Forms of Poetry

Zainab Abdus-Saboor

Free Verse• No rhyme• Not

predictable

Winter PoemNikki Giovanni once a snowflake fellon my brow and i lovedit so much and i kissedit and it was happy and called its cousinsand brothers and a webof snow engulfed me theni reached to love them alland i squeezed them and they becamea spring rain and i stood perfectlystill and was a flower

Concrete

• The text itself forms a picture on the page

Couplet Every two lines rhyme

Triplet• All 3 lines rhymeFootball is the game for meThe stadium is a great place to beTouchdowns are what I like to see

•Two of three lines rhymeDown by the lakeGrandpa and I drop a lineThen have lots of fish to take

Haiku• Line #1: 5 syllables• Line #2: 7 syllables• Line #3: 5 syllables

PeacePeace is like calmness

Calm like a wave-less oceanNothing will happen

By Zainab Abdus-Saboor

Cinquain• Line #1: subject• Line #2: two

describing words• Line #3: -ing words

about the subject• Line #4: a sentence

about the subject• Line #5: another

name for the subject

SpaghettiMessy, spicySlurping, sliding, fallingBetween my plate and mouthDelicious

(by Cindy Barden)

Limerick• Lines 1,2, and 5 rhyme and have 8 to 10

syllables• Lines 3 and 4 rhyme and have 5 to 7 syllables

Edward LearThere was an Old Man with a beardWho said, It is just as I feared!Two Owls and a Hen, Four Larks and a Wren,Have all built their nests in my beard!

Ballad Different forms that show a story

It’s Not as Bad as it Seemed By Zainab Hassell O no, it’s already 9:50 and I’m still in bedRemoving the covers, my own hand hit my headAs I ran through the kitchen, I fell flat on the floorWhen I was in the bathroom, I closed my finger in the doorSo I put some cold water on it, thinking it’ll feel goodBut instead, it stung and stung and stung as much as it couldAnd when I tried to put on my shirtI saw it had a huge smudge of dirtAs I tried to get it off, my ring fell down the drainI saw that it was 10:00, man, have these few minutes been a pain“DDIIIINNNGG” There’s my alarm for 9:00, it’s not as bad as it seemedPhew, what a relief! Those 10 minutes had all been dreamed!

Diamante• Compares two different subjects• Line 1: 1 noun that names the first

subject• Line 2: 2 adjectives that describe the first

subject• Line 3: 3 –ing words that are related to

the first • Line 4: 4 nouns: the first 2 related to the

first subject and then 2 relaed to the second

• Line 5: 3 –ing words that are related to the second

• Line 6: 2 adjectives that describe the first subject

• Line 7: 1 noun that names the second subject

Dogsplayful, activerunning, playing, growingFast fun, soft, niceSleeping, meowing, eatingFurry, whiskerycats

Test—What kind of poem is this:

Day and night you give me light,Whenever I'm out of sight.You always ask the breeze,To wipe away all my tears,Whenever I can sense the fear.

Test: What kind of poem is this?Poet—Kenn Nesbitt My robot's misbehavingIt won't do as I say.It will not dust the furnitureor put my toys away.

My robot never helps mewith homework or my chores.It doesn't do my laundryand neglects to clean my floors.

It claims it can't cook dinner.It never makes my bed.No matter what I ask of it,it simply shakes its head.

My robot must be broken.I'll need to get another.Until that day, I have to say,I'm glad I have my mother

Test: What kind of poem is this?

FoodI do not like chocolate or sugarI hardly eat vegetables or fruitBread is not the best kind of foodAnd rice and meat make me sick to my stomach So what do I eat, you may askWell, I’m trying to figure it out too!