1. POETRY

2. Poetic
GENRES

3. To begin with, let’s remember that most poetry does NOT rhyme.
Poetic GENRES
To begin with, let’s remember that most poetry does NOT rhyme.

4. Lyric poetry Poetic GENRES
DEFINITION: highly musical verse that expresses the observations and feelings of a single speaker. It creates a single, unified impression.
Short
Usually in 1st person point of view
Expresses emotion or describes a scene
Does NOT tell a story
No syllable requirements
No rhyme scheme requirements

5. Acrostic poetry Poetic GENRES
DEFINITION: a poem in which the first letter of each line spells a word or phrase that is the topic of the poem.
Oftentimes done about a name
No syllable requirements
No rhyme scheme requirements

6. Narrative/Ballad poetry
Poetic GENRES
Narrative/Ballad poetry
DEFINITION: a poem that tells a story in a musical way or with a musical feeling
Can be as long as the story requires
Odd-numbered lines longer than even-numbered lines
Even-numbered lines should rhyme

7. Epic poetry Poetic GENRES
DEFINITION: a long narrative poem about the adventures of gods or a hero. Serious in tone and broad in theme.
Very long
No syllable requirements
No rhyme scheme requirements

8. Concrete or Form poetry
Poetic GENRES
Concrete or Form poetry
DEFINITION: a poem with a physical shape that suggests the subject/topic. The poet arranges the letters, punctuation, and lines to create an image, or picture, on the page.
Length – must fit into the shape
No syllable requirements
No rhyme scheme requirements

9. Free Verse Poetic Genres
DEFINITION: poetry not written in a regular, rhythmical pattern, or meter. The poet is free to write lines of any length or with any number of stresses, or beats. Free verse is less constraining than other types of poetry.
No set length
Does not need a required amount of syllables
No rhyme scheme

10. Poetic
Forms

11. Poetic Forms
Haiku
DEFINITION: a Japanese poem about nature.

12. Haiku Poetic Forms DEFINITION: a Japanese poem about nature.
Length – 3 lines
5-7-5
No rhyme scheme requirements

13. hAIKU by Rolf Nelson Haikus are easy
But sometimes they don’t make sense
Refrigerator
NOTE: not technically a haiku because it’s not about nature
5 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
5 SYLLABLES
by Jonathan Stephens
Tell me I'm like light,
light that reflects off windows
right into your eyes
5 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
5 SYLLABLES
by Jonathan Stephens
I long for summer
Swinging in my green hammock
The oak leaves whistling
5 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
5 SYLLABLES
by Matsuo Basho
Spring rain
leaking through the roof
dripping from the wasps' nest.
NOTE: But that’s not the right syllables! How is it a haiku?
2 SYLLABLES
5 SYLLABLES
6 SYLLABLES

14. Poetic Forms
Cinquain
DEFINITION: can be about anything

15. Cinquain Poetic Forms DEFINITION: can be about anything
Length – 5 lines
No rhyme scheme requirements

16. Cinquains “November “by Adelaide Crapsey Listen . . .
With faint dry sound,
Like steps of passing ghosts,
The leaves, frost-crisp’d, break from the trees
And fall.
2 SYLLABLES
4 SYLLABLES
6 SYLLABLES
8 SYLLABLES
2 SYLLABLES
“Snow” by Adelaide Crapsey
Look up . . .
From bleak’ning hills
Blows down the light, first breath
Of wintry wind look up, and scent
The snow!
2 SYLLABLES
4 SYLLABLES
6 SYLLABLES
8 SYLLABLES
2 SYLLABLES
“Guarded Wound” by Adelaide Crapsey
If it
Were lighter touch
Than petal of flower resting
On grass, oh still too heavy it were,
Too heavy!
2 SYLLABLES
4 SYLLABLES
8 SYLLABLES
9 SYLLABLES
3 SYLLABLES

17. Poetic Forms
Tanka
DEFINITION: can be about anything

18. Tanka Poetic Forms DEFINITION: can be about anything Length – 5 lines
No rhyme scheme requirements

19. Tankas by Margaret Chula hazy autumn moon
the sound of chestnuts dropping
from an empty sky
I gather your belongings
into boxes for the poor
5 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
5 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
by Lenard D. Moore
The night is too long
A tavern just off the road
With only one car,
But the man and woman hug
To the song on the jukebox
5 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
5 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
by David Rice
yellow daffodils
in both our growing gardens
I worship mine most,
more than my neighbor's practice
though they look the same as mine
5 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
5 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES
7 SYLLABLES

20. Shakespearean Sonnet Poetic Forms
DEFINITION: a type of sonnet made famous by William Shakespeare
Length – 14 lines
10 syllables per line
Rhyme scheme: A B C D E F G

21. Romeo & Juliet
the
Prologue

22. Shakespearean Sonnet A B C D E F G
Two households, both alike in DIGNITY
(In fair Verona, where we lay our SCENE),
From ancient grudge break to new MUTINY,
Where civil blood makes civil hands UNCLEAN.
From forth the fatal loins of these two FOES
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their LIFE;
Whose misadventured piteous OVERTHROWS
Doth with their death bury their parents’ STRIFE.
The fearful passage of their death-marked LOVE
And the continuance of their parents’ RAGE,
Which, but their children’s end, naught could REMOVE
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our STAGE;
The which, if you with patient ears ATTEND,
What hear shall miss, our toil shall strive to MEND.

23. Shakespearean Sonnet A B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Two households, both alike in DIGNITY
(In fair Verona, where we lay our SCENE),
From ancient grudge break to new MUTINY,
Where civil blood makes civil hands UNCLEAN.

24. Poetic Forms
Limerick
DEFINITION: a humorous, musical-feeling poem that oftentimes makes fun of or tells a story about a specific person.

25. Poetic Forms
Limerick
DEFINITION: a humorous, musical-feeling poem that oftentimes makes fun of or tells a story about a specific person.
Length – 5 lines
3 beats – 3 beats – 2 beats – 2 beats – 3 beats
Rhyme scheme: A-A-B-B-A

26. LImerick 1.
There was an old man from Peru, (A) da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (3 DUMS) 2.
who dreamed he was eating his shoe. (A) da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (3 DUMS) 3.
He awoke in the night (B) da DUM da da DUM (2 DUMS) 4.
with a terrible fright, (B) da da DUM da da DUM (2 DUMS) 5.
and found out that it was quite true. (A) da DUM da da DUM da da DUM (3 DUMS)

27. LImerick There once was a Thingamajig
Like a Whatsis, but three times as big.
When it first came in view,
It looked something like you
But it stayed and turned into a pig.

28. LImerick There was a young fellow who thought
Very little, but thought it a lot.
Then at long last he knew
What he wanted to do,
But before he could start, he forgot.

29. LImerick There once was an ape in a zoo
Who looked out through the bars and saw YOU!
Do you think that it’s fair
To give poor apes a scare?
I think it’s a mean thing to do.

30. LImerick I've been studying all night and I'm tired,
But I can't sleep because I'm so wired.
So I'll play on the net
'Stead of going to bed,
And my tests will seem a quagmire.

31. Poetic Forms
Ode
DEFINITION: a formal lyric poem with a serious theme. It is usually long and may be written for a private occasion or a public ceremony. Odes often honor people, commemorate events, or respond to natural scenes.
Length – usually long
No syllable requirements
No rhyme scheme requirements

32. Ode William Wordsworth’s “Ode Composed on a May Morning”
While from the purpling east departs
The star that led the dawn,
Blithe Flora from her couch upstarts,
For May is on the lawn.
A quickening hope, a freshening glee,
Foreran the expected Power,
Whose first-drawn breath, from bush and tree,
Shakes off that pearly shower . . .