Index of Poetry.
Highlights for Poetry.
Books of Poetry Form.
How to Write Poetry.
J. Zimmerman (poems). J. Zimmerman (haiku). |
Essays on how to write specific forms:
Haibun. Haiku. Hay(na)ku. Rengay. Tanka. Tanka surveys. Concrete. Ghazal. Lai. Pantoum. Rondeau. Rubáiyát. Sestina. Skaldic verse. Sonnet. Terza rima. Triolet. Tritina. Villanelle. |
History. Form. Your Composition. References. Example.
Strong Measures,
Edited by Philip Dacey and David Jauss
Dacey and Jauss use the term "miscellaneous nonce forms" for "Stanzas or poems which employ rhyme, meter, or the repetition of terminal words in patterns invented 'for the nonce' (i.e., for the occasion)." Their book include several examples, including poems by Louise Glück, Maxine Kumin, and James Tate. |
Historically, poetry has developed on the one hand by using existing patterns, and on the other hand by adapting existing patterns into new patterns.
Sometimes an adapted pattern becomes a new form, adopted by other poets. But often a new form is useful for a few poems by a poet, but is not used more widely.
A poet who loves language will often explore and invent a form for the purpose of a single idea that does not fit into any of the pre-existing widely used forms.
Finding your own form that does its own justice to your unique ideas and words can be extremely satisfying. It can help you bring out more of the meaning of your poem.
Concrete poems are often a special case of this form.
Here are some considerations.
a b b b c a - Rhymes in first quintet. d e e e c d - Rhymes in second quintet. |
The repetition in a Villanelle made this form popular with audiences. The repetition allowed the listener to catch the poem more clearly at first hearing or first reading.
A writer of a Villanelle can use the repetition to delve more deeply into her material. Each stanza can revise, amplify, and show more facets of what the poet feels.
Here are some steps to take in creating your Villanelle:
The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms,
Edited by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland | Other Books of Poetry Form. |
Copyright
© 2003-2016 by Ariadne Unst.
This page displayed using your recycled bits. |
Calling the Council of Beings
by J. Zimmerman.
"Beings," he said, "are anything that is."
Rivers as well as fish were what he meant. Wind as well as the grass it bent. Rain, the clay it cooled, the worm that went through loamy earth. He touched all lives to his.
"Counsel," he said, "is what they give."
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Copyright
© 1988-2016 by J. Zimmerman.
This e-publication appears @ Ariadne's Poetry Web, September 19, 2003. An earlier version first appeared in The Monthly Planet, 1988, and a revised version in Coastlines, 1996; the version above is the 2003 revision. |
Index of Poetry. Highlights for Poetry. Books of Poetry Form. How to Write Poetry. |
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