Into A Looking Glass: Poetry

"Poetry is what he thought but did not say"

~Heather McHugh 'What He Thought'

There are so many different forms of poetry here I will list a few:

Fixed and unfixed forms:

Poems that set a number of lines, rhymes, and/ or metrical arrangements per line. Including alcaics, alexandrine, aubade, ballad, ballade, carol, concrete poetry, double dactyl, dramatic monologue, eclogue, elegy, epistle, epithalamion, free verse, haiku, heroic couplet, limerick, madrigal, mock, epic, ode, ottava rima, pastoral, quatrain, renga, rondeau, rondel, sestina, sonnet, Spenserian stanza, simile, tanka, tercet, tercza rima, and villanelle

Free Verse:

Nonmetrical, nonryhyming lines that closely follow the natural rhythms of speech. A regular pattern of sound or rhythm may emerge in free-verse lines, but the poet does not adhere to a metrical plan in their composition. Matthew Arnold and Walt Whitman explored the possibilities of nonmetrical poetry in the 19th century. Since the early 2oth century, the majority of published lyric poetry has been written in free verse. See also the work of William Carlos Williams, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and H.D.

Haiku:

A Japanese verse form of three unrhyming lines in five, seven, and five syllables. It creates a single, memorable image. Here is an example:

A Dent in a Bucket

By Gary Snyder

Hammering a dent out of a bucket

a woodpecker

answers from the woods

Simile:

A comparison of two unlike things by using, "as," "like," or "than." Very similar to a metaphor, yet a simile differs from a metaphor as it allows two ideas to remain distinct. However a poem can still be considered a simile poem as long as it is comparing two things whether or not they are alike. Here is an excerpt of a famous simile poem:

The Star

By Jane Taylor

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high.

Like a diamond in the sky.

My Personal Experience:

I enjoy writing poems in different styles, though my favorite leans towards free verse and haiku. A fun challenge and a great way to learn poetry, is to write a poem in formed structures. This is especially true if you prefer the loose set that free verse offers. Taking the time to write a villanelle, sonnet, or even a sestina, etc... can really broaden and expand upon your writing. The main thing is to just keep writing even when you have no clue what to write about and to have fun with it!