beautiful pentameter, or hexameter, or whatever and have a word-perfect rhythm. It can also do none of these things and still be poetry. What is most important is that your poetry feels natural. If you sacrifice meaning, or use limited and repetitive words for the sake of rhyme your work seems very amaturish. If the rhyme or rythm come, they come. Don't make them.

Subsection A: A Brief Guide to Poetic Meter Consider the most basic meter, iambic pentameter. This consists of five poetic feet per line. A poetic foot consists of two syllables, either unstressed-stressed or stressed-unstressed. The former is considered iambic, the latter is trochaic. Thus, a line of poetry written in iambic pentameter would consist of ten syllables, five unstressed and five unstressed with the unstressed coming first. This is the most popular meter because it closely mirrors natural English speech.

Trochaic generally has a much more emphatic and forceful nature and can be much more difficult to write in.

Of course, pentameter is not the only meter. It runs from (at least, in terms of easy writing) tetrameter (six syllables, three poetic feet) to septameter (fourteen syllables, seven poetic feet). So, by way of example, a line of iambic quatrameter would read:

Within the ages of time lay

Subsection B: The Difference Between Meter and Rhythm This is a somewhat abstract point for two more concrete things. Rhythm and meter are indeed linked. When governed by a set of rules, rhythm becomes meter, however, if you switch meters, or write in no particular meter consistantly, your piece has a rhythmic structure free of meter.


Point 4: The Necessity of Imagery This is another pet peeve of mine. Poetry that lacks strong imagery simply isn't interesting to read. Images, particularly the more natural, viscereal ones have great power to influence emotion. Consider the following lines of poetry.

It was morning shared between us two.
You held me, and I loved you.

Above the horizon crept the sun.
His heated fire lacked the passion of your arms.

Now, I admit that neither set is particularly good poetry, but the latter provides a stronger reaction, no? It conveys the scene and the details of it without saying, "This is what I mean. Here." That simply does not influence the reader in a meaningful way. Cheesy example, but did having blatant messages of free will crammed down your throat every 30 seconds in The Matrix: Reloaded convince you of your own freedom or was that something that a simple image of defiance could have shown you and had a much more profound effect.


Point 5: Playing with Language Yes, I know I spoke strongly in favor of mechanics earlier, but there are times when simply stepping a little outside the box can have a very intriguing, positive effect on your work. An odd sentence structure or image can help draw the reader into the poem. Consider the following lines from Flames by Billy Collins.

as his paws, the size
of catcher's mitts,
crackle into the distance.

Now, grammatically, "stretch" would make more sense. However, the onomatopoeia gives the image of dry grass and tinder underfoot, and alludes to the title, and the fire that seems inevitable. Try being a little playful sometimes instead of regidly adhering to every inane rule of language. (Yes, yes, I know, I know. I spoke against this before, but consider this an exception.) You'd be surprised at the impact this can have.


All right, I'm done lecturing now. I hope reading this has been moderately valuable to you. Most of all, I hope you continue writing poetry and improving. I know I have a long ways to go myself. Thank you for your time. As a last note, I suggest you read the following poets:

Billy Collins
Robert Frost
H.P. Lovecraft
e.e. cummings
Charles Bukowski
Saul Williams
Percy Bysshe Shelly
George Gordon (Lord Byron)
W.B. Yeats
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
William Wordsworth

 

[adamsattaur]

I thought I might post this to help people who are not sure how to review poetry. If you have an idea of a good way to review poetry, than please post it.

When reviewing poetry there are a few things you can comment on:

- A good poem does not use cliches (there are exceptions, such as the cliche used sarcasticly). Examples of cliches are: lost paradise, hand in hand, or any other saying.

- look at how natrual the poem sounds. If a big uncommon word is used, then it may not sound natrual, same with oddly worded lines, often used to creat a ryhme, or keep in rythem. An example of this is the lines:

His blood is frozen and curdled with fright.

Notice how curdled does not make sense, and is used to keep in rythem. Meaning is far more important that ryhme and meter. Even in poetry, grammer can be important, escpecally when double negatives are used to keep in meter.

_____

As for actually reviewing, keep the above list in mind.

I prefer to review each stanza, and pick out the cliches and odd lines, but we all have different ways of reviewing.

_____

When giving advice for poems, be tactful, don't rewrite it for them. You might want to make sugestiond for replacing an irregular word, but know that it is not your poem.

Also keep in mind that meaning is always something you should comment on. Pointing out cliches and odd lines is not the only thing one can do. If the meaning is very sterotyped and rather shallow, it does not mean the poem is bad, but it is worth commenting on. Sometimes a poem could have a great meaning but might not be written very well.

It is possible that someone may have a great idea but may not be able to write it. Don't bash poems for not making any sense, it is always possible that the meaning is simply not clear.

If you have any other advice or styles for reviewing poems, please post them.

Other Lip

thnx, If you have any other advice or styles for reviewing poems, please post them.

 

[Amy-chan]

I don't know if I'm supposed to reply to this, but eh...

Wow. This is a very helpful, intelligent guide. I'm surprised no one has commented on it yet. It would be great as a tutorial for beginners, and even as a handy reference for those who are already experienced at poetry. I support it being stickied. *stalks the moderator of the Poetry forum* n_n'

 

[oni flygon]

I say we need this thread... I want to see some quality poetry in PC once in a while..... =D

*STICKIED*

 

[drummer45]

good advice for beginers great

 

[Romance Hero]

You must always respect a poet's views, even if they are bad ones. Just because they are different from your's doesn't make it a bad poem. It's their creativity, and their points in life. ...However, if they go too far, as to go into mature content and such, then it is a problem. :)

 

[phantom warrior 666]

great that was great advice

 

[eternalglory]

i think that the line about grammar should be optional.... layout of a poem can be just as expressive as the words in it (EE Cummings, i presume), but besides that very useful for the noobies!