TYPES OF POEMS

Acrostic
Ballad
Ballade
Blank Verse
Cinquain
Diamante
Echo Verse
Epic
Epigram
Free Verse
Haiku
Horatian Ode
Irregular Ode
Kennings
Kyirelle
Limerick
Lyric

Ode
Ottava Rima
Pantoum
Pindaric Ode
Renga
Riddle
Rondeau
Senryu
Shakespearean Sonnet
Shape Poem
Sonnet
Tanka
Terza Rima
Tetractys
Triolet
Tyburn

What is an Acrostic Poem?

An acrostic poem is a type of poetry where the first, last or other letters in a line spell out a
particular word or phrase. The most common and simple form of an acrostic poem is where
the first letters of each line spell out the word or phrase.
Example An acrostic poem using the beginning of lines

A less common and slightly more difficult type of an acrostic poem is where the last letter of
each line spells out the word or phrase.
Example - An acrostic poem using the end of lines

Finally, the more difficult type is where letters in the middle of the acrostic spell out the
word or phrase.
Example - An acrostic poem using the middle of the lines

What is a Ballad?
A Ballad is a poem that tells a story, which are often used in songs because of their rhyme. A
ballad is a poetic story, often a love story.
Example of a Ballad Poem
As I was walking down the street
I saw two people in secret meet
The second one said to the first
'You have some news to quench my thirst?'
'In behind the old, damp shed
There lies a noble man slain, dead
And no one knows he lies in strife
Except his dog and lonely wife
With master gone where no one knocks
His dog has left to chase a fox
His wife has found somebody new
His house is left for all to view
Though it's been empty for a while
We'll be warm and dry in half a mile
For now we can take comfort there
We'll flee the place when it grows bare
Many people knew the noble man
But none do care where he has gone
Over his grave, all do ignore
The wind shall blow forever more.'

What is a Ballade?
A ballade is a type of poetry, this type of poetry first became popular in the 14th century.
The Structure of a Ballade
A Ballade poem should have three stanzas and an envoy/ envoi.
The rhyming pattern for the stanzas is ababbcbC.
The rhyming pattern for the envoy is bcbC.
The capital letter in the rhyming patterns shows where the refrain should be.
Example of a Ballade

What is a Blank Verse Poem?

A blank verse is a poem with no rhyme but does have iambic pentameter. This means it
consists of lines of five feet, each foot being iambic, meaning two syllables long, one
stressed followed by an unstressed.
The Structure of a Blank Verse Poem
Five feet of iambic syllables Sounding du DUM du DUM du DUM du DUM du DUM
Each foot making the verse sound like it has heart beat rhythm.
Each line has a set number of syllables see below:
An Example of a Blank Verse Poem
Furball Friend
Sweet pet by day, hunter by night. She sleeps,
she eats, she plays. My feet, caught in white paws.
Shes up the fence, watching her prey - a bird.
Poor thing, better run quick, cause watch, shell pounce!
Shell sweetly beg for fuss, but dont be fooled.
Cause one minute shell purr and smile, then snap!
Shell spit and hiss - and oh - surprise! A mouse.
Hes dead. A gift. Retracts her claws. Miaow!
Figure of eight between my legs, looks up
at me and purrs. The sound pulls my heartstrings.
Her big blue eyes like dinner plates - so cute.
Cunning she is, she knows I cant resist.
Curling up tight, we sleep entwined as one.
Despite her quirks, I would not change a claw
of her. Cheeky Sammy: my snow-white queen.

What is a Cinquain?
A cinquain poem is a verse of five lines that do not rhyme. The cinquain poem was created
by Adelaide Crapsey.
What is the structure of a cinquain?
A cinquain consists of five unrhymed lines.
Each line has a set number of syllables see below:
Line 1: 2 syllables
Line 2: 4 syllables
Line 3: 6 syllables
Line 4: 8 syllables
Line 5: 2 syllables
An example of a Cinquain Poem
My mum (2 syllables)
Is so caring (4 syllables)
She is always helpful (6 syllables)
She is so beautiful and kind (8 syllables)
Love you. (2 syllables)

What is a Diamante Poem?

When a diamante poem is written it takes on the shape of a diamond.
The Structure of a Diamante Poem
A diamante poem is made up of 7 lines using a set structure:
Line 1: Beginning subject
Line 2: Two describing words about line 1
Line 3: Three doing words about line 1
Line 4: A short phrase about line 1, a short phrase about line 7
Line 5: Three doing words about line 7
Line 6: Two describing words about line 7
Line 7: End subject
An example of a diamante poem
Bike
Shiny, quiet,
Pedaling, spinning, weaving
Whizzing round corners, zooming along roads
Racing, roaring, speeding
Fast, loud,
Car

What is an Echo Verse Poem?

An Echo Verse is when the last word or syllable in a line is repeated or echoed underneath to
form a rhyming line, normally ending as the last line being the title to the poem.
An Example of an Echo Verse
What is this that falls from the sky?
Echo - I
Do you live above the thunder?
Echo - Under
Are you cold white snow?
Echo - No
You dont fall quietly from the cloud
Echo - Loud
You hit the ground with a spatter
Echo - Patter
You journey from the sky to the drain
Echo - Rain

What is an Epic Poem?

An Epic is a serious poem that tells a story; this is at length a narrative piece with heroic
events and deeds
There is no structure to the poem other than it tells a story.
An Example of an Epic Poem
The man awoke upon the morn
To the sunlight streaming down
Down upon the bed through the window pane
The curtains that swathed it having been
Left wide open to the elements
The night before in his haste
To retreat to the land of Nod
He squinted and raised a hand
To shield his vision from the glare
That had so recently disturbed him
From his sojourn in dreamland.
He lay upon the bed awhile
Basking in the morning light
Thinking upon the day before him
He could delay it no longer
The day must be commenced
Despite his reticence and the comfort
To be found amongst the bed sheets.
But then the swirling dust motes caught his eye
As they danced and twirled before him
In the shafts of sunlight streaming down
That had so recently disturbed him
As they performed their ballet
To music beyond his hearing
He admired the twirling journey
Of their dance upon the air

But work
And so he sat down at his desk
He adjusted his chair just so
He took a fresh sheet of paper
And smoothed it out before him
He took a pencil from the pot
And looking at it, frowned
Then retrieved a sharpener
And would not settle until
It was the perfect sharpness
With no risk of the lead snapping
And interrupting his flow
Such a happening had the potential
To ruin a whole days work
And close off his mind to his task
Until the next morn when he would
Be awoken by the sun once more.
He was ready to begin
The paper was blank and crease free
The pencil was ready to scratch
Its lead across the white surface
Leaving behind its trail
There was nothing left to do
Within the house, it had all been done
There was nothing to distract him
From the hours that lay ahead

And pondered awhile upon their beauty

And perhaps if it could be used
To aid the work that faced him.
With this reminder he shifted
He really must desist this lazing
Around in bed for half the morn
He had work to be commenced.
He raised his arms above his head
And with a crack stretched out long
Dispelling the vestiges of sleep
From their places in his weary limbs
But as he stretched his gaze lifted
To the roof above him
And upon that roof he happened to spy
A shaft of the mornings light
That had so recently disturbed him
It sliced the roof in half up high
Two halves of shadow ripped asunder
By this line of blazing glory light
Right above his head.
The sight above him brought to mind
Great canyons in the desert
Or rivers cleaving land in two
Or perhaps, a glimpse between two curtains
As the light spilled from within
Offering the unseen observer
A glimpse into a world
Thought private by its occupants
Yes, he thought, that was good
Hed have to note that down
And remember to use it later
Once his work had been commenced.
He sat up and winced once more
At the light that invaded his room
And wished that he had had the foresight
Last night to draw his own curtains across
And then perhaps he would have been saved
From the insistent morning glow
That had so recently disturbed him.
He swung his legs from under the covers
And stretched once more up high
Still he did not feel ready to face
What lay before him, though he must
His toes lighted upon the wooden beams
Of the floor of his bedroom
And he shuddered, for though the light
Was fierce and bright and white
None of its warmth had thought to reach
The floor upon which he trod
At times such as this (so every morn)
He wished he were the type of chap
To own a pair of slippers to put upon his feet
And protect them from the frost of the floor
It was a while before he found himself
Descending the stairs to the rooms below
For though his work must be commenced
He was not eager to make a start
He prepared himself some food
Because he cant work on an empty stomach
He prepared himself a drink
Because the mind needs liquid to function
It was a hot drink, so took longer

And those hours did pass

Slowly, sleepily, sloth-like
They ambled on by
Dragging him through the day
One painful minute by minute
Yet still the paper remained
Blank and crease free
Yet still the pencil remained
Sharp and ready to scratch
Its lead across the white surface
Leaving behind the trail
He racked his brain but nothing
He half remembered fleeting thoughts
From when he had first awoken
From when the sun blazed so fiercely down
Upon his sleeping form
And disturbed him from his slumber
Something about the ceiling
And curtains, yes definitely curtains
He was sure the words had flowed
Easily into his mind
Cascading waterfalls of words
But the symphony that had
Accompanied them when they first
Had emerged fully formed inside his head
Now sounded hollow and dull
And merely a racket, no melody at all
He picked up the pencil
But still did not write
He looked down at the lead
And wood creation in his hand
And threw his pencil to the fire
As if it had been its fault
For failing him
He looked at the paper upon his desk
Its blankness accusing him
Mocking him
He scrunched it up into a ball
And threw it after the pencil
He took a fresh sheet of paper
And smoothed it out before him
He took a pencil from the pot
And looking at it, frowned
Then retrieved a sharpener
And would not settle until
It was the perfect sharpness
With no risk of the lead snapping
And interrupting his flow
(If he ever found his flow)
He closed his eyes in concentration
He meditated for relaxation
He thrashed
He wailed
He begged the powers that be
But all to no avail
The words just would not come
And then, in exhaustion, in submission
He finally admitted defeat
After hours in his seat with nothing achieved
And days and weeks of the same
He set down the pencil
That was the perfect sharpness

Because he couldnt think if he was cold

He returned upstairs for a jumper
Because the hot drink might not be enough
To keep him warm enough
He opened all his letters
And answered every one
Because he would not allow his work
To get in the way of his manners
He washed and dried his dishes
Because the imagination would not be freed
If the shackles of chores lay upon him
And then there was nothing left to do

Upon the paper

That was smooth and blank
And tried to write no more
I am a lie, a deceit, a fraud
He said to the empty air
For how can I call myself a poet
When not a single word I write

What is an Epigram Poem?

An Epigram is a short satirical and witty poem usually written as a couplet or quatrain but
can also just be a one lined phrase. It is a brief and forceful remark with a funny ending. The
term epigram derives from the Greek word epi-gramma meaning inscription or to inscribe.
An example of an Epigram Poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Sir, I admit your general rule,
That every poet is a fool,
But you yourself may serve to show it,
That every fool is not a poet.
An example of an Epigram by Oscar Wilde
"I can resist everything except temptation"

What is a Free Verse Poem?

A Free Verse is poetry written with rhymed or unrhymed verse that has no set meter to it.
An example of a Free Verse poem
In Flight
Wake up to a bright sapphire morning
Cloudless skies
This can only mean one thing
Its a go!
At the launch site
Teeth chit-chattering
And not just from the c-cold
What if a bird confuses my head for a perch?
Will my glasses be fogged up by the clouds?
If I fall out of the basket
And land in a field of cows
Up we go!
Far below
Idyllic fields of patchwork green
Glittering lakes - a treasure trove beneath the surface
Click!
I cant believe Im so high
Feeling like a queen
I stretch my arms out to the sides
Now Im a bird
So high
I close my eyes and take flight
I feel the wind in my wings
Up with the clouds
My hair, now feathers, sweeps behind me
I am as elegant as a swan
Soaring higher than the Earth
Oh
Im not a bird
Im not as elegant as a swan
Im about as elegant as a rhino on roller skates
Im just a schoolgirl
On a balloon flight
And we just crash-landed
In a field
With cows.

What is a Haiku Poem?

A Haiku is a Japanese poem which can also be known as a Hokku. A Haiku poem is similar
to a Tanka but has fewer lines. A Haiku is a type of poetry that can be written on many
themes, from love to nature.
What is the Structure of a Haiku Poem?
A Haiku consists of 3 lines and 17 syllables.
Each line has a set number of syllables see below:
Line 1 5 syllables
Line 2 7 syllables
Line 3 5 syllables
An Example of a Haiku Poem
(5) The sky is so blue.
(7) The sun is so warm up high.
(5) I love the summer.
Haiku poems don't need to rhyme, but for more of a challenge some poets try to rhyme lines
1 and 3.
Examples of Rhyming Haiku Poems
Toast
(5) I really like toast.
(7) It is yummy when it's hot.
(5) I like it best cold.
Beans
(5) Beans are kind to hearts.
(7) I like to eat them daily.
(5) And then do big farts!

What is a Horatian Ode Poem?

A Horatian Ode is a poem with meter and rhyme. It is devoted to praising a person, animal
or object.
The structure of a Horatian Ode Poem
Abab cdecde
An example of a Horatian Ode Poem
Start Of The School Week
(a) Trudging to school on a cold, dreary morning,
(b) It's only Monday, this week is going to be long,
(a) So tired, I'm still yawning,
(b) This feeling hardly makes me break into song,
(c) A week of learning stretches out ahead,
(d) The teacher's at the front, the first lesson's art,
(e) We make it to lunch and I still feel sad,
(c) Really would love to go back to bed,
(d) But Friday rolls around and it's time to depart,
(e) It's then I realise, school isn't that bad.

What is an Irregular Ode Poem?

An Irregular Ode is a poem with meter and rhyme just like all other odes but has no set
pattern. Each line rhymes somewhere throughout.
An example of an Irregular Ode poem
Ode To Spring
(a) Oh ! Glorious Spring, how amazing you are
(b) You are both Truth's beauty and light
(a) You travel far
(b) Yet always remain bright
(c) Baby lambs greet you with a bleat
(d) Birds fly stretching their wings
(c) Lovers on a seat
(d) We are truly thankful for what you bring
(e) Spring never leave
(f) Oh but can I compare
(g) How I feel when you're near?
(g) Spreading your joy to those so dear
(h) Spring we celebrate your birth
(h) And we mourn each year you leave this Earth
Oh Spring!

What is a Kennings Poem?

A Kenning is a two word phrase describing an object often using a metaphor. A Kennings
poem is a riddle made up of several lines of kennings to describe something or someone.
What is the structure of a Kennings poem?
A Kennings poem consists of several stanzas of two describing words. It can be made up of
any number of Kennings.
An example of a Kennings Poem
My Sister
Dummy-sucker
Teddy-thrower
Anything-chewer
Kiss-giver
Slave-employer
Dolly-hugger
Calm-destroyer
Milk-drinker
Nappy-leaker
Peace-breaker
Scream-shrieker
Unlike any other
My sister

What is a Kyirelle Poem?

A Kyrielle poem is structured so that all the lines have eight syllables and each stanza of
four lines ends in a refrain. It takes on a rhythmical form very much like a rhyming
couplet.
What is the structure of a Kyirelle Poem?
A Kyrielle poem is made up of 4 lined stanzas of eight syllables each. The capital being the
refrain:
aabB
ccbB
ddbB
eebB

An example of a Kyrielle Poem

Pollution
Pollution rising in the sky,

a8

People wear masks as they walk by,

a8

It's about time to turn the bend,

b8

For all this pollution to end..

B8

Animals are losing their homes,

c8

To make way for buildings with domes,

c8

What message do we have to send,

b8

For all this pollution to end.

B8

We're all guilty we must confess,

d8

Guilty of making such a mess,

d8

It's time for action, find a friend,

b8

For all this pollution to end.

B8

If we don't act the world won't last,

e8

Breathing fresh air will have long passed,

e8

This is the message that I send,

b8

For all this pollution to end.

B8

What is a Limerick?
A limerick is often a funny poem with a strong beat. Limericks are very light hearted poems
and can sometimes be utter nonsense. They are great for kids to both read and write as they
are short and funny.
The Structure of a Limerick Poem
A Limerick consists of five lines.
The first line of a limerick poem usually begins with 'There was a....' and ends with a
name, person or place.
The last line of a limerick is normally a little farfetched or unusual.
A limerick should have a rhyme scheme of aabba:
This means lines 1,2 and 5 rhyme and lines 3 and 4 rhyme.
Also, lines 1,2 and 5 should have 7 10 syllables and lines 3 and 4 should have 5 7
syllables.
An example of a Limerick Poem by famous poet Edward Lear
'There was an old man with a beard
Who said, 'It is just as I feared,
Two owls and a hen
A lark and a wren
Have all built their nests in my beard!'

What is a Lyric?
A Lyric is a poem that expresses personal and emotional feelings.
An example of a Lyric poem
It was in June you passed me by
It was in June you caught my eye
Soon we were meeting both day and night
The days suddenly seemed filled with light
It was all so sudden, a short tryst I thought
But your heart and soul it seemed I had caught
No, there are no regrets since you walked my way
No, there are no regrets since we met that day
Those cheesy walks along the beach still fill my mind
Those cheesy lines you always managed to find
Only you could get away with such things
But happiness and joy you seemed to bring
A holiday in the sun went by in a dream
Moving in seemed the logical thing
No, there are no regrets since you walked my way
No, there are no regrets since we met that day
Who would have known what lay behind the door
Who would have thought we would soon be no more
When you departed you left a hole too big to fill
Even after these many years I miss you still
Although I have moved on, I still feel you near
Sending me your best, and filling me with cheer
No, there are no regrets since you walked my way
No, there are no regrets since we met that day

What is a Ode?
An Ode is a lyric poem, usually addressing a particular person or thing. It originated in
Ancient Greece.
What is the structure of an Ode?
Odes use similes, metaphors and sometimes a technique called hyperbole.
Example of a Ode
Ode to an Olive
Oh Olive,
You are as precious to me as any gem,
With your beautiful, pure skin as smooth as silk
And as green as the grass in summertime.
I love your taste and the smell of your tender fruit
Which hides beneath your green armour.
Olive, sweet, tasty Olive,
How I love you so and my mealtimes wouldn't be the same
If you weren't in my life.
Oh Olive,
Nothing can compare to you, nothing at all,
You are food of the gods, a king's riches
And, most importantly, you are mine, oh Olive!

What is an Ottava Rima Poem?

An Ottava Rima is an Italian poem made up of eight lines that rhyme. Each line consists of
eleven syllables.
The structure of an Ottava Rima Poem
An Ottava Rima poem is made up of an octave with the rhyme pattern
ab
ab
ab
cc
An example of an Ottava Rima Poem
Quickly did the tiger begin his fast run
Over hilly ground you see him fly and leap
The passive prey laying grazing in the sun
Suddenly its life that it wanted to keep
Tiger pounces, quickly getting the job done
The prey collapsing in a really big heap
Tiger sleeps as night takes over from the day
Will we ever see the hunter become prey?

What is a Pantoum?
A Pantoum is a type of poem with a verse form consisting of three stanzas. It has a set
pattern within the poem of repetitive lines.
The pattern in each stanza is where the second and fourth line of each verse is repeated as
the first and third of the next. The pattern changes though for the last stanza to the first and
third line are the second and fourth of the stanza above (penultimate). The last line is a repeat
of the first starting line of the poem and the third line of the first is the second of the last.
Confused? Look below at our example.
An example of a Pantoum Poem
Riverside
(1) As I walk by the riverside
(2) Ripples disturb the water
(3) Fish dart upstream
(4) Fighting against the flow
(2) Ripples disturb the water
(5) Struggling to their destination
(4) Fighting against the flow
(6) In their underwater world
(5) Struggling to their destination
(3) Fish dart upstream
(6) Through the fields and vales and valleys they glide
(1) As I walk by the riverside

What is a Pindaric Ode Poem?

A Pindaric Ode is a poem with set meter and rhyme just like all other odes. It is defined by
three triads: the strophe and the antistrophe being of the same stanza form and an epode as
the final which is different. This form of Ode was named after the writer Pindar.
An example of a Pindaric Ode Poem
Based on an extract from 'The Progress of Poesy' by Thomas Gray
(a) Wake up, you little sleep head, awake
(a) And give great joy to life that's found in dreams
(b) From Nature's most sweet sounding streams
(a) A thousand turns their twisty journeys take
(a) The dancing flowers, that above them blow
(c) Breathe life and music as they flow
(d) Now the vast waves of sound drift along
(d) Deep, beautiful, vast and strong
(e) Through the fields and vales and valleys they glide
(e) And rolling down the mountain side
(f) Daring and carefree the water pours
(f) From the highest edge they jump and falling, they roar.

What is a Renga Poem?

Renga, means 'linked poem'. Poets worked in pairs or small groups, taking turns composing
the alternating three-line and two-line stanzas.
What is the structure of a Renga Poem?
To create a Renga, one poet writes the first stanza, which is three lines long with a total of
seventeen syllables the same structure as a haiku. The next poet adds the second stanza, a
couplet with seven syllables per line. The third stanza repeats the structure of the first
(another haiku) and the fourth repeats the second, alternating in this pattern until the poem is
completed.
Example of a Renga Poem
The final leaf falls (5)
The tree branches are so bare (7)
Autumn has arrived (5)
Remember Summer's warm kiss (7)
So gentle, it will be missed. (7)

What is a Riddle?
A Riddle is a type of poem that describes something without actually naming what it is,
leaving the reader to guess. A Riddle is a light hearted type of poetry which involves the
reader.
Riddles can be about anything, from Riddles about animals to Riddles about objects. There
are no rules on how to structure a Riddle poem, a Riddle can be funny or it can rhyme, it
depends on the person writing the Riddle.
Example of a Riddle

Example of a Rhyming Riddle

What is a Rondeau Poem?

A Rondeau is a short poem consisting of fifteen lines that have two rhymes throughout. The
first few words or phrase from the first line are repeated twice in the poem as a refrain.
Example of a Rondeau Poem
The capital A is the refrain and sentence it is taken from
(a) In Summertime we do not go
(a) To school for weeks and weeks, no no!
(b) We take a day trip to the beach
(b) And buy ourselves an ice cream each
(a) We run into the surf that's low
(a) Get seaweed wrapped around our toes
(a) While others sunbathe on a throw
(b) We build sandcastles tides can't reach
(A) In Summertime.
(a) As the light warm breeze begins to blow
(a) And our hunger begins to grow
(b) From the picnic I grab a peach
(b) 'Let's stay longer' I do beseech
(a) As the sun sets the sky does glow
(A) In Summertime.

What is a Senryu?
A senryu is a 17 syllable poem. It is an unrhymed Japanese verse. A senryu consists of 3
lines and 17 syllables.
The Structure of a Senryu Poem
The 17 syllables should be arranged as below:
Line 1 5 syllables
Line 2 7 syllables
Line 3 5 syllables
An Example of a Senryu Poem
(5) Pretty red flower
(7) The buzzing bees really love
(5) Your pollen so sweet

What is a Shakespearean Sonnet?

A Shakespearean Sonnet is a poem expressive of thought, emotion or idea. It is usually 14
lines which are formed by three quatrains with a rhyming couplet for the last two lines.
A Shakespearean Sonnet Poem
Sonnet 130
(a) My Mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
(b) Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
(a) If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
(b) If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
(c) I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
(d) But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
(c) And in some perfumes is there more delight
(d) There in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
(e) I love to hear her speak; yet well I know
(f) That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
(e) I grant I never saw a goddess go;
(f) My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground
(g) Any yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
(g) As any she belied with false compare.

What is a Shape Poem?

A Shape Poem is a type of poetry that describes an object and is shaped the same as the
object the poem is describing.
You could write your shape poem on anything.
What Shapes Could You Make Your Poetry?
You could have a circle-shaped poem describing a cookie, or a poem about love shaped like
a heart.
An Example of a Shape Poem

What is a Sonnet Poem?

A Sonnet is a poem of an expressive thought or idea made up of 14 lines, each being 10
syllables long. Its rhymes are arranged according to one of the schemes Italian, where
eight lines called an octave consisting of two quatrains which normally open the poem as the
question are followed by six lines called a sestet that are the answer, or the more common
English which is three quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet.
The Structure of a Sonnet Poem
ab ab, cdcd, efef, gg - English
abba abba cdecde - Italian
An example of a Sonnet Poem
(a) Scribbler! oh what a joy you can find here
(b) Eric is the one that heads the great team
(a) Full of poems, stories and happy cheer
(b) Hopefully it will make our readers gleam
(c) Bronte's Grammar is full of homework help
(d) Guest authors revealing secrets galore
(c) While the tricky puzzles will make you yelp
(d) There is no way Scribbler! will make you snore
(e) Eric will start a tale needing an end
(f) Fancy a challenge? Puzzle Time is here
(e) Shakespeare picks the great pictures you all send
(f) Ev'ry issue's jam-packed, let's give a cheer
(g) How 'bout finding Eric hidden away
(g) Jump on the Scribbler! wagon, come and play!

What is a Tanka Poem?

A tanka poem is a Japanese poem which can also be known as a waka or uta. A tanka poem
is similar to a haiku but has two additional lines.
What is the Structure of a Tanka Poem?
A tanka consists of 5 lines and 31 syllables.
Each line has a set number of syllables see below:
Line 1 5 syllables
Line 2 7 syllables
Line 3 5 syllables
Line 4 7 syllables
Line 5 7 syllables
An Example of a Tanka Poem<
(5) I love my kitten.
(7) She is so little and cute.
(5) She has a pink tongue,
(7) And lots of long whiskers too.
(7) She purrs when I stroke her back.

What is a Terza Rima Poem?

A terza rima is an Italian form of poetry first used by Dante Alighieri.
A terza rima consists of stanzas of three lines (or tercets) usually in iambic pentameter. It
follows an interlocking rhyming scheme, or chain rhyme. This is where the middle of each
stanza rhymes with the first and last line of the following stanza. There is no set length to
this form, as long as it follows the pattern as follows:
ABA
BCB
CDC
DED
With the last stanza as a couplet rhyming with the middle line of the previous stanza. In this
case, EE.
An example of a Terza Rima Poem
Spring
(A) New life begins to spring to life in spring
(B) Green shoots appear in the April showers
(A) Birds migrate back home and rest tired wings
(B) Summer brings green fields full of bright flowers
(C) Paddling pools and ice creams all around
(B) The sun shines fiercely with all its powers
(C) Autumn sends leaves tumbling to the ground
(D) The sun sinks lower leaving longer nights
(C) Conkers and acorns waiting to be found
(D) Winter is a time for Halloween frights
(E) Snow on the ground and Jack Frost's ache
(D) Celebrations filled with festive delights
(E) As winter ends the new year starts to make
(E) New life begins to spring to life and awake.

What is a Tetractys?
The poetic form of the tetractys is a poem with only five lines. Each line adds another
syllable until the last line which has ten.
What is the Stucture of a Tetractys?
A tetractys consists of 5 lines, each line has a set number of syllables see below:
Line 1 1 syllable
Line 2 2 syllables
Line 3 3 syllables
Line 4 4 syllables
Line 5 10 syllables
An Example of a Tetractys Poem
(1 syllable) I
(2 syllables) Am four
(3 syllables) And I go
(4 syllables) To big school where
(10 syllables) I learn to read and write and spell my name.
Double Tetractys Poem
For a more complex form there is the double tetractys, which is similar but has ten lines and
is structured as shown below:
Line 1 1 syllable
Line 2 2 syllables
Line 3 3 syllables
Line 4 4 syllables
Line 5 10 syllables
Line 6 10 syllables
Line 7 4 syllables
Line 8 3 syllables
Line 9 2 syllables
Line 10 1 syllable
An Example of a Double Tetractys Poem
(1 syllable) I
(2 syllables) Am four
(3 syllables) And I go
(4 syllables) To big school where
(10 syllables) I learn to read and write and spell my name. (10 syllables) It is fun and I play
games with my friends (4 syllables) My best friend is (3 syllables) Called Rosie (2 syllables)
She is (1 syllable) Nice.

What is a Triolet Poem?

A Triolet is a poem of fixed rhythmical form, with repeated lines. It is made up of eight lines
with a set rhyming scheme.
The Structure of a Triolet Poem
A Triolet consists of eight lines, the rhyming scheme is:
AB, aA, abAB
An example of a Triolet Poem
(A) Lots of colours all around, oranges, reds and some brown
(B) Collecting conkers that fall from the tree
(a) Harvest Festival is coming to town
(A) Lots of colours all around, oranges, reds and some brown
(a) Just cos summer's gone; no need to frown
(b) Halloween costumes in the shops for all to see
(A) Lots of colours all around, oranges, reds and some brown
(B) Collecting conkers that fall from the tree.
Written by Greta Skelton

What is a Tyburn?
A Tybur Poem is a six line poetic form where the first four lines consist of just a single two
syllabled word each that all rhyme. The last two lines are nine syllables where the fifth to
eighth syllables are the words from the first four lines.
Example of a Tyburn Poem
Crashing
Clashing
Splashing
Thrashing
Crashing, clashing sea
Swims a little splashing, thrashing me.