I Am My Own

Do not hold me back
Do not try and stop me
I will not be controlled
I will not be beat down

You can shout
You can hate
You can deny
You can lie

But you will not quiet me
You will not hush my voice
You will not overcome me
I am my own

My World's Song

My world is a simple song
With happy melody,
Jumping and jiving
To the beat of time.
With citizens who smile,
Dancing and swaying
To the beat
Of my world's song.

Each step is a note
Each word is a chord
Each one can be heard
All around the world
And all the people
Dance and sing
In perfect harmony
and synchronization.

The song is alive
And it plays on.

Blue Summer

Cloudy, 55 degrees.
Wind blowing
Trees with purple leaves.
Rain pouring
Upon jackets,
Tugged tight around cool bodies,
Searching for warmth,
Hanging on to hope,
Rushing through the streets
In-between drops,
Feeling the beat
Of the wind on their backs.
Run to doors
Of houses and havens.
Doors thrust closed
And locked up tight.
Eager eyes peer out
From behind closed curtains,
Weary from rain and wind,
Alive with hope
For a ray of sunshine.
Yet, their eyes look in vain
For it is the time of June
In sorrowful Wisconsin.

Plea for Guidance

I want to find my way
Past the prophets and soothsayers
I want to see a light
Burning from on high
I want to find the truth
Yet I am lost in a fog
Stranded in the desert
I have followed blindly
Now I seek my sight
But find it out of reach
I am adrift in a sea
Without a gust of wind
To point the way or to guide
I wait, I pray
For some guidance, some day

Joleen

I never knew such patience
And such simple forgiveness
Always optimistic with a smile
Never false or pitting on airs
Embracing a stranger
In accepting arms
Welcoming a friend
With joyous songs
Never a discouraging word
A smile and a laugh
That lights up a day
Such a role model
An angel gracing Earth
Dearest friend and guide
You will never leave my heart

Only With You

Only with you. my smile is real
Only with you, I feel comfortable in my own skin
Only with you, I can laugh out loud
Only with you, I am proud to be me
Only with you, I can forget all insecurities
Only with you, I feel loved
Only with you, I can rejoice
Only with you, I want to spend the rest of my life

Extra

In the chorus I stand
A faceless spectator
Moving set piece
Personified background
Never a star

Theatre

Oh to be on stage
To paint a picture
Create a scene
Entertain an audience
Fantasize a while
Pretend for a moment
Capture a mind
Hold a heart
Sing a song
Dance a dance
Speak a line
What a line!
What an art!
Oh, theatre!

Outcast

Sometimes, I feel alone
Separated from all surronders
Even when at my side
I feel they are miles away
A thousand eyes turn to me as one
All I can do is look back
And to wish to be among them
No matter how I try
I cannot blend in
I cannot sink into the crowd
Rejected and outcasted
My smile is painted on
My kind voice quivers
My heart shatters

Rondel - Daydream

Rondel

This is a French form of thirteen lines and is made up of two rhymes. There is a refrain, which is set up by the first two lines of the first stanza. The rhyme pattern is A. B. a. b.. and .a. b. A. B. for the first two stanzas and a quintain for the final stanza that mirrors the first two stanzas, with the last line repeating the first line of the first stanza a. b. b. a. A. It is usually constructed of lines of eight syllalbes.

“Daydream”

Sometimes, I find my eye gazing
Off in space unguided and free
I enter a world amazing
Imagination holds the key

So, so many questions raising
And all answers are up to me
Sometimes, I find my eye gazing
Off in space unguided and free

In this free world I am praising
All my great hidden joy and glee
That I can release so freely
When my mind and heart is blazing
Sometimes, I find my eye gazing

Rondeau - What a Burden

Rondeau

This is a form that is made up of three stanzas: a quintet, a quatrain, and a sestet. The first phrase of the first line of the quintet is acts as a refrain and repeated in the final line of the quatrain and the sestet. There is no required meter, though the English form often uses pentameter or tetrameter. The rhyme scheme would be: Ra.a.b.b.a....a.a.b.R....a.a.b.b.a.R.

“What a Burden”

What a burden is this life
That must go on so filled with strife
With endless toiling
And all souls spoiling
Each day cutting like a knife

Where each day is filled with hatred rife
And so happiness is felt by husband or wife
With thoughts so cruel and boiling
What a burden

Yet, I beg you, do not give up on this life
We shall not all end like Lot’s wife
One day, we will rise up from this foiling
We shall no longer be spoiling
What a burden

Rime Royal - When Pondering

This is a stanza form that is believed to be of Italian origin. It is thought to be a variation of the Otta Rima with the removal of the final line, leaving the structure to be a seven line stanza of three rhymes: a.b.a.b.b.c.c.

“When Pondering”

When you are wandering
Past the known world
And you find yourself pondering
With thoughts whirled
And begin to feel your mind unfurled
Do not feel bemoan
For you are not alone

Limerick - Sight o're a Hill

Little Suzzie climbed up a hill
To see if she could see more than nill.
She cried out in delight
For she saw a grand sight:
The other side of the hill.

Rime Couee - Cut Short

This is a two rhyme poem that originated in France. It begins with a rhyming couplet of eight syllables followed by a line of six syllables. It then repeats to make a structure as shown:

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.a.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.a.
x.x.x.x.x.b.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.a.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.a.
x.x.x.x.x.b.

“Cut Short”

Sweetest blossom, growing taller
Is this lone life all you thought her?
Do you hunger for more?
Withering blossom, shrink smaller
Take peace, think of how you once were
Think how you were before

Quatern - Tears

As the name suggests, this is a French form made up of four four line stanzas. There is a repeated refrain, much like the various French forms, but there is not specific rhyme. There are eight syllables per line, but there is not meter. The Refrain is the first line of the first stanza, which becomes the second line of the second stanza, the third line of the third stanza and finally the last line of the last stanza.

“Tears”

I cannot help but cry my tears
For now you have left me alone
To walk this world isolated
To be only half of a whole

In deepest sorrow, misery
I cannot help but cry my tears
Loosing you was my greatest fear
And now I am forced to face it

With loud shouts and terrible moans
I weep and shake in such distress
I cannot help but cry my tears
And cry you name forevermore

Though they say the pain will soon fade
And in my heart I know you would
Wish only to see me happy
I cannot help but cry my tears

Pathya Vat - Stay

This is a southeast Asian form with a short syllable count. There are four lines of four syllables and lines two and form rhyme.

x.x.x.x.
x.x.x.a.
x.x.x.a
x.x.x.x.

“Stay”

Please, do not stray
My heart you hold
Twas you I told
My love, so dear

Pantoum - Dreams in Sleep

Pantoum

This was originally a Malaysian form, but was later adapted by the French. The rhyme pattern is as follows; A1, B1, A2, B2, ... B1, C1, B2, C2, etc, the last stanza being Z1, A2, Z2, A1, note the reversal of the final repeat couplet thus completing the circle. There is not set meter or length.

“Dreams in Sleep”

May you find rest in sleep
Let sweet dreams lead you
Quiet peace you keep
May each dream come true

Let sweet dreams lead you
Let your imagination fly
May each dream come true
For life so quickly passes by

Let your imagination fly
In sleepy slumber slow
For life so quickly passes by
Greatest happiness may you know

In sleepy slumber slow
May you find rest in sleep
Greatest happiness may you know
Quiet peace you keep

Ottava Rima - Prayer for Spring

Ottava Rima

This is quiet simply a Sicilian sestet with a couplet. However, it has been found to be more popular than the Sicilian octave among most poets. It has no set meter and the rhyeme scheme would be: a.b.a.b.a.b.c.c

“Prayer for Spring”

Winter woes fade away
For the time is coming near
For spring to come I pray
Hear those birds, my dear?
Oh let today be the day
For another snowfall I so fear
Oh spring, please do call
How I dread another snowfall

Horatian Ode - Ode to Distraction

Horatian Ode

This ode is named for the Latin poet Horace. It is a short lyric poem of quatrains made up of couplets.

"Ode to Distaction"

Sing to me my dearest one
Distract me from the day now done
For night does shine upon us
And I need to pretend we will not just be dust

Sing to me songs of joy and hope
Allow me a way to cope
And leave my sorrows behind
Oh please sing and be kind

Pretend with me we have endless days
Pretend this difficult life is not a maze
But a pretty path, long and clear
Oh please sing to me, dear

Set down your work and come to my side
Sing to me and be my guide
Through this constantly dwelling life
Please sing and quiet my strife

Just a moment, just a while
Give me a reason to smile
And forget my tiring woes
And raise me from such lows

Pray your song raise me high
So when I wish this fair world good bye
I may be happy and at peace
Or if be impossible, I will have your song, at least

English Ode - Ode to the Cat of War

This ode consists of three ten line iambic pentameter stanzas. The rhyme scheme is: a. b. a. b. c. d. e. c. d. e.

“Ode to the Cat of War”

Kitten prancing, pouncing about the room
Why must you glide and move so very fast
Jumping about all day will be your doom
And yet with no mind, you have such a blast
You run, run here and there without a care
Purring, crying, meowing all the way
Like a tyrant over little kingdom
With little thought you have no fear, you dare
Oh what a silly, dizzy game you play
I shall sit and wait, wait till you are done

Kitten flying, run, running all around
Surely, yes, you must be tiring now
Crying out and making such big, loud sound
What grand chaos you do cause and allow
Clawing at furniture, table and chair
Knocking over glass,china, vase and lamp
Spilling food, juice, tea, and drinking water
You cause me such great anger and despair
How you make me want to scream, shout, and stamp
You have made the room look like grand slaughter

Kitten rolling on the ground and purring
Rubbing read and body across my feet
Walking away and then so returning
Like an annoying bird you chirp and tweet
I push you away and ignore your cries
No, I will not cuddle nor pet nor brush
No matter how long you do cry and purr
Refusing to give into greedy lies
Yet soon, my anger you do sooth and crush
I give in, hold you close, and pet your fur

Pindaric Ode - Ode to the Stuffy

This ode is written in accentual-syllabic verse and is named for the ancient Greek poet Pindar, who is credited with inventing the ode. The stanza length and rhyme scheme are determined by the poet. They contain a formal opening, or strophe, of complex metrical structure, followed by an antistrophe, which mirrors the opening, and an epode, the final closing section of a different length and composed with a different metrical structure.

“Ode to the Stuffy”

Dance with me and forget the world
Come onstage, pretend awhile
Let reality fade, unfurl
Your mind and begin to smile

This is a new revolution
Moder Renaissance beginning
Of hope and joy, disillusion
Join all the people grinning

Let loose
Let go
Give life a boost
And now you know

Novelinee - Eighteen

This is a form based off the Spenserian stanza and was created by Sarah Rayburn. It is a nine line stanza written in iambic pentameter or decasyllablic lines. The rhyme scheme is : a.b.a.b.c.d.c.d.d.

“Eighteen”

I am becoming a woman of age.
I have just but turned eighteen today, so
Now I am forced to prance about onstage
Like some prized cow at a county fair. Oh!
But to be simple seventeen again
And hide away in shadows forgotten
I’d love to find myself carefree and zen
Yet, now my lost childhood has rotten
My adulthood now newly begotten

Monchielle Stanza - "I Toil Over Words"

This stanza was created by Norwegian poet, Jim T. Henriksen. It is made up of four five line stanzas and each line has six syllables. The first line of each stanza is the same. Lines three and five rhyme. The structure would be:

xxxxxxA
xxxxxxb
xxxxxxc
xxxxxxd
xxxxxxc
xxxxxxe
ect.

“I Toil Over Words”

I toil over words
On pages of old books
Looking for the answers
Of the long asked questions
To hold off advancers

I toil over words
In newspaper and lines
Trying to find good news
In such hard, trying times
But never get pasted views
Opposing opinions

I toil over words
Of passing and people
Listening for sad cries
Beneath convincing smiles
I try to pass the lies

I toil over words
That flow from my old pen
Looking for some meaning
In all the work I’ve done
For something redeeming
Before my life has run

Luc Bat - Laughter

This is a Vietnamese form of poetry that was inspired by the French. Luc Bat translates to “six eight”, which outlines the structure of the poem. The odd lines (1,3,5,etc) are six sound units and the even lines (2,4,6 etc) are eight sound units long, hence the title. The rhyming scheme is simple also. The last word (sixth sound unit) of the odd lines rhymes with the sixth sound unit of the even line and the eighth sound unit rhymes with the sixth unit of the next odd line. The final even line, linking back to the first line. The structure is:

xxxxxa
xxxxxaxb
xxxxxb
xxxxxbxc
xxxxxc
xxxxxcxa

“Laughter”

Little laugh trills so light
Like bell ringing in nighttime lone
The speaker’s face unknown
In darkness can’t be shown, revealed
Twinkling stars have concealed
Till grand morning does yeild bright light

Long Measure - Advice for Your Heart

This is a variation of Common Measure, and consists of three rhymes of iambic tetrameter, (4 feet). This gives a suggested pattern of:

xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxc

“Advice for Your Heart”

Give not heart to simple pleasure
For it is not worth the deep pain
Your heart is your greatest treasure
And must be saved for better days

Limerick - Fear of a Toad

This is a poem that is often tells a light and humorous story. The original pattern is a five line stanza, but there have been the occasional four line stanza. Traditionally the first and fifth line end in the same word. The rhyme is: a.a.b.b.a.

“Fear of a Toad”

Little Suzie walked down the road
Where she did happened to find a toad
She gave a grand shout
And soon did black out
And the little toad hopped right down the road

Virelai - Alone

This is an adaptation of the Lai. It is made up of two stanzas. The first stanza is the exact copy of the lai, having a five syllable couplet followed by a two syllable line. The second stanza then switches the rhymes’ order. The structure would be:

xxxxa
xxxxa
xb
xxxxa
xxxxa
xb
xxxxa
xxxxa
xb

xxxxb
xxxxb
xa
xxxxb
xxxxb
xa
xxxxb
xxxxb
xa

“Alone”

Love gone so far way
To return some day
Unknown
How I wish he’d stay
And in my bed lay
Soft moan
When spring comes in May
He’ll come back I pray
Atone

My heart not disown
Don’t leave me alone
Decay
Return to me grown
Far from heart of stone
Dismay
Strong and weather blown
Your selfishness sloan
One day

Lai Nouveau - Sun Shines

This is a more difficult version of the Lai. It is constructed like the lie having a five syllable couplet followed by a two syllable line, but only has an eight line stanza. The fist two lines are a refrain and are used as the last line of the verse in reverse order. The structure is:

xxxxA1
xxxxA2
xb
xxxxa
xxxxa
xb
xxxxA2
xxxxA1

"Sun Shines"

How the sun shines down
On Earth’s shinning crown.
Stunning.
Draping golden gown
Over hill and town
Stunning.
On Earth’s shinning crown
How the sun shines down.

Lai - Noise

This is a very old French form of short verse. It is made up of a five syllable couplet and a two syllable line and repeats twice. The structure is as followed:

xxxxa
xxxxa
xb
xxxxa
xxxxa
xb
xxxxa
xxxxa
xb

“Noise”

Alarm clock rings so
very early. Oh!
Such noise.
Cars on the street low
honking so loud. Oh!
Such noise.
People talk and woe
screaming, howling. Oh!
Such noise.

Kyrielle Sonnet - Small Flower

This is a French sonnet that dates back to the Middle Ages. It is written in quatrains and includes a refrain in the final line of each quatrain. It is written with eight syllables per line (octosyllabic). The rhyme scheme is then: .A. b. a. B.... c. b. c. B..... d. b. d. B.....A.B.

“Small Flower”

How simple is the small flower
Basking in the sun’s happy rays
No reason to hide or cower
How I envy her quiet days

Growing with petty petals high
So carefree, she never dismays
Reaching gracefully to the sky
How I envy her quiet days

Grand, lovely, and so fair is she
Do see how joyfully she sways
Oh! If only that could be me
How I envy her quiet days

How simple is the small flower
How I envy her quiet days

Kyrielle - What Would I See

This is a French form that originated in the Middle Ages. It is written in two quatrains, which share the final line as a refrain. It is written with eight syllables per line and the rhyme scheme is as followed: a. a. b. B..... c. c. b. B.

“What Would I See”

If I was to rise up so high
To servery the world low that lie
What would I see that would me please?
What would I see in lands of these?

Would I see man helping man or
Would I see hatred at our deep core?
What is it in life that hold the keys?
What would I see in lands of these?

Keat's Sonnet - To Let Go

This is a interesting variation to the English Sonnet form. Here the meter is not specified and different types of feet other than Iambic are permitted, such as: Trochee, Spondee and Pyrrhic. The rhyme scheme is .a.b.c. ..a.b.d...c.a.b. ..c.d.e. ..d.e..

"To Let Go"

Your hands in mine were once so small
Soft and round, gripping on tightly
Barely fitting round my finger

Your pretty name I used to call
Like a waking dreamer, whisper so lightly
Long before you even became you

In my arms you used to linger
Peeping out from my shelter tall
I was your protector so knightly

Yet, now your hand hold all my fingers
You hold on to it tight and true
Yet, I know soon you will let go

I want to hold on to you
Yet, I know soon you will let go

Katuata - A Soul's Dream

This form of Japanese poetry originally consisted of a poem consisting of 19 syllables or onji, . There was a break after the fifth and twelfth onji and this would give us a form structure of. 5 - 7 – 7. Later poets also wrote using only 17 onji and this gave a form structure of 5 - 7 – 5.


“A Soul's Dream”

In my sleep, my soul
does raise from my body and
Runs and wanders the world, free.

Italian Sonnet - Judgment Day

Also know as the Petrarchan sonnet, it is the oldest known form of sonnet. Originally, it had no set structure and it was only after its adoption by the English that defined the Italian sonnet to consist of an octave, which set up a situation, followed by a sestet, which sets up a counter statement. It was only much later that Wyatt and Spencer formalized it by the use of Iambic Pentameter. The octave is in the form:a.b.b.a.a.b.b.a. and the sestet can be: c.d.c.d.c.d., c.d.e.c.d.e., c.d.c.c.d.c.

"Judgment Day"

My days are counting down till the one of
judgment. When my life will be tested on
All acts I have done before I am gone
And leave the happy world of light and love
Flutter aways with wind on wings like dove
Stretch out grand wings and neck like graceful swan
Rise up to the sun on lovely, bright dawn
Forgive myself and leap off with a shove
Here my Heaven, my Paradise
Judge me now, free and open upon clouds
Test me now, unbias, and meet my eyes
For here I stand beyond the shuffling crowds
Not longer held back by fearful, sad cries
I go to you now, my eternal prize

Italian Sestet - Hilltop Awakening

The original Italian sestet had no meter, yet when Spenser introduced it to England, the poets tended to use iambic tetrameter or pentameter. The rhyme scheme would be as followed: a.b.c.a.b.c.


“Hilltop Awakening”

On top of hilltop, I look down
to land below and gaze upon
Such treasures that would stir the soul
To point of rejoicing renown
As flowers for the sun at dawn
I rise up like a newborn foul

Italian Octave - Picture Paradise

This octave is made up by two Italian Quatrains. Originally it had no meter, but pentameter has been preferred by most poets. The rhyme scheme is: a.b.b.a.a.b.b.a


“Picture Paradise”

` I close my eyes and picture paradise:
Warm, sandy beaches, tall palm trees
With trunks dancing so happily in breeze .
Soft surf lapping at my feet as loud cries
of seagulls calling out their dear good byes,
The soft music of the wind in the leaves
That rustles and prances only to please
Ah yes! That is where my paradise lies

Huitain - Distance Rejected

This is a very old form of verse from France. It consists of one eight line stanza with eight syllables. The English adapted it into an iambic pentameter, however the old eight syllable is still preferred by purists. It is form by three rhymes such as the structure would appear as such: a.b.a.b.b.c.b.c.


“Distance Rejected”

Unfeeling Distance, how could you
Bid me to come away and stray
Such a love as mine, how could you
Call my heart and cause such dismay
To one who loves me more each day
I hear the road calling loud, clear
Yet, I withstand it and so pray
Distance ne'er part our love, my dear

Half Measure - A Request of Time

This is a simple variation of common measure and there are two choices. The first is in iambic trimeter with two rhymes and the second consists of three rhymes. The lay out is as followed:

xxxxxa
xxxxxb
xxxxxa
xxxxxb

or

xxxxxa
xxxxxb
xxxxxc
xxxxxb

“A Request of Time”

Time, can’t you slow and waste
A while with me. Calm your
Ticking. Why so fast paced?
Such running be a chore.

Haiku - Reunion

This is a traditional brief verse from Japan consisting of 17n moras or syllables. There is no rhyme scheme. It consists of three phases of 5,7, and 5 syllables respectively.

“Reunion”

Sweetest songs ring out
Upon our grand reunion
My soul rejoices

Goethe Stanza - "The Bronte Sisters"

This is a very different style of poetry. The form includes three stanzas. The first is a single line, the second is a couplet, and the third is a single line. Each of the single lines rhyme wit the alternating line in the couplet. There is no meter. The structure is: a....b.a....b

“The Bronte Sisters”

Three sisters sad

Hated and lone
Led lives so mad

Yet, wrote to be known

Go Vat - "My Land"

This is a form of poetry that clearly shows French influence. It is believed to have become popular around the 1800s. It is composed of two three line stanzas, where the last line is the same in both stanzas. It begins with a couplet of eighty syllables, a third line. An example structure would be as followed:

xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxB

xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxB

“My Land”

Oh smooth land beneath tried my feet
With each step I feel your heartbeat
And I carry on for your sake

Oh tattered land, torn and corrupt
Your untimely end came abrupt
And I carry on for your sake

Envelope Sonnet - Crunch Time

This is a variation of the Italian Sonnet done by the French. It creates two sestets and links them with a rhyming couplet. The length is eight or ten syllables and the rhyme scheme is as followed: a.b.c.c.b.a.d.d.e.f.g.g.f.e.

"Crunch Time"

Time that rushes on so quickly
Constantly slipping away
Tick away upon the second hand
And falling down on grains of sand
You make me so regret the day
That life began this long countdown
To the final scene so profound
When all this will end in a fall
And at last the nagging will halt
Of your constant reminder
That this life is just a binder
To hold us till judged on our fault
And we realize we can’t forestall

Envelope Quintet - My City

This is a natural progression of four lines to five lines. It is based off of the enveloped stanza, but turns the middle couplet into a triplet. This yields a rhyme scheme is : a.b.b.b.a

"My City"

I live in a restless city
So grand and streaming with light
Where there is noise every night
That burns in my mind constant plight
And fills my heart with endless pity

Envelope Stanza - Merciful Book

This is a form that was most likly created by Francesco Petrarcha. It is the foundation of the Italian octave and is also used in the French and Spanish Octave. It consists of eight syllalbes and the structure is as followed:

xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxa

“Merciful Book”

Dearest book within my meek hand
How I hunger for your pages,
Story upon that so rages
I tremble in your wake so grand

Envelope Couplet - Coffee Cup

This is a variation of the Stave Stanza that is stricter in form. It is made up of three stanzas, where the first and last line are the same in each stanza. The second and fifth line also rhyme with the first and last, leaving the center couplet as the only rhyme change. The form is as followed: A1.a.b.b.a.A2...A1.a.c.c.a.A2....A1.a.d.d.a.A2.

"Coffe Cup"

Coffee cup, you are my salvation
Creating the most delightful sensation
Upon my thirsty lips
I dink in your refreshing sips
After our lengthened flirtation
I have fallen to your temptation

Coffee cup, you are my salvation
You give me such liberation
To have with your but a moment
of peace removes all my torment
For you I have such a fixation
I have fallen to your temptation

Coffee cup, you are my salvation
Your grinds and beans are a beautiful creation
That brightens every morning
Of your taste I am so adoring
To this addiction I have such dedication
I have fallen to your temptation

English Sestet - A Star's Shine

This sestet is based off the popular Sicilian one and was often used by Shakespear, who used the sestet rhyming scheme in his sonnets. The prefered meter is iambic pentameter. The pattern is as followed:

xxxxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxxxc
xxxxxxxxxc

“A Star’s Shine”

Do you, dear, see that star above shine
Throughout the heavens bright and glorious?
Have you ever seen a star more fine,
Claiming the heavens so victorious?
I know my love for it to be so true,
For love, that star is half as bright as you.

English Quintain - Your Laughter

This is the most popular form of Quintain. It has no set measure or foot. The rhyme scheme is: a.b.a.b.b.

“Your laughter”

Your laughter to my ears
Does float like gentle breeze
Calming any of my fears
You have put my mind to ease
And my heart you have seized

Echo Sonnet - My Dove

This is a fairly new sonnet created by an English poet, Jeff Green. It is based off of French repeating forms. However, it unlike them it uses iambic pentrameter, making it a true sonnet. It is formed by three eveloped quatrains and a couplet. The last line of each stanza is the same and the first line is repeated as the first line of the couplet. The rhyme scheme is as followed: A.b.b.A1...a.c.c.A1...a.d.d.A1...A.A1.

"My Dove"

Oh happy, elusive Love high above
Will you not have mercy and come down low
To greet me, gentle love, and now bestow
Your joyful grace I so desire, my Dove.
I am lost in the cold with no warm glove
To keep my heart from freezing over with
loneliness. Your beauty cannot be myth!
Your joyful grace I so desire, my Dove.
Why are your ears deaf and why mush you shove
me away like some sad, hopeless disease?
It is only you that I wish to please,
Your joyful grace I so desire, my Dove.
Oh happy, elusive Love high above
Your joyful grace I so desire, my Dove.

Dizain - Lazy Afternoon

This is a form of Decastitch that was originally French and initially was made up of eight syllable lines, but later a variation of ten syllable lines was also used. When it became popular in England, it was often set in iambic pentameter, but there is no set meter. The rhyme scheme is: a.b.a.b.b.c.c.d.c.d.

"Lazy Afternoon"

Alone I sit beneath the sunshine bright
With eyes safely hidden behind closed lids.
No buzzing, busy thoughts my mind do plight
Nor regrets of passed mistakes I once did
And simple jokes to myself I do kid.
For today is one for light happenings
That do not bother nor cause dark grievings.
It is one for pondering and slumber.
So we may think of easier passings
When later we do happen to blunder.

Decuain - Town Square

This is a form of Decastitch (10 lines) created by Shelly A. Cephas. It is set in iambic pentrameter and can have three different rhyme schemes:ababbcbcaa, ababbcbcbb, or ababbcbccc.

“Town Square”

Shopping hub, bustling people about,
Money shifting hands and talking heard round,
Shifting, scanning eyes do travel to scout
To see where their service is safe and sound.
All the talking cause voices to be drowned.
The town square is so filled with life today.
All the moving feet do loudly pound
To hush even loudest child’s dismay.
And so the people do dance on the ground
Till day be done and lonely night is crowned.

Decastitch - Ballerina Dancer

This is a very open form of poetry, defined to be any ten line poem. It has no set meter or rhyme. However, other sources suggest that free verse is the best option.

Ballerina Dancer,
upon dimly lit stage,
twirling and prancing,
with lighten heart and pointed feet,
you move with such grace and easy strength.
As if it’s nothing.
As if it’s easy.
As if this was how it’s meant to be.
Oh, if I could be as you,
Ballerina Dancer.

Cyhydedd Fer Sonnet - Lone Hipsterr

The creator of this form is unknown. The cyhydedd fer is an ancient form of seven couplets that was used long before the creation of the sonnet. The difference from normal sonnets lies in the fact that the cyhydedd fer has no meter requirement other than the rhyme every eight syllables. The pivot or volta can fall anywhere between line five and line eight with the final couplet being a resolution. The rhyme form is quiet simple being a.a.b.b.c.c.d.d.e.e.f.f.g.g.

"Lone Hipster"

Lone hipster, at computer screen,
Typing away with your hat of lime green
In the corner of a coffee shop.
The bottom of your skinny jeans crop,
To show your converse purple and white
Hair highlights dyed so bright
To clash with your natural hair.
Leaning back without a care,
Thick black glasses slightly askew,
Waiting for your nearing cue
To push them higher up your nose
With your middle finger so posed.
You may think you’re cool,
But maybe you are just a fool.

Cornish Sonnet - What You See

This sonnet was created by Arab traders working in Cornwall, which the sonnet is named for. Purists recommend all sonnets be in iambic petrameter, however this sonnet has no set meter. It is made up of two three couplet stanzas and a final refrain that is made up of the either the first or final lines of each stanza. The form that is suggested is as followed: A.b.a.c.b.c...D.e.d.f.e.f...A.D. or a.b.a.c.b.C...d.e.d.f.e.F...C.F.

“What you see”

I see a woman, strong and beautiful.
Highly regarded and recommended.
Her coy smiles and dancing eyes do pull
All to her like entranced moths to flame
And hearts will leap with a turn of her head.
Yet, I wonder if it is just a game.
I see a woman, hiding her true self.
Behind her loud laughter lies her real cries,
Hiding her secret fears on a old shelf.
Her applied, perfect makeup covers her tears.
Yet, we all believe her silly, brave lies
Because we try to deny out own fears.
I see a woman, strong and beautiful.
I see a woman, hiding her true self.

Common Octave - Sun and Moon

This is a variation of common measure with three alternating rhymes and meters. The first and third are in iambic tetrameter and the second in iambic trimeter. The structure is as followed:

xxxxxxxa
xxxxxb
xxxxxxxc
xxxxxb
xxxxxxxa
xxxxxb
xxxxxxxc
xxxxxb

“Sun and Moon”

Shinning sun, ruler of the day,
You burn an impression
In every mind upon this earth
For every passing day you freshen.
Lovely moon, queen of darken way,
Gleaming light has grand expression
You glisten with such brilliant worth.
What lovely procession.

Common Measure - First Sign of Spring

Common Measure or Hymnal Measure

This is a multi stanza form made up of three rhymes alternating in iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter. The form and rhyme scheme can be observed below:

xxxxxxxa
xxxxxb
xxxxxxxc
xxxxxb

“First Sign of Spring”

When gloomy winter snow begins
to melt away to give
into hidden springtime warmth and
green, nature again may live.

Cinquain - Nature's Escape

This is a very popular five line stanza. Originally, it was a French form with open line length and rhyme scheme. However, the common cinquain follows the form set down by Adelaide Crapsey. This form is composed of five lines starting with a two syllable line, followed by three lines which increase by to syllables in turn and finally finished with a two syllable line. It is often in iambic form. The syllable layout can be observed below:

xx
xxxx
xxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
xx

"Nature's Escape"

Join
me and dance with
the music of the night
and rejoice in nature and breath
in life.

Choka - Stars

This a Japanese style of poetry that means long poem. It is made up by a series of Katuatas joined together. It is constructed by having a first line of five syllables, a second of seven, and a third of seven, then repeating the cycle at least once. The form would be as followed:

xxxxx
xxxxxxx
xxxxxxx
xxxxx
xxxxxxx
xxxxxxx

“Stars”

Stars are the greatest
Wonders our eyes can behold
Dance above in darken sky
Left only glimpses
Of secrets that lie beyond
Our wildest imaginings

Cavatina - Cruel Autumn

Cavatina

This is an Italian form of poetry that consists of a ten syllable, non-rhyming line with a four syllable, rhyming line at least three times. The poem is completed with a ten syllable line in couplet. The poem would be constructed as followed:

xxxxxxxxxa
xxxb
xxxxxxxxxc
xxxb
xxxxxxxxxd
xxxxxxxxxe
xxxxxxxxxe

“Cruel Autumn”

In early spring when flowers bloom so sweet
And grow so tall.
It makes the lives we endlessly lead on
So very small,
For we are just budding flowers as well.
Soon we shall fall,
When autumn winds come blowing without mercy
Will surely be the end of you and me.

Canzonetta - Growing Apple

This is a variation of the canzone, a lyric poem with varying lengths and patterns. The Canzonetta consists of two octaves using a series of alternating couplets. The last line is repeated at the end of both stanzas. The rhyme scheme can be as followed: a.b.a.b.c.d.c.d or a.b.a.b.c.b.c.b.

“Growing Apple”

Little apple, budding in the tree
Among so many shining leaves,
Why not fall down and be with me
And forgo any lengthened peeves
Of waiting to become full grown?
It is such a hassled time
Waiting for your sun to be shown
And have to simply wait in line.

Can’t you fall and heed my plea?
For it is you who hold the keys,
The answers on what to be
Through all life’s passing deeds.
Would it not be better to be blown
Down to where we all have pined
Or must we just quiet the moans
And have to simply wait in line?

Burns Stanza or Standard Habbie - Simple Sundays

This stanza was formed by the famous poet, Robert Burns. The first three line and the fifth line rhyme and include eight syllables. The fourth and sixth lines form a second pair of rhymes and have six syllabels. The pattern is as followed:

x x x x x x x a
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x b
x x x x x x x a
x x x x x b

“Simple Sundays”

Simple, happy Sunday cares and
Thoughts that slip away the day planned
And fall to happy sighs offhand
With blissful smiles shown
And hoping not to understand
How quickly time has flown

Black Verse - The Human Race

Blank Verse


Blank verse is called blank because it does not have to rhyme. It is composed in iambic petrameter. It is often used for monologues and expressing dramatic feeling. It was first used in English by Surrey's translation of Virgil's Aeneid. It was also used by Shakespeare, Milton, and Wordsmith. Blank Verse is usually divided into verse paragraphs of varying length, though it can be used in stanzas of equal length.

"The Human Race"

What kind of life is this that we all lead,
Where we all rush about like mice in cages
Without a thought of higher existence,
Forgetting those we love and whom love us,
Passing by the needy and weakest lives,
And stepping over others to gain success?
What has the human race become these days?
Filled with selfish wants and hateful thinking.
Is this what we want to been seen for future
generations? People of hate and greed?
Can you look your child in the eye now
And reveal what you have done without guilt?
Can you say good bye to this life without
regrets? Can you face your mistakes today
And forgive yourself with blessed patience?
Are you who you truly want to be now?
Can you wake up tomorrow and look at
The mirror and be able to trust the face
You see starring back at you with peace?
Do not lie to yourself to cover the facts.
Become your best self and redeem your race,
Be one to sway the tide and recover
The potential we once offered this Earth.
Only we can change our pace and turn
over a new leaf to begin a new
revolution of greatness and life.
Remember who you are and have pride in
Calling yourself one of the human race.

Book Review - Beowulf on the Beach

There is not much to dislike about Jack Murnighan’s guide to reading the classics, Beowulf on the Beach. Murnighan becomes a personal literature professor, giving readers all the hits and misses of literature's most acclaimed novels. He even offers hints on what really makes them great. It is a guide that will encourage you, make you laugh, and even get you excited to pick up a book. With the modern world progressing so fast, Murnighan reminds us that the past still has a lot to offer and classics still have a lot to say to modern readers.

What makes this book special is Murnighan’s voice, which can be found in every word. Once he got down to pen and paper, Murnighan did not hold back an ounce. He loves the classics, he’s excited to talk about them, and he wants you to be too. He coming at us with a new angle, he’s not just going to explain the books to us, he’s going to show us why they are so great and inspire us to give them a chance. Murnighan is also burtally honest, if a thought passed through his mind, you better believe it will be in print. That is what makes reading Beowulf on the Beach so enjoyable, it’s like you are talking with a good friend. However, Murnighan is an expert professor, complete with a PhD in literature, who really knows what he’s talking about. It is that talent and wit that really makes the book a good read.

Murnighan also has a considerably good style of writing. He draws the reader in, backing it up with examples and specific topics. He leaves no room for questioning, he is direct and insightful. His writing is also elegant, with metaphors and imagery in every line. He also has great timing and gives just enough room for comic effect. Murnighan put his heart and soul into trying to express his feelings, his love, for these books and their messages. “I want you to feel these books in your heart, in your soul,and maybe even below your waist.” He makes a great case for the classic and can easily sway the average reader into pull out at least once and giving it another try.

However, much of the credit must go to the classics themselves. They are called “literature’s greatest hits” because that is what they really are. They are books that have stood the test of time and conquer many hearts and minds. They are books that will inspire, teach, and change lives. None of the should be passed up.

Beowulf on the Beach was one of the most entertaining guides to literature I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. I laughed, I gasped, and I was excited. It’s good and the books it praises are even better. Learn from it and go read, and enjoy, a classic.

Ballade - Little Flier

A Ballade is a French ballade that was standardized in the 14th century. The original form was octosyllabic, but now decasyllable or iambic tetrameter is also accepted. The poem is 28 lines with three octave stanzas and an envoi. The rhyme patter is repeated through each stanza and the final line is a refrain. The rhyming through the stanzas is: a, b, a, b, b, c, b, C and the envoy: b, c, b, C.



“Little Flier”


Little meekling bird flying high,
Why do you prance so carelessly,
Zoom so effortlessly about the sky
Without a though to world low thee
And no forgiving glance at me.
What makes you so proud and prideful?
How can you be so limit free?
Does no worry on your wings pull?

Where have you been my little fly?
Have you seen the world endlessly
Stretching out before the dawn sky?
You’ve seen ocean waves, forest trees
And forgotten lonely old me.
Is it I who am wrong, lustful
To dream of being you and free.
Does no worry on your wings pull?

But be my guest and fly on high.
Fly away and leave my soul be
For no longer I dream to fly.
I must give up to be let be
I cannot chase after dreams. Thee
May fly on careless and gleeful,
As I am cursed jealous to be.
Does no worry on your wings pull?

But I am left to think of thee,
So high above me and so very full
Wondering may I forever be,
Does no worry on your wings pull?

Ballad Stanza - The Garden

The basic Ballad Stanza consists of four lines with an alternating couplet and lines that alternate from four iambic feet to three. The first line is holds eight syllables followed by the second that has six syllables. This gives a suggested pattern of:

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.a
x.x.x.x.x.x.b
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.a
x.x.x.x.x.x.b

“The Garden”

Blessed garden, growing beauty
Becoming lush and full.
What wonders do my eyes foresee
When my gaze you do pull?

Like a mother to her young child
I have nurtured and raised
You since tiny bud and seedling
And now you’ve grown to praise.

My garden, my beauty of nature,
How you’ve flourished before
My silent eyes and quiet mouth
And now I feel your core.

But when winter winds come blowing,
My heart will soon breaking
As I watch you wither away
And my dispair making.

Ballad - Treasured Love

Ballad

Ballads are poems that tell a story similar to a folk tale or legend. It often includes a repeated refrain. There are many versions of the ballad and various lengths and styles. However, I’ve chosen to do a variation of the Common Measure that consists of three rhymes of iambic tretrameter, a unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, as in delay, in four feet. Each line includes eight sylabells. The suggested rhyme scheme is as followed:

xxxxxxxa
xxxxxxxb
xxxxxxxc
xxxxxxxb

“Treasured Love”


There comes a time when love is shown
And life seems full of graces grand.
When lovers sing of gorgeous songs,
The world hushes and hate is banned.

A time of joy and happiness,
When love is shown with just a glance,
A smile brings endless joy and care,
And eyes sparkle, twinkle, and dance.

Such times should be treasured and held
Dear to our hearts till melt away,
So when we fall to darkness shelled
We can have hope of better day.

Balassi Stanza - Careless Lovers

Balassi Stanza

This stanza is believed to have been used by Balint Balassi, a hungarian poet. It is a three line form consisting of nineteen syllables per line: six in the first two lines, followed by seven in the third and repeated twice. It is broken up by intervals of rhyme that are as followed:

x. x. x. x. x. a.
x. x. x. x. x. a.
x. x. x. x. x. x. d
x. x. x. x. x. b
x. x. x. x. x. b
x. x. x. x. x. x. d
x. x. x. x. x. c
x. x. x. x. x. c
x. x. x. x. x. x. d


“Careless Lovers”

We danced with lightened hearts
As if we’d never part
And out grand love would be staid.
Yet the night grows longer
And soon left to ponder
What will come when day is made?
But for now we will cling
Till bells of morning ring
And our happiness must be paid.

Australian Sonnet - Hopes for Death

Australian Sonnet or Bowlesian Sonnet

This sonnet is named for it’s creator, William Lisle Bowles, a minister of the Church of England, who preached in Austalia. It held its height of popularity from the 1800s to the 1900s and soon settled into obscurity. It has three Envelope quatrains and a couplet. The rhyme sequence is abba cddc effe gg.

Hopes for Death

What will become of me?
When I am gone and done
When my body shunned
And my eyes blind to see

Will I wither
Deep in ground
With body bound
Forgotten and bitter

Or is there a world beyond?
Rich in light and hope
Where all may cope
And death dies and peace is dawned

I can only hope it be the latter
For if not, in the end, all lives shatter

Aubade - Dawning

Aubade
An aubade is a poem or a song that greets the morning. It can focus on two different themes: nature rejoicing or lovers waking at dawn. Many poets have written aubades such as: William Shakespear, Philip Larkin, and William Empson. There are many styles and lengths that are acceptable as aubades. The main idea is to be focused on the theme of day breaking.

“Dawning”

Awake to the morning
And rise to the run
Rejoice in the dawning
Of a new day of life
The wind dances with joy
As trees sway
In the fresh breeze
The birds sing out
The glorious news
For hope is alive
By the light of day
The morning reminds us
A new chance to act
And to live in joy
Feel the sun shine upon you
And allow your being
To fill with joy and light
For now is the beginning
The dawning of a new day
A new day has begun

Acrostic - Cry Out

Acrostic Poetry
This is a form of short verse that is a play on words. It is constructed by writing a word or phrase vertically on a page to form the initial letter of each line of the poem. The name comes from the Greek words akros, "at the end," and stichos, "line." It is a timeless form as had heights of popularity in Greece during the Alexandrine period, in Latin playwrights, and again during the Italian Renaissance. It originally rhymed, but modern writers have adapted it so that it does not have to and both ways are acceptable.

“Cry Out”

Cry out to the morning
Rid yourself of fear
Yell to the heavens
Out before the storm
Utter the words you hold so dear
Tell all what is to come

Poetry Senior Project Introduction

Poetry has always entranced me. From lullabies and nursery rhymes to poets and epics, I find all forms to be a work of art. Poems can be made to tell a story, describe an idea, or express a feeling. Since a very young age I have used poetry as a therapeutic tool and a way to artistically express myself. However, I never discovered the classic forms or true rules of styles of poetry. I have only written free verse and now wish to expand my horizons. Through this project I will adapt classic poetry styles into my own modern poems. Not only will this expand my knowledge, but it will improve my writing. I plan to go into English and possibly be an author. I have also expressed interest in publishing my poetry and would love to have the chance to improve it. This project will give me the chance to dive into a world of literary art and try my own hand at styles that have been known for centuries.

I plan to first review the history and development of poetry from both western and eastern cultures. This will allow me to have an understanding of the background of poetry. Then I will take a closer look at each classic form in turn. I will begin by defining the form and give a short explanation on its origins and background. Next, I will outline their rules and structure and look at examples of poets who are known for that particular form. Then I will attempt to write my own poem following the style and dynamics I have come to understand.

My goal is to learn the classic forms of poetry and grow in my understanding of them. I see this as a chance to improve my writing skills and develop my talent. It is a great opportunity to express my love of poetry and find out more about it. I hope it will be a wonderful journey and that I may live up to the challenge.