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Craft of Poetry, dversepoets, FormForAll, Gay Cannon, Meeting the Bar, Original Poem, poetry, poetry prompt
Though there are many forms, there are only a few standard ones that are universally known. Those and some original forms invented by our contemporaries have been covered over the time we’ve been publishing articles here at the dVersePoets Pub. All of them can still be found in the archives on the site. One has only to enter the word “form” or a particular type of form like “sonnet” in the search blank next to the word “GO” at the top of the dVerse home page to have them come up for review.
So today I am asking those who are up for the challenge to invent their own new form. It should be unique. (That is to say it shouldn’t be one that would be easily recognized. I don’t expect you to research a jillion poems to make sure it isn’t like anything that has ever been done.) You may take an existing form and do a variation on it. I ask that you describe the “formula” you used for it and you should name the form. Then write an example of it to share with all of us. It doesn’t have to rhyme, it doesn’t have to be a set meter, it doesn’t have to be anything in particular. I would ask for some structure – shape – design to it, however. You may think about rhyme without meter; meter without rhyme, syllable counts, line counts, etc.
We have over the past highlighted some forms composed by people within our community. Luke Prater and Sam Peralta brought us some of their own inventions. I discussed this article with Luke and for examples’ sake I would like to offer his response to highlight his original Octain:
The Octain, full name Octain Refrain, is a form of poetry developed by British poet Luke Prater in December 2010. It comprises eight lines as two tercets and a couplet, either as octosyllables (counting eight syllables per line), or as iambic tetrameter, whichever is preferable. Trochaic tetrameter also acceptable. The latter yields a more propulsive rhythm, as opposed to iambs, which lilt. As the name suggests, the first line is a refrain, repeated as the last (some variation of refrain acceptable). Rhyme-scheme as follows –
A-b-b
a-c/c-a
b-A
A = refrain line. c/c refers to line five having midline (internal) rhyme (e.g. here/sneer), which is different to the a- and b-rhymes. The midline rhyme does not have to fall exactly in the middle of the line, in fact it can be more effective and subtle, depending on context, to have it fall earlier or later.
Alternative layout/stanza-structure:
Refrain lines out on their own, with the middle six as two tercets –A
b-b-a
c/c-a-bThe Sculptor
I’m finished carving girls from stone,
creating women, crave to touch,
from blocks of marble – figures suchwhen animate, I’m not alone;
but stone is cold, and I grow old.
Call on the gods to make this koantrue woman-flesh to warm my clutch.
I’m finished carving girls from stone.
Sam’s articles can be found in our archives as well as the article I wrote about my friend Hector Gutierrez’ original form The Framed Couplet. I would also like you to refer to the Karousel and Weave poems invented by David James. So these should give you a place to start. I know it will take a little planning but I think you will find it exhilarating once you begin. Go have fun and I am looking forward to new poems and new poem forms!
When you’re finished, link your poem to Mr.Linky, talk it up on your social media sites and PLEASE come back, read and comment on your fellow poets compositions!
Hi everyone – oops looks like we’re missing Mr. Linky. I’ll have to email Claudia or Brian and see what to do about that. I’m looking forward to all your links today and reading your inventions and your poems. YAY! Mr. Linky is up now!
I can generate the linky and mail you..
Thanks Bjorn – do that please. I emailed Brian and Claudia but I should have checked earlier. Sorry all.
gaycannon@yahoo.com – sir, thanks.
In a minute
gay, when you get it from bjorn
just go to the ‘Text’ tab (HTML) and enter it in at the bottom…
Will do.
I have just sent it
IT”S UP!
way to go team…smiles.
I love a computer server glitch; no Mr. Linky, and 100s at the door; gee whiz.
Sorry we’re working on it. I’m excited too. This was really fun and I’m seeing more potential for mine each time I look at it.
Hello, I like this, did som research on the sestina.. to do something slightly smaller.. Researching for the quartina, there are a few, but lacking the mathematical beauty of the sestina. So I went back and recreated the same cyclic rotations that build the sestina.. Hope it catch on..
Not an easy challenge today, Gay, but a great one. I’ve been poring over it. Hope I can come up with something.
My solution is always to take a bath. I didn’t figure mine out until I’d written the article, Victoria. Then it just came to me (soaking in a tub) and it’s pretty easy to do. It’s just that iambic thing with one rhyme, ha! Hope to see you later.
Yeah! I walked the dogs and it began and then, I took a shower! It must be a water/flow thing. Very fun, Gay. You do know how to make us up the ante!
I guess until we get Mr. Linky up we can copy our URL here and copy and paste into a browser window. I’m sure it will be up soon. My poem The Rapacious is here:
http://hollyheir.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/the-rapacious-2/
Until I get home from school, I can not add a linky…
in the mean time, leave your links in the comments
http://www.waystationone.com/2014/04/short-attention-span-theatre-collection.html
Thanks Brian. Sorry I didn’t email you yesterday.
no sweat…it will be about 5 pm before i can add it….
Not sure if mine counts as a new form per se, but I have tried something new with “rhyme”….
http://quest4peas.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/new-form-or-new-twist-on-an-old-form/
Yours came in twice.. I’ll adjust.
If you’re referring to Mr.Linky…I think that Gay put mine in for me, and then I put mine in again (not realizing that Gay had beat me to it…I have removed the second link), but thanks for checking!
Wow, now that’s a challenge! Seeing that it’s late on my end of the pond, I’ll have to sleep on it and hopefully come up with something tomorrow.
Thanks Bryan!
Marina Sofia – You have until Mr. LInky expires and I’ll be reading until I finish everyone who has linked. I encourage everyone to do the same. Thanks.
By the way, Gay, great challenge!
Oooh, crikey. I saw this after getting off a flight, and waiting at the train station. I’m not a master at form – much more of an instinctive poet – so this was a toughy. I think I’ve probably taken a sideways approach to this, but I hope that’s alright. I only wrote my first villanelle the other day (for a poetry competition!) so I’m definitely still learning. Looking forward to Mr Linky once the computer glitches have been sorted! 🙂
Freya – all fixed now. Looking forward to reading your piece.
Thank you! I think I must have opened the post just as the link was being added – and then of course it didn’t refresh… technology! 😉
I love that crikey! A new word for me when I hit a golf ball in the water! (Much more appropriate than my go-to expletive).
It’s a very, very British word – certainly not as rude as many other alternatives… 🙂 Enjoy the golf!
And yes – a great challenge!
Oh cool – Mr Linky has arrived 🙂
This is a wonderful prompt at the wrong moment for me! I am up to my eyes in several poetry projects, besides trying to do at least 1 poem a day for Napo (I invented a form for dVerse a couple of years ago – http://vivinfrance.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/twelve-months-in-fivefour-time/
but I am itching to have a go at some of the ones in this prompt. I shall save them for a poetry desert day! Thanks, Gay.
Thanks Viv. I understand as I’m doing that one a day thing too. I added the challenge of taking a photo a day to go with a short poem as well as doing the Writer’s Digest challenge. A lot of poetry this month (thank heaven my taxes are done – that consumed most of March.)
I’ll have a look at your link when I can – thanks again.
I’ve also been putting a couple of collections together, and that final edit seems to take for ever.
Thank you Gay for making me do this. I had been meaning to for a while, but you know how it is…
I hope my explanation makes a bit of sense for others.
Suddenly it appears my poem linked in twice; didn’t notice that earlier; maybe Brian or Bjorn hooked me up before Linky activated?
Hi Gay! It took a bit of time for me to come up with an idea. I have now shared my new form, which I called a “circular time poem.”
I will be reading what others have shared now.
Loved it Mary – think this form could be very versatile.
Thanks, Gay! I appreciate your comment here & your reading/commenting of my poem.
G’day, gang! I’m not participating much here this month as I’m immersed in the April Poem A Day Challenge at Poetic Asides, as well as having a very busy April with other (non-poetic) commitments. But — I’ve been making up my own forms all my life. At the very least, I like to have stanzas of the same length even in free verse (though not always, lol) and I’ve played a lot with syllabics, metre, rhyme…. I’ve never claimed or named any of them before, as they are created for the needs of particular poems and may be used only for one or a few. But it just happens that the other day, for the PAD challenge, I created something I’ve been wanting and am likely to use often. It’s derivative of both the ghazal and the American sentence, but wot-the-heck; neither has been done this way before to the best of my knowledge, let alone combined. 🙂
Busy or not, I shall get around to seeing what everyone else has done. It should be fascinating!
Such a good prompt, Gay–I am also a bit worn out by all aspects of April so I do not know if I am up to the challenge. Kudos to those who do it–I loved Brian’s, and I will enjoy thinking of this. K.
why thank you k…
if its form, it has to be simple for me…ha
Dear Gay and friends, Oy! If only I were a Peralta… I did invent one for which I employ occasionally called the barlette, but it was awfully simple. Mourning a friend of Riley’s (see my blog, the last two posts) reveals a peculiar lack of brain cells to do this. But I will check out some of the others! I am hopelessly free verse! Love to all, Amy
smiles…i am the same…
but hey i even came up with one….smiles.
so simple is good amy….
I want to know about the barlette!
Yay Gay! I love this prompt! (Plus I am getting to the compulsive writing stage of poetry month. Stop me before I poem again!)
smiles. poem on heidi, poem on….smiles.
🙂
I’m so glad. I think it is so great we can build our vocabulary by offering these forms to our fellow poets! I want to try many of them!
I’ve only made it halfway through those linked up so far and am thoroughly enjoying seeing what people have come up with; definitely some fun ones worth trying. I’ve also come to realize especially after reading some of these creations that I have a tendency toward the complicated when it comes to inventing…
ha. not i.
though i had a thought for a second one,
that is a bit more complicated
This is quite a one.. I have to take a change and write something …….
I think I’ll take a wide berth gay, great prompt but form and I don’t go hand in hand! – smiling hoping I’m excused 🙂
I so understand you, form and I struggle to be friends too. So I cheated a little (ssh, don’t tell). See you at the next prompt?
cheating is allowed..I won’t tell 🙂 yes you shall. I’m writing tonight but can’t even contemplate ‘putting it to anything’. Thanks Marina.
This should be fun…
http://dkirkstokes.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/50-cent-ink/
I have a form I came up with a while ago, I might play with that some more. With your permission, of course! 🙂
Sure Shannon – carry on!
Sorry I have been out all day until now. I took my computer but couldn’t see the screen in the car nor my ipad (very bright today).
I must have had a mental pause/brain sprain around October… I stopped getting the post by email…
and other posts too… I know there is a reader somewhere, but am clueless how to access. Will add to my daily search for blogs no longer on email dVerse… I thought I was missing them in my email file…how silly can an old lady be !
Will try to keep up and write the ones I understand the forms, and learn from the ones I don’t understand !
Peace and love
Siggi in Downeast Maine
I don’t think it’s necessary to keep up by email. Bookmark the site and check in from time to time. There’s a search engine (though a little hard to see at the top of this page by the word GO. Enter form or anything else you remember being on the site and it will reveal several articles that may highlight that word.
We are currently offering three articles a week – Pretzel and Bullfights which highlights a poet and doesn’t require a response, Poetics on Tues. & Wed. and Meeting the Bar which is open on Thursday and Friday. We are dark on weekends except the last weekend of the month when we offer and Open Link Night so that you may link any poem (but only one) you wish to link. So come by 3pm EST on Monday,
Tuesday and Thursday for the articles. You may follow the prompts and write to them at 3 pm EST (-5 GMT). Otherwise link your poem on the last Friday of the month.
Just in time when I thought of going back to write after the busiest, stressful time of the year. By next week, the audit season will at last come to end & that would mean better chance to write more & sleep right. I can’t resist not to share what’ve came up last year about a project to create new forms in poetry. Currently i have 2 form concepts still in progess & title less, & 1 finished concept—Tilus in which i’d like to share here. Thanks Ms. Gay for bringing up this prompt to us all. smiles.
p.s. been away for months & lot has changed in here.. will have to check the revised scheduling of events here.
I, too, like the prompt; it is a challenge I would like to try, just can’t think of one now with the clutter in my head…after I phish it out, maybe. Thanks, Gay
Mine’s simple, maybe too simple not to exist. Tell me, Gay!
Thanks for the wonderful article/prompt, Gay… I’m sorry I haven’t been present. Do you have a published description of your own form ‘Falling Diamonds’? I was under the impression you’d use that as a central point in your prompt… I feel that I should have been more present and here to answer questions, perhaps.
Am late but Mr Linky is still open, yay ~ Thanks for the lovely challenge Gay ~
Thanks for the great post! I created a new form in March, which I posted about on my blog. It is called blank poetry and the directions and sample of poem is here:
http://genuinepoetry.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/blank-poetry-writing-challenge/