Table of ContentsPoetry Portfolio

Randy Seldomridge

Various Forms of Poetry Writing 1Haiku 4Requiem 5O Captain! My Captain! 6Louder Than a Clap of Thunder 7Takeoff 8Tucson Rain 9Trees 10Children and Parents 11Garbage 12Wynken, Blynken, and Nod 13The Road Not Taken 14Paul Revere’s Ride 15I, Too, Sing America 16Peter Piper 17Fog 18Froggie Went a Courtin’ 19Poem Critiques 20

Various Forms of Poetry Writing

A cinquain at the most basic level is a five line poem or stanza. There are several variations. It is a form of poetry, written using a recipe. The words you choose and the form they take on paper are an important part of the writing.  Check this out — it looks almost like a diamond. Some people even call it a diamond poem. Here are three variations:

Line 1 - a one word titleLine 2 - a 2 word phrase that describes your title or you can just use two wordsLine 3 - a 3 word phrase that describes an action relating to your title or just actions wordsLine 4 - a 4 word phrase that describes a feeling relating to your topic or just feeling wordsLine 5 - one word that refers back to your title

Line 1 - two syllablesLine 2 - four syllablesLine 3 - six syllablesLine 4 - eight syllablesLine 5 - two syllables

Line1: one word to name the subject tree

Line 2: two words to describe it tall, green

Line 3: three action words about it growing, reaching, standing

Line 4: a four or five word phrase describing the subject (a thought, not a complete sentence)

a witness to the past

Line 5: one word that means the same thing as the first word, or a word that sums it all up.

future

treetall, green

growing, reaching, standinga witness to the past

future

Japanese haiku (a form of poetry) may look simple, but it is actually very

structured, with rules for choosing a subject and the way you write about it.  The classical form, which goes back to the 15th century, consists of as many as 100 verses in one poem, with each verse having a set number of syllables.   Often these poems were written by more than one poet working together. 

Modern haiku (since the 1890s), is a short verse complete in itself, using 17 characters.  In the Japanese Haiku form, there must be a seasonal word, or kigo, to make it true Haiku.  This word is supposed to remind readers of one of the four seasons, without being too obvious (like using the word crisp instead of fall, to suggest cold autumn nights).

In English, Haiku consists of 17 syllables, which are arranged in three lines:

Example: 

Spring goes, summer comes  with the warm heat from the

sun  swimming, picnics fun!

  —A Haiku by Megan, age 12 

line 1: 5 syllablesline 2: 7 syllablesline 3: 5 syllables

A good Haiku selects a subject that is something simple (like a coin in your pocket, a sunset you see out your window, or a daily event) and makes you think about it in a different way.

Ballads are narrative [tells a story] poetry that are set to music.

Couplets consist of a pair of lines of poetry that are usually rhymed. Epitaphs are a good example of couplets.

A diamante is a poem in the shape of a diamond that is seven lines long. Like a cinquain, they also have a recipe.

The line pattern goes like this: Line 1. Noun Line 2. Two Adjectives

Line 3. Three Participles

Line 4. Four Nouns

Line 5. Three Participles

Line 6. Two Adjectives

Line 7. Noun

A concrete poem takes the shape of the object the poem is describing. The words become the shape of the poem.

An acrostic poem uses a word (usually the poet’s name) to write a descriptive poem about the named person. Any word will work.

Formed by writing a word vertically down the page One letter per line All capital letters Each line of poetry must begin with the letter on that line and must pertain to the word May use one word or a phrase Does not have to rhyme Use adjectives and phrases that describe the word

A limerick is a poem that is highly controlled. Lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme; Lines 3 and 4 rhyme. This type of poem also has a meter or beat.

Free verse is almost any type of poem today. Free verse poetry is patterned by speech and images rather than by regular metrical schemes. Freedom applies not only to freedom from traditional meter, but freedom to use visual and sound effects as desired – for surprise, thickening of meaning, symmetry,

repetition, or simply for fun. Lines can also be shortened for speed, or segmented into clots of words or syllables to slow down the reading or comprehension.

Haiku Matsuo BashoThis poem reminds me of a summer day – everything/one being lazy and a sudden movement causes a noise. This is a good example of a haiku as it has the five, seven, five syllable pattern in three lines and it is about something in nature.

RequiemOgden NashThis is a great example of a limerick and the use of poetic license. Nash has made words rhyme by adding an unconventional ending.

O Captain! My Captain!Walt WhitmanThis poem is an example of a narrative poem. It tells the story of the death of a father from the boy’s eyes.

Louder Than a Clap of ThunderJack PrelutskyThis is a funny rhyming poem about a father’s snoring problem. Prelutsky has also used poetic license to make his poem rhyme.

TakeoffNASA Quest “Wright-ing”Concrete poems of this caliber are hard to find and this is a great example of how a quatrain is made to show an airplane taking off.

Tucson RainJohn HewittThis poem is the perfect example of a traditional cinquain using the number of syllables per line instead of the parts of speech. When using this type of poem with students, they are usually shown the parts of speech version as it is easier for children to write.

Trees

Joyce KilmerThis poem eloquently describes the beauties of a tree as it progresses through the changing seasons. It proclaims that people can make trees seem pretty, but only God can make them truly beautiful.

Children and ParentsOgden NashThis couplet gives a humorous explanation of a child’s purpose in life – to ignore their parents every request.

Garbage Bruce LanskyLansky has created an acrostic poem from something everyone can relate with – trash. This is the perfect model to show children that not all acrostics are written using a name.

Wynken, Blynken, and NodEugene FieldThis poem is the perfect bedtime story for children. A great lullaby that has been heard for many years.

The Road Not TakenRobert FrostIn my opinion, one of Frost’s greatest works. A delightful poem about making choices and weighing them heavily. Originally meant to mock a friend, it has since taken on a very serious, somber tone.

Paul Revere’s RideHenry Wadsworth LongfellowThis poem is a ballad that tells the story of how Paul Revere alerted his fellow Americans that the British Army was coming to attack. Most of us are familiar with one of this poems more well-known lines “one if by land, and two if by sea.” I, Too, Sing AmericaLangston Hughes

A poem about a young African American boy growing and surviving in the times of segregation. A great perspective of a boy defending himself.

Peter Piper Mother GooseA good use of alliteration used to create a popular tongue twister and a nursery rhyme.

FogCarl SandburgThis is a great descriptive poem that seems like one huge metaphor used to tell how fog moves like a cat.

Froggie Went a Courtin’Bob DylanA humorous lyric that tells a story of a frog and his dating escapades.