'Tumbling verse' named after originator, John Skelton. 8-liner with abababab rhyme scheme and iambic pentameter. Spanish 7-liner that began as a dance song. Form from Sara Diane Doyle and David Edwards. French 25-liner invented by ClГ©ment Marot. 15 lines, 3 stanzas, and a lot of rhymes. Irish quatrain form with 6-syllable lines. Old French form that rhymes and doesn't rhyme. Welsh form that offers variability and rigidity simultaneously. Irish form that fits a lot of rules into 28 syllables.

Just when you thought poetry was defined by line breaks. Silly and/or psycho form from Billy Collins. While your focus as a poet will always be on refining your craft, why not cultivate a following along the way? With the multitude of social networking opportunities available today, itвЂ™s never been easier to connect with other poetry enthusiasts. 10-liner popularized by Miguel de Cervantes. Quatrain madness developed by Michael Walker. Older form with Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu variants. Learn both the Italian and English versions. Robert Kelly invention, also known as American haiku. Irish quatrain form with 5-syllable lines. Poem comprised of self-contained couplets. Used by Omar Khayyam, Robert Frost, and many others. 4-line Japanese poem with a pause in the middle of each line. French 8-liner with an ababbcbc rhyme scheme. 6 lines that mostly all share the same rhyme. Eileen Tabios form with 3 lines, 6 words. Japanese form popularized by Matsuo Basho. Welsh quatrain form with 9 and 10 syllable lines. Terrance Hayes-invented, Gwendolyn Brooks-inspired. This sonnet is rhymed abba cddc effe gg, which is a transitional sonnet structure used by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, and others, published in the first printed anthology of English poetry, Songes and Sonettes,В also called TottelвЂ™s Miscellany, 1557.Poetic forms are fun poetic games, and this digital guide collects more than 100 poetic forms, including more established poetic forms (like sestinas and sonnets) and newer invented forms (like golden shovels and fibs). Written August 2012, after an online discussion where it was asserted that the term вЂњpoetessвЂќ was insulting and somehow inherently inferior to вЂњpoetвЂќ. Had Shakespeare on occasion worn a dress? Should we not cling to grace where it survives?ДЄchieve our place by conduct of our lives, The fighters were supposed to be accompanied in the procession by their вЂњartisan sponsorвЂќ, but I had a gate shift, so my poor hubby walked alone.

Written for a Bjornsborg fall event, October 2008. I toil at your behest, and guard your pence,ДЄnd thus this goodly day my morn is spent. Nay- For righteous cause I come not hence,ДЇor service, not for base agrandissement Nor turn aside from show or rich display, Who rule right well our cherished Barony,ДЇor well you know I would not shun the light Another Spenserian sonnet, about a scorned woman poisoning her unfaithful lover. Written for a ValentineвЂ™s event, 2004, вЂњLove in the Time of Lucrezia BorgiaвЂќ. Like вЂњLove is lost,вЂќ or вЂњThus wiвЂ™ a kiss I dieвЂќ? Nor taste the wine that I have poured for you. The fools! who on your every word have hung ДЄ heart once turned to granite cannot break. Yet you will be unmourned, unwept, unsung, The hearts of virgins, and those not so young. The wicked spark, the honey of your tongue, I wonder at your skill with words, the wit, The opening, вЂњA door shone in the darknessвЂќ was assigned to everyone, with no further direction.В This is a Shakespearean sonnet, rhymed abab cdcd efef gg. Written April, 2003 in response to a challenge on the P(ennsic)Bardic mailing list. вЂњYou said that youвЂ™d be here an hour ago!вЂќ Of course, it was a doorway lighted brightДЄnd pierced the fabric of the blackest nightДЄ figure breaks the doorwayвЂ™s lighted frame,ДЄs I approached, I heard her thus exclaim: In that itвЂ™s not the sort of thing at all This is a Spenserian sonnet, rhymed abab bcbc cdcd ee.Д®nglish Sonnet with Pepperoni and Extra CheeseДЄ door shone in the darkness odd, itвЂ™s true, Everyone agreed that if the old adage were true, вЂњWomen donвЂ™t sweat, they glowвЂ¦вЂќ our camp would have been visible from Neptune. Written in August, 2002, after a particularly warm Pennsic.

One answered me, вЂњThe weather is the cause.ДЄnd weвЂ™ve been told we arenвЂ™t allowed to sweat!вЂќ The wherefore of this marvel must be known!вЂќ вЂњMy ladies!вЂќ I exclaimed, вЂњThis gives me pause!

The wonder of this sight made me to moan, That turned the midnight darkness near to day!ДЄnd found that there no flame, no lantern shone The moon was high, the night was close and still Here are a few examples of the form which are metaphorically wearing funny hats, or at least a rakish wink. You can make something wonderful, or you can make someone sneeze. Many people are scared off from writing sonnets, because they associate them with Shakespeare and other poetic giants, but itвЂ™s just a tool, like a jar of pepper or a bolt of linen.

Funny sonnet examples by students