Whittled Words – Dizain Poem
The Dizain is a long established French poetic form. This particular form was a favorite of 15th and 16th century French poets, but it has also been employed by English poets such as Philip Sidney and John Keats.
Whittled Words – Ae Freislighe Poem
I think part of the reason I find Irish forms so difficult is that the rhymes can be so intense, and that is definitely the case with the Ae Freislighe (pronounced – ay fresh-lee).
Whittled Words – Gwawdodyn Poem
The gwawdodyn is a Welsh poetic form with a couple variations. However, both versions are comprised of quatrains (4-line stanzas) that have a 9/9/10/9 syllable pattern and matching end rhymes on lines 1, 2, and 4.
Whittled Words – Cinquain Poem
So, I’m happy to share the cinquain, which is a nifty five-line poetic form from Adelaide Crapsey. Inspired by tanka, the cinquain is comprised of 2 syllables in the first line, 4 in the second line, 6 in the third, 8 in the fourth, and 2 in the fifth.
Whittled Words – Acrostic Poem
Acrostic poetry is very easy and fun. The most basic form spells words out on the left-hand side of the page using the first letter of each line.
Whittled Words – Blitz Poem
I was intrigued the beauty of the Blitz form while reading it on another poet’s blog. Her variation captured the repetitive nature beautifully. I have included it below, as an example of what can be done with standardized form, a little work, and a ton of creativity.
Whittled Words – Nonet Poem
The Nonet poetic form is fun and simple. It’s a 9-line poem that has 9 syllables in the first line, 8 syllables in the second line, 7 syllables in the third line, and continues to count down to one syllable in the final (ninth) line. No rhyme scheme or meter to be bothered with, so it is just that simple.
Whittled Words – Dodoitsu Poem
The dodoitsu is a Japanese poetic form developed towards the end of the Edo Period, which came to an end in 1868. As with most Japanese forms, the dodoitsu does not have meter or rhyme constraints, focusing on syllables instead.
Whittled Words – Strambotto Poem
Some of these forms are older than others, and the strambotto traces back to the 13th century. This Italian form known as ottava siciliana (Sicilian octave) or strambotto popolare was the preferred form in Southern Italy…
Whittled Words – Descort Poem
The descort differentiates itself from other forms by differentiating its lines from other lines within the poem. That is, the main rule of descort poems is that each line needs to be different from every other line in the poem. An undeniable twist from the norm.
