Todays-Woman - Writing Poetry: Find Your Poetry Style

Author: Rose DesRochers

As a free verse poet, I wanted to broaden my writing, so I decided to take a look at the different styles of poetry. There is a time in every artist's life when he or she must develop new knowledge. Poetry is pretty diverse, and there are many different styles, and many different ways to teach those styles.

In this article we will cover ten different styles of poetry. We will look at acrostic, cinquain, letter, triolet, tongue twisters, couplet, ghazal, quatrain, epiphany, and limerick

An acrostic poem has to be one of the simplest poems that I've found to write. You start by putting the letters of the word you've chosen for your subject, down the side of your page. Then you go to each letter and think of a sentence that starts with that letter. Here is an example of an acrostic poem that I've written in this format.

Reflections of life
On passion shores
Surrender myself to thee
Embraced by warm arms
Moonlight lovely, my Rose
A toast to our lives
Rose my destiny
Intimate moments and melodies
Endless love begins with you RoseMarie

Cinquain poetry is fun and it allows one to be creative. A cinquain is a five line poem. It follows this pattern

Line 1:
one word
(subject or noun)
Line 2:
two words
(adjectives) that describe line 1
Line 3:
three words
(action verbs) that relate to line 1
Line 4:
four words
(A complete sentence) that relates to line 1
Line 5:
one word
(synonym of line 1 or a word that sums it up)

Cinquain poetry was invited in America by Adelaide Crapsey, a young poet who died too soon. She contracted tuberculosis and died at the age of 36. Below is an example of an cinquain poem.

Husband
faithful, strong
Caring, compassionate, courageous
A hero among boys
-Friend

A French verse form of eight lines with this rhyme scheme:
A
B
a - Rhymes with 1st line.
A - Identical to 1st line.
a - Rhymes with 1st line.
b - Rhymes with 2nd line.
A - Identical to 1st line.
B - Identical to 2nd line

Examples of triolet Poem could be found in the late 13th century and were usually about love. Take, for example, the following poem.

Misty eyed memories of you come to mind
You are the wind beneath my wings
So much of you I thought I had left behind
Misty eyed memories of you come to mind
How could I’ve been so blind
Feeling the happiness that your love brings
Misty eyed memories of you come to mind
You are the wind beneath my wings

Tongue twisters--were they made for no other reason than to twist our tongues. They were short little poems, like the traditional one of Sally sells sea shells by the sea shore, which told a story. Let me try this.

Juvenile Jacob James jokes joyfully jumping jacks
Johnny Jiggs joins Jacob and they jump jacks
Jiving joyfully Jacob and Johnny jump jacks

A couplet is a pair of lines of poetry that are usually rhymed. Some poems, like the famous “The Night Before Christmas,” were written entirely in couplets. Alexander Pope, in the 18th century perfected a form of heroic couplet. (Would be better reworded to "In the 18th century Alexander Pope perfected a form of heroic couplet.")

Then share thy pain, allow that sad relief;
Ah, more than share it, give me all thy grief.
- Alexander Pope

Below is my attempt at a couplet.

If a man fears love, if he fears what is still unknown
Then he will live his life old and alone.

Ghazal is a poem of five to fifteen couplets. It shares a rhyme and a refrain. This form of poetry can be traced back to seventh-century Arabia.

If a man fears love, if he fears what is still unknown
Then he will live his life old and alone

When his sorrow he cannot awaken and he is forsaken
He will have no choice but to face tomorrow alone

Only through love do we give, do we open our hearts and live
But for man who does not see, he shall sit alone

When the nights are cold and he has no one to hold
He will feel half dead, for he is alone

For everyday he lives, everyday he refuses to give
He comes one day closer to dying alone

Walking through the valley of his own grief, time is a thief
For tomorrow he will die old and alone

Epiphany Poem

A moment of epiphany is when your eyes are opened to something in life you were unaware of. Epiphany: A sudden revelation of truth inspired by a seemingly trivial incident. The term was widely used by James Joyce in his critical writings, and the stories in Joyce's Dubliners are commonly called "epiphanies."

Here is an example of an epiphany poem.

When Life Becomes a Peaceful Death

Watching you die
Sitting at your bedside
wiping your brow
whispering the words
God is with you now
I'll be ok, Momma
just go to sleep

I held tight to your hand
You said goodbye with your eyes
A calmness now over your body
passing over,
I watch you find eternal rest

I was now awakened, acquainted
for the first time in my life
with the meaning of life and
how peaceful was death

The above poem was about the passing of my mother. Notice how my eyes were opened at that last breath, when I realized death was not a frightening thing.

Limericks are supposed to be funny, therefore you can be as silly as you like. Popular limericks go back to the 1800's with the Edward Lear nursery rhyme, "Hickory, Dickory, Dock," It is a form of light verse containing five lines, in which the l st , 2 nd , and 5 th lines rhyme and the 3 rd and 4 th lines rhyme.

There once was a dumb blond named Meg
Whose brain was liked fried eggs
One day walking in spiked heels
She slipped on some banana peels
Now she has a broken leg

Letter poems were poems that were written in the form of letters. Emily Dickinson, a creative poet of the 19th century used this style of writing.

Oh my dear sweet love, I received your letter today.
Oh how I miss thee.
The nights are cold and lonely without you.
I do await your arrival home soon.
The days of winter have been long and lonesome.
I look out my window, seeking a sign of spring.
I await the return of the sweet sound of the hummingbird.
When I think of her soft melody, I think of you.
You exist, my love, in my dreams at night.
I savor the taste of your last kiss.
You are so far away, my love, but not far from my heart.
I must go now, my love, as father is coming.
I will write you again soon.
Until we can again be together, tuck my letter under your pillow.
I have scented it with my favorite perfume.
Love, your precious Rose

Quatrain Poetry
A Quatrain is a poem consisting of four lines of verse with a specific rhyming scheme.

Dreams of you take flight
In the early morning light
My heart whispers softly love
Sunrise holds secrets dreamed of

The first line rhymes with the second ( flight and light)
and the third line rhymes with the fourth line (Love and of )
In my next article we will look at more styles of poetry. In the mean time, try your hand at these and be sure to send me some of your results. I hope that you have enjoyed mine.