The English word quinzaine come from the French word qunize, meaning fifteen. A quinzaine is an unrhymed verse of fifteen syllables. These syllables are distributed among three lines so that there are seven syllables in the first line, five in the second line and three in the third line (7/5/3). The first line makes a statement. The next…
Tag: AtoZChallenge
P: Pantoum
A pantoum is a Malaysian verse form adapted by French poets and occasionally imitated in English. It comprises a series of quatrains, with the second and fourth lines of each quatrain repeated as the first and third lines of the next. The second and fourth lines of the final stanza repeat the first and third…
O: Oddquain
An Oddquain is a short, usually unrhymed poem consisting of seventeen syllables distributed 1, 3, 5, 7, 1in five lines, developed by Glenda L. Hand. Cry no more tears in the looking glass all you need is to be you. Pure.
N: Nocturna
Nocturna has an interesting history. The word was first used by Christians and was a form of night prayers. Later, it appeared in the 18th century and was derived from the French ‘nocturnal’ and was usually music inspired by the night and played at evening parties. During that time poetry was also recited. The painter…
M: Mirrored Refrain
The Mirrored Refrain is rhyming verse form constructed by Stephanie Repnyek. The poem is formed by three or more quatrains where two lines within the quatrain are the “mirrored refrain” or alternating refrain. FORTIFICATIONS Disdainful stares wash over me as I chisel my block of stone I am a scavenger of this earth seeking to…
L: Lai.
A Lai is a very old French poetry form. It looks to be simple, comprising of a five syllabled couplet followed by a two syllable line. The number of lines in each stanza is fixed at 9 and the coupltets must rhyme with each other as must the two syllable lines. Speaking for myself, as…
I: Imagery
Imagery: Elements of a poem that invoke any of the five senses to create a set of mental images. Specifically, using vivid or figurative language to represent ideas, objects, or actions. WORDS We had words. Some bitter some sharp Some that soured on our tongues Even as they curled out our mouths. I imagine us in a bougainvilleaed…
H: Half measure
Half measure poems are a variation of the Common Measure. This is not a new poem but I had fun doing this! The Bartender Did It. “what’s your poison?” asked the barman I didn’t need to think Whisky” I mumbled amiably “Yes that is my drink!” “Caol isla or Laphroig, Or is it Blenders Pride?”…
G: Ghazal
The defining characteristics of a traditional ghazal are its rhyme and refrain. The refrain can be a word or phrase. … Every couplet ends with the rhyme and refrain. In the first couplet only, both lines end in the rhyme and refrain. Every line of the poem shares the same meter or syllable count.. My…
F: Flarf
Originally a prank on the scam contest sponsored by the organization Poetry.com, the experimental poetry movement flarf has slowly assumed a serious position as a new kind of Internet-based poetic practice. Known for its reliance on Google as a means of generating odd juxtapositions, surfaces, and grammatical inaccuracies, flarf also celebrates deliberately bad or “incorrect”…
E: Epistle
An Epistle is a letter in verse, usually addressed to a person close to the writer. Its themes may be moral and philosophical, or intimate and sentimental. Dear Baba, Since you left us 26 years ago (and 26 years is a lifetime you know) – time passed, the world has not ended life stopped not,…
D: Dirge
A Dirge is a brief hymn or song of lamentation and grief; it was typically composed to be performed at a funeral. In lyric poetry, a dirge tends to be shorter and less meditative than an elegy. Dirge to humanity He raped a three year old. Yes, in a stationary bus. While her five year…
ipsita banerjee 