Different Types of PoemsIntro to Lit

HaikuSimple yet sophisticated poem form

Creates an image with few words and structured syllables Has two parts, divided by a dash or some form of punctuation Follows the 5 – 7 – 5 format for syllables

Example: by Basho

Yellow rose petals

Drop one-by-one in silence:

Roar of waterfall.

Free Verse

-- Poem written without proper rules about form, rhyme, rhythm, meter, etc

-- Poet makes rules about how poem should look, sound, feel, etc.

Example: “Song of Myself” by Walt Whitman

1 I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

I loafe and invite my soul, I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.

My tongue, every atom of my blood, form'd from this soil, this air,

Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same, I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin, Hoping to cease not till death.

Creeds and schools in abeyance, Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten, I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard, Nature without check with original energy.

Limerick

Popularized by Edward Lear in 1800’s

Five line poem with a strict meter structure

Funny, humorous, witty - often has puns, word play, eccentric spelling, or some other witty feature 

Follows this structure Line 1: 3 metric feet – introduces person/place Line 2: 3 metric feetLine 3: 2 metric feetLine 4: 2 metric feetLine 5: 3 metric feet – usually humorous final line, clever, unanticipated punch line

Example: by anonymous

There was a young fellow of Wheeling Endowed with such delicate feeling When he read on the door, "Don't spit on the floor" He jumped up and spat on the ceiling! 

Diamante

Seven lined poem, in the shape of a diamondDoes not have to rhyme, but each line follows a specific patternCan be about one topic or two opposite topics

Switch takes place in line 4, last two words

Line 1: 1 word – subject/noun that is contrasting to line 7

Line 2: 2 words – adjectives that describe line 1

Line 3: 3 words – action verbs that relate to line 1

Line 4: 4 words – nouns – first 2 relate to line 1, last 2 relate to line 7

Line 5: 3 words – action verbs that relate to line 7

Line 6: 2 words – adjectives that describe line 7

Line 7: 1 word – subject/noun that is contrasting to line 1

Example:

squaresymmetrical, conventional

shaping, measuring, balancing

boxes, rooms, clocks, halos

encircling, circumnavigating, enclosing

round, continuous

circle

Shape Poem

poem that describes an object and is written in the shape of the objectalso called concrete poem word is image

I can’t write a poeminstant poetry! 15 lines, following a format of excuses, one lined up after another.

Line 1: Forget it

Line 2: You must be kidding

Line 3 – Line 11: Excuses, one per line (9 total) be original!

Line 12: Time's up? Uh oh!

Line 13: All I have is a dumb list of excuses.

Line 14: You like it? Really? No kidding.

Line 15: Thanks a lot. Would you like to see another one?

Ex: by Bruce LanskyForget it.You must be kidding.I'm still half asleep. My eyes keep closing.My brain isn't working.I don't have a pencil.I don't have any paper.My desk is wobbly.I don't know what to write about.And besides, I don't even know how to write a poem.I've got a headache. I need to see the nurse.Time's up? Uh oh!All I have is a dumb list of excuses.You like it? Really? No kidding.Thanks a lot. Would you like to see another one?

Parody poema parody of a poem- a parody is a humorous imitation of an original work, an author’s style, or a particular type of literature.

Ex: original by Robert Frost, parody by Henry Beard

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“I Am” poem: Poem that follows a format that ultimately describes

you. A reflective poem.

I am (two special characteristics)I wonder (something you are actually curious about)I hear (an imaginary sound)I see (an imaginary sight)I want (an actual desire)I am (the first line of the poem restated)

I pretend (something you actually pretend to do)I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)I touch (an imaginary touch)I worry (something that really bothers you)I cry (something that makes you very sad)I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

I understand (something you know is true)I say (something you believe in)I dream (something you actually dream about)I try (something you really make an effort about)I hope (something you actually hope for)I am (the first line of the poem repeated)

Rhyme poems: a poem that rhymes. Schemes are usually consistent

A Red, Red Rose (partial poem)by Robert Burns O my Luve 's like a red, red rose That 's newly sprung in June: O my Luve 's like the melodie That's sweetly play'd in tune!

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, So deep in luve am I: And I will luve thee still, my dear, Till a' the seas gang dry: