Types of Poetry
Acrostic Poetry:
In Acrostic poems, the first
letters of each line are aligned vertically to form a word. The word often is
the subject of the poem.
Example:
Loves
to play on the computer
Always
humorous
Unique
in every way
Running,
jumping, tumbling at gym
Exceptionally
bright
Learner
Cinquain Poetry:
Cinquain poems are five lines
long with a certain number of syllables or words in each. Cinquain poems do not
rhyme. There are many ways to write cinquain poems. Here is an example of one
cinquain pattern.
Line 1: Title
- one word or two syllables
Line 2: Description or example of the title - 2 words or four syllables
Line 3: Action about the title - a 3 word phrase or six syllables
Line 4: a 4 word phrase describing a feeling about the title or 8 syllables
Line 5: Synonym for the title - one word - 2 syllables
Line 1: Panther
Line 2: Sleek, graceful
Line 3: Running, hiding, emerging
Line 4: Happy to be free
Line 5: Cat
Couplets:
The couplet is the easiest of the
verse forms. It consists of two lines with an end rhyme.
Example:
Grandmother sits in her old
rocking chair.
She rocks and she rocks all day
there.
Diamante:
Diamante poems are easy poems to
write. You need to think of a subject and its opposite and then follow the
format listed below:
First line: one word (subject).
Second line: two adjectives
describing the subject
Third line: three words ending in
-ing telling about the subject
Fourth line: four words, the
first two describe the subject and the last two describe its opposite
Fifth line: three words ending in
-ing telling about the opposite
Sixth line: two adjectives
describing the opposite
Seventh line: one word (opposite
from the first line)
Haiku:
A form
of centuries old Japanese poetry that consists of seventeen syllables and has
nature as its subject or theme. Haiku is very short and has a 5-7-5 syllable
structure with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line,
and 5 syllables in the third line. With just a couple of words, haiku poetry
conveys emotion. It suggests that the reader look and listen to the world.
Example:
As I lay and gaze
Blue skies and white clouds
Billowing high above me
Tanka:
Tanka
is another form of Japanese poetry that consists of 31 syllables (5-7-5-7-7).
The themes for Tanka are love, nature, seasons, and friendships,
Here is
an example of Tanka:
Wind
Wind
blowing my face
Making
my cheeks rosy red
It's
biting my nose
And
chilling through all my bones
It is
pushing me along