Poetic Forms

 

From "List of 50 Poetic Forms for Poets" By: Robert Lee Brewer | August 4, 2014

• Abstract (or Sound) Poetry. Abstract was a term used by Dame Edith Sitwell.
• Acrostic. A form for hidden messages.
• Alphabet Poetry. Perfect back-to-school poetry.
• Anagrammatic Poetry. More fun with letters.
• The Blitz. 50-liner invented by Robert Keim.
• The Bop. Three stanzas and three refrains, developed by Afaa Michael Weaver.
• Bref Double. French quatorzain.
• Cascade. Variable length form invented by Udit Bhatia.
• Chant. If it works once, run it into the ground.
• Cinquain. Popular five-liner.
• Concrete Poems. Shapely poetry.
• Elegy. Song of sorrow or mourning.
• Epitaphs. Or tombstone poetics.
• The Fib. Fun form from Gregory K. Pincus.
• Found Poetry. Finders keepers, right?
• Ghazal. Couplets and a refrain.
• Golden Shovel. Terrance Hayes-invented, Gwendolyn Brooks-inspired.
• Gwawdodyn. Welsh poetic form.
• Haibun. Japanese form popularized by Matsuo Basho.
• Haiku. Popular Japanese form.
• Hay(na)ku. Eileen Tabios form with 3 lines, 6 words.
• Kyrielle. Adjustable French form.
• Lai. Nine-liner from the French.
• Limerick. 5 lines and naughty rhymes.
• List Poem. Poetry at the grocery store.
• Luc Bat. Vietnamese “6-8” form.
• Lune. Robert Kelly invention, also known as American haiku.
• Madrigal. Learn both the Italian and English versions.
• Monotetra. Quatrain madness developed by Michael Walker.
• Nonet. Nine-line countdown poem.
• Ode. Praise poetry!
• Palindrome (or Mirror Poetry). Reflective poetic form.
• Pantoum. The repetitive form from Malay.
• Paradelle. Silly and/or psycho form from Billy Collins.
• Prose. Just when you thought poetry was defined by line breaks.
• Qasida. Guest post by Ren Powell.
• Quatern. French 4×4 form.
• Rispetto. Italian poetic form.
• Rondeau. 15 lines, 3 stanzas, and a lot of rhymes.
• Rondel. 13 lines in 3 stanzas.
• The Roundabout. Form from Sara Diane Doyle and David Edwards.
• Sestina. The form poets either love or hate.
• Shadorma. Spanish 6-liner.
• Sijo. Korean poetic form.
• Somonka. Japanese collaborative form.
• Sonnet. Shakespeare’s 14-line fave.
• Tanka. Kinda like a haiku plus a couplet.
• Triolet. 8-line French form.
• Triversen. William Carlos Williams invention: six tercets.
• Villanelle. Five tercets and a quatrain.