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Explore the Craft of Writing Light Verse The Didactic Cinquain or Recipe Poem is often taught to American school children used as an aid in exploring the poetic mind, or just having fun with words. It uses parts of speech for the set form and in this regard is similar to the Diamante or Diamond Poem. This verse form is not to be confused with Rhyming Recipe or Recipe Poem which sets a culinary recipe to rhyme. The elements of the Didactic Cinquain or Recipe Poem are: a cinquain with lines made up of L1 1 noun, L2 2 adjectives, L3 3 verbs, L4 1 phrase or sentence, L5 1 noun. unmetered, the rhythm of every day speech. unrhymed. meant to instruct. --------Movies, ------- old, new enlighten, entertain, touch ----- Two please, ------- popcorn? ----- ----jvg 4-5-05 The Patina is an invented form very similar to the didactic cinquain, created by Pat Nelson at Writing.com. Rather than meter and rhyme the focus is on words, adjectives and nouns. The elements of the Patina are: stanzaic, written in any number of tercets. measured in words rather than metric feet or syllables. L1 two words an adjective and a noun. L2 two adjectives and a noun expanding the image in L1. These 3 words should be alliterated, begin with same letter. L3 four words that explain the meaning of the image or theme. unrhymed. titled. Balm Gentle waves Cradling, calming caress Comfort for my affliction Fervid sun Penetrating, purifying poultice Balm for my aching Foamy water Splashing, scintillating serenade Therapy to my soul Salty air Infusing, invigorating impetus Elixir for my spirit Sandy beach Spongy, squishy silt Remedy for my cares ~~ Pat Nelson December 29, 2012 Five O'clock ticking clock difficult, draining day time to go home ~~jvg

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry Southeast Asian Verse Sri Lanka or the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in the northern Indian Ocean off the southern coast of India. The earliest literary influences came from Hinduism and Buddhism. The poetic form I was able to find originated in the ancient Tamil language of the area. Tamil is one of the oldest written languages dating back to 300 BC, the grammar of which is very rigid. It is said to be one of the last classical language, defined as, its origins are ancient, it has independent traditions and it has a "considerable" body of ancient literature. The Kural, meaning "short, concise, and abridged", is an ancient Tamil verse form of southern India and Sri Lanka. It was first recognized in 1330 couplets in the Tamil language by the Vedic poet, Valluvar. "Considered one of the greatest works ever written on ethics and morality, chiefly secular ethics, it is known for its universality and non-denominational nature." Wikipedia. The Kural is written in only 2 lines and unlike many Eastern verse forms the lines are measured by "words" rather than syllables. The couplets are referred to as "literary proverbs". First found at Kaleidoscope. The couplet is named from the original series of 1330 couplets, each a stand alone poem , recorded in a series and contributory to a larger whole. Therefore, at the poet's discretion, a poem could consist of any number of kurals, as long as the couplets could stand alone. The elements of the Kural are: a complete couplet, a distich, a poem in 2 lines. Can be written in a series or any number of kurals as long as each could stand alone. composed with 4 words in L1 and 3 words in L2. unmetered and unrhymed the lines parallel or juxtapose one another. pitch pattern is language specific and impossible to emulate in English. (But we try anyway. A substitute in English would be particular attention paid to the sound and texture of the words chosen. ) titled or untitled at the poet's discretion. Timeless Ancient words touch today, Darkness fills my world poets never die. I let go. ~~Judi Van Gorder ~~ Gypsy Ann from Writing.com Also read The Kural and the Art of Poetry by Manjul Bajaj which includes several amazing examples of what can be done with just 7 words.

Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry Japanese Verse Katuata, (片歌, side poem or half poem) is emotive verse. Intuitive rather than logical; the katuata asks a sudden question or makes an emotional statement and then responds to it. This is a stand alone, 3 line poem, however it is often written as a side poem to the renga. This dates back to 8th century Japan found in the Manyõshú (the oldest collection of Japanese poetry) The elements of the Katuata are: syllabic, 19 syllables or less. usually a tercet. 5-7-7. This can also be reduced to a 5-7-5 syllable count if desired. emotive not necessarily logical. lost in haze of doubt thoughts of you fog my vision will mist clear? in due season --- Judi Van Gorder Mondo comes from the Zen practice of rapid question-answer between Master and student. Often the answer would be in nonverbal form such as pointing to a natural object. The poetic tradition of the Mondo is similar in nature, it can be a single line containing statement-response such as "summer sun sets, I am done". Such lines are often found in the Renga. But it can also be a 2 stanza poem written by two authors, one asking and one answering. The answer of course should reflect the spirit of the Zen student taking understanding from nature. The elements of the Mondo are: written by 2 separate poets, one asking, one answering. 2 stanzas of 3 lines each, 19 syllables or less, often 5-7-7, sometime 5-7- 5 is used for each stanza. The first stanza is the question, the 2nd is the response. written in the spirit of Zen, responsive through meditation and observation of natural surroundings. Sedoka, (旋頭歌 whirling head poem) is in many ways the same verse form as the Mondo or 2 Katuata. However the Sedoka is written by 1 poet and rather than question-answer, the 2 stanzas are often parallels. This verse can be found as far back as the 6th century. The elements of Sedoka are: 2 stanzas of 3 lines each, 19 syllables or less, often 5-7-7, sometime 5-7- 5 is used for each stanza. the stanzas should parallel each other. I throw away time lost under the bohdi tree though my journey will end soon dhyana - lost no more I settle within myself joining all that surrounds me. ---Judi Van Gorder dhyana is Sanskrit term for a state of mind equivalent to being actively engaged in meditation which is contrast to being passive or static.