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Explore the Craft of Writing Poetry
Invented Forms

Spring Blossoms

A sign of spring beginnings,
delicate white with powder pink veins,
petals join at the center with spider legs,
the gentle tangy sweet aroma of apples
complete the vision that floats
like sea foam upon limbs
seemingly barren only
a month ago.
Trees
neatly
lined
side
by
side
bloom
in unison.
--Judi Van Gorder

Visual or Shape Verse   All written verse is visual, the line length, stanzaic selection, capitalization etc. visually all influence the reader. But the genre of Visual or Shape Verse is a deliberate attempt by the poet to communicate to the reader through the image presented by the placement of the words on the page as well as through the meaning of the words. Visual poetry has been around almost as far back as writing itself. There have been various approaches to this genre. The following are a few of the more notable:

Altar Verse is the Welsh version of Pattern Poetry; it is a visual poem in which the shape outlined by the words on the page conveys the message of the content. The outline should be recognizable to the reader. It is important that the object outlined is central to the content. The frame, meter and rhyme are at the discretion of the poet. Altar Verse is named for the Welsh poet George Herbert's (1593-1633) Altar in which the opening poem forms the shape of a church altar. It also takes the shape of the capital letter I, as in the first person singular. Although this is a visual verse, it can be read aloud and the content understood without the visual.

Altar
by George Herbert

A broken A L T A R, Lord, thy servant rears,
Made of a heart, and cemented with tears,
Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
No workman's tool hath touched the same.
A H E A R T alone
Is such a stone,
As nothing but
Thy pow'r doth cut.
Wherefore each part
Of my hard heart
Meets in this frame,
To praise thy name.
That if I chance to hold my peace,
These stones to praise thee may not cease.
O let thy blessed S A C R I F I C E be mine
And sanctify this A L T A R to be thine.

The Beacon of Hope is an invented verse form created by Christina Jussaume and found at Poetry Styles that is meant take the visual shape of a lighthouse. The subject should be uplifting, spiritual in nature.  The elements of the Beacon of Hope are:

  1. a poem in 21 lines made up of a sestet, a tercet followed by 3 quatrains in that order and all without stanza break.
  2. syllabic, L1-L6 are 6 syllables each, L7-L9 are 12 syllables each and L13 - L21 are 8 syllables each.
  3. centered on the page.
  4. rhymed at the poet's discretion.

Butterflies are shape poems. I am embarrassed to admit I found a few links to different Butterfly verse forms but when I went back to look more closely I keep getting an error. So although there is a Butterfly Septet and a Butterfly Kimo somewhere out there, right now I can't give you any details. I was able to find a different site for the Butterfly Cinquain however. Here it is:

  • Butterfly Cinquain isn't a cinquain at all:it is a nonostich (9 lines)and uses the syllable count of the Crapsey Cinquain and then reverses it, therefore the misnomer.  The elements of the Butterfly Cinquain are:
    1. 9 line poem.
    2. syllabic, 2-4-6-8-2-8-6-4-2 syllables per line.
    3. unrhymed.

       

      fate by Geoffrey Le Voguer

      fate's a
      bloke you nod at
      in the pub who's too old
      to change yet still too young to die
      and seems
      to have the knack of weaving words
      into sack-cloth shirts that
      could scratch a soul
      to death

  • The elements of the Oddquain Butterfly found at Shadow Poetry are:
    1. merges the 2 stanzas of the Mirror Cinquain by deleting the 1st line of the second stanza.
    2. syllabic, 1-3-5-7-1-7-5-3-1.
       

A Calligramme is a visual verse that almost draws a picture with the words placed on the page. It is named for Swiss poet, Guillaume Apollinaire's Calligrames (1918). The Calligrame can also be referred to as an The Ideogramme. It is visual verse that "relies heavily on typographical elements, design, and layout." Kaleidoscope The arrangement of typed words act a visual statement of the content. It is a kind of middle ground between the ancient Pattern Poems and the modern Concrete poem. It is figurative, creating recognizable symbols such as the heart, a fountain, the Eiffel Tower etc. This is in contrast with Concrete poetry which can be more abstract.

You can see some of Apollinaire's Calligrames here.

Circlet is a shape poem outlining a circle. It was created by Bena Parks and was found in Pathways for the Poet by Viola Berg 1977.  The elements of the Circlet are:

  1. a decastich, a 10 line poem made up of 2 cinquains.
  2. syllabic, 2-4-6-8-10 10-8-6-4-2 syllables per line.
  3. rhymed, rhyme scheme Abcde edcbA.
  4. composed with L1 repeated as L10.
     

Concrete Poetry from the 1950s and 1960 is Visual Verse that attempts to make each shape an original image of the poem's theme. The shapes are often abstract and should be unique to the particular piece. It was prominent in Swiss and Brazilian poetry, and a host of European poets joined the movement and eventually found its way to the US where poets such as Rosenthal, John Hollander and May Swenson brought it to a more mainstream form.

Every source I researched makes note that the poem does not necessarily retain its meaning when read aloud. The physical shape provides what the words lack and allows the poet to ignore standard syntax and sequencing. Remove the shape and you could destroy the poem. It is more an immediate experience of art like seeing a painting than the seemingly slower experience of art as a reader of literature. This is in contrast with other Visual verses such as Pattern Verse.

Christ-in-a-Rhyme is an invented verse form created and copyrighted by Christina Jussaume in her book My Walk with Jesus, 2006 which I found at Shadow Poetry. It is a shape poem that forms a cross when the poem is centered on the page. The verse was created in honor of Jussaume's mother and should carry a spiritual theme.

The elements of the Christ-in-a-Rhyme are:

  1. stanzaic, written in 5 triplets.
  2. syllabic, stanzas written in 8-14-7-5-5 syllables.
  3. rhymed, triplets are monorhymed, aaa bbb ccc ddd eee.
  4. Spaced by using &****& after each triplet if needed.
     

Cyclus is shape poem found in Pathways for a Poet, it attempts to create a cycling pattern by syllable count. It is attributed to Marvin Davis Winsett.  The elements of the Cyclus are:

  1. a 12 line poem.
  2. accentual syllabic, L1, L6, L7 and L12 iambic monometer, L2, L5, L7 and L11 are iambic dimeter and L3, L4, L9 and L9 are iambic trimeter.  Maybe an easier way to follow would be syllable count per line,  2-4-6-6-4-2-2-4-6-6-4-2 each in an iambic pattern.
  3. rhymed, x x a x x B x x a x x B.  x being unrhymed,
  4. composed with a refrain, L6 repeated as L12

    Flight of the Mind by Judi Van Gorder

Figure Poem is a poem shaped like the image it describes.

Hourglass Verse is a shape poem which when centered on the page, the lines should form an hourglass.  A popular exercise with American teachers in the 60's.  The elements of the Hourglass are:

  1. a heptastich, a 7 line poem.
  2. syllabic, 4-3-2-1-2-3-4
  3. unrhymed.
  4. centered on the page
Incubation

It flew away
these last months
at home
safe
distanced
pandemic 
shelter and live
              ~~jvg

The Joybell is one more shape verse from Pathways for a Poet.  The lines should create the shape of a bell when centered on the page.  The elements of the Joybell are:

  1. a hexastich, a poem in 6 lines
  2. syllabic, 1-2-2-2-4-4
  3. unrhymed,
  4. centered on the page
     
    joy
    wells up
    from deep
    down low
    and overflows
    to touch others.
           ~~jvg

    Ring the Bell      Sass

Kinetic Type Verse creates a video with sight and sound for the written word.  Unfortunately I am not computer savy enough to give you step by step instructions on how to create it, but I can provide you with an example and hopefully once given the concept, you may have the knowledge to execute.   Good Luck.

The Lanterne is a shape poem, centered on the page to resemble the shape of a Japanese lantern. It originated as a nature poem, also called "shaped whimsy", created by 20th century American Lloyd F. Merrell and described in Pathways for a Poet. The foundation of the shape is similar to the Crapsey Cinquain but with fewer syllables per line. The verse form can be found on line at Instant Poems for Kids. It can also be found, spelled Lanturne, at Shadow Poetry.

This can also be written in a chain. As with most chained verse since the Ancient Greek Echo Verse, the first word of the last line of the previous stanza becomes the first word of the next stanza.  The elements of the Lanterne are:

  1. a pentastich, a poem in 5 lines.
  2. syllabic, 1-2-3-4-1 syllables per line.
  3. is composed with no punctuation and no rhyme, each end-word should be strong.
  4. centered on the page. Since this is a concrete or shape poem, the length of the word on the page factors into the equation, syllable count is not enough to determine the selection.
  5. title optional.

Spring

new growth
strong thistles
crowd out flowers
weeds
-- jvg

Mushroom Cloud

The Mushroom Cloud Is an invented visual form created by Bob Baker to reflect a visual dimension to his anti-war poem.   To stay true to the spirit of the form, content and visual should merge. The elements of the Mushroom Cloud are:

  1. a poem in 14  lines
  2. Centered.
  3. Syllabic with syllable count 3, 4, 5, 6, 5, 4, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 3  per line
  4. Rhyme: ABCCCBADEFDEFG abcccbadefdefx.  X being unrhymed

Pattern Poetry, originally called Technopaegnia and now sometimes called Figure Poetry is the oldest of the visual verse forms. The form is thought to possibly date back to Crete 1700 B.C. Recognizable shapes, usually of natural objects were created visually by arranging letters, words and lines of verse. The shape enhances and contributes to the meaning of the poem. However the meaning of the words is not diminished if read aloud.

In classical Greek literature Meleager of Gadar's anthology of technopaegnia included a famous piece by Simias of Rhodes which was a poem that appeard in the shape of an egg. Not only was itshaped like an egg but it had to be read in an egg-like order; the last verse was to be savored after the first and then the second and the second last, until the center was finally reached. Some other classical poets who used the genre were Theocritus, Vestianus and Optatianus. Optatianus is credited as the inspiration for the poem, In Praise of the Holy Cross by Hrabanus Maurus (c784-856), Archbishop of Mainz, a Carolingian poet and theologian, which was the first printed pattern poem published in 1503. During the Renaissance, Fortunius Licetus (1577-1654), an Italian humanist, who wrote a book on hieroglyphics edited several volumes on the classical writers of technopaegnia.
 

Pictorial is an invented form found at Shadow Poetry and introduced by Emily Romano, the shape of which is like descending stairs.  The elementsof the Pictorial are:

  1. written in 3 vertical lines of 5 words or less per line.
  2. composed with the vertical lines step progressed downward.
  3. rhymed, rhyme scheme may be internal or end rhyme and pattern at the discretion of the poet.

    xxx-------------------------xxx-------------------------xxx
    ---xxx-------------------------xxx-------------------------xxx
    ------ xxx-------------------------xxx-------------------------xxx
    ----------xxx-------------------------xxx-------------------------xxx

Star Sevlin is an invented shape poem that is supposed to form a star when centered on the page. It is found in Pathways for the Poet by Viola Berg 1977 and was created by Lilliann Mathilda Svenson.  The elements of the Star Sevlin are:

  1. a heptastich, a poem in 7 lines.
  2. iambic syllabic, iambic 4-6-8-6-8-6-4 syllables per line.
  3. rhymed, rhyme scheme abbcaca.
  4. centered on the page.
     
    Flight

    the milky way
    spreads across the heavens
    stardust scattered warp speed driven
    in space to shine and blend
    while some will die light-years away
    stars for miles with no end
    on holiday
    ~jvg

Teacup Dictionary is an invented form created by Rose Jones in 2009 that employs diminishing syllables to create a poem and the shape of a teacup.  The elements of the Teacup Dictionary are:

  1. Select a multi-syllable word from the dictionary to be your Title.
  2. The poem will have the same number of lines and the title word.
  3.  Each line will be a single word with one less syllable than the line before.
  4. The last line will summarize the poem in the same number of syllables as the title word.
  5. Centered on the page to form the shape of a teacup.
     

    Mystification

    bewilderment
    befuddled
    dazzled
    dazed
    Love leaves us that way.
                               ~~jvg

 

Tree of Life is an invented verse form written in the shape of a tree. Found at Poetry Styles and created by Christina Jusaumme who requests the subject of the poem be uplifting.  The elements of the Tree of Life are:

  1. a poem in 19 lines.
  2. syllabic, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-4-4-4-4-4-4.
  3. unrhymed.
  4. centered on the page.
     

The Trianglet is an invented shape poem found in Berg's Pathways for the Poet. It forms the shape of a triangle and was created by Mina M Sutherland.  The elements of the trianglet are:

  1. a decastich, a poem in 10 lines.
  2. syllabic, 1-2-3-4-5-5-4-3-2-1 syllables per line.
  3. rhymed, rhyme scheme AbcxddxcbA
  4. composed with the 1st word repeated as the last word.

Waltz Wave is a verse form found at Poet Freak that might be called the shape of the waltz. It has been suggested the tone be soothing. The elements of the Waltz Wave are:

  1. a poem in 19 lines.
  2. syllabic, 1-2-1-2-3-2-1-2-3-4-3-2-1-2-3-2-1-2-1 syllables per line.
  3. unrhymed.
  4. composed with a soothing tone.

    Steven Hawking and Me by Geoffrey Le Voguer

    watch
    sunlight
    fade,
    gutter,
    and the moon
    vanish.
    stars
    like krill
    in baleen
    filters of an
    endless
    ocean's
    night
    consumed,
    and believe
    that it
    was
    all for
    you

The Wheelchair Angel Style is a poem that attempts to create sillouette shape of a man in a wheelchair. Found at Poetry Styles this invented verse form was introduced by Pat Simpson to honor poet, Michael L. Schuh and who suggests the content include reference to a wheelchair. It was found at Poetry Styles.

The elements of the Wheelchair Angel Style are:

  1. a poem in 25 lines.
  2. syllabic, 2-2-3-4-3-2-1-3 5-8-8-8-10-8-8-8-8-8-8 4-4-6-4-4 10. L20 thru L24 are split, to create the illusion of wheels.

x x
x x
x x x
x x x x
x x x
x x
x
x x x
x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
x x ------- x x
x x ------- x x
x x x ----- x x x
x x ------- x x
x x ------- x x
x x x x x x x x x x

Zany Zig Zag Five is an invented form that seems a little "zany". Created by Patricia Ann Farnsworth-Simpson who suggests that the words zig zag appear in the poem. (This is one thing all sources agree on.) I have been unable to find the original poem or description of the style by Ms. Farnsworth=Simpson but have found vague or conflicting information by others on various poetry sites, I offer a hodge podge of everything I've found.  The elements of the Zany Zig Zag Five are:

  1. strophic, any number of lines may be written or a verse form in 5 lines. (I've found poems both ways.)
  2. syllabic, 5 syllables per line
  3. rhyme is not mentioned in one source, one source say the poem must be rhymed, but no specific pattern is described. Both poems I've found are rhymed with differing rhyme patterns so can only assume rhymed at discretion of poet.
  4. lines aligned in a zig zag pattern. Since "zany" is used in the title of this form, I would think the pattern of zig zag should be erratic rather than uniform although both poems carried a uniform pattern.  
       x x x x x
               x x x x x
    x x x x x
           x x x x x
       x x x x x
                 x x x x x
    x x x x x
            x x x x x

~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~

For permission to use this work you can write to Tinker1111@icloud.com

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Posted

Hearth

Snug
comfort,
warm,
soothing
near the hearth.
Contained
fire
gives heat
to my bones
and calms chatter
of my limbs.
Slowly
with
purpose
unaware
of need
or
constant
care.
      ~~jvg

Waltz Wave

~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~

For permission to use this work you can write to Tinker1111@icloud.com

  • 6 months later...
Posted

A Joybell

 

Ring the Bell

Joy,
ringing
zinging
bringing
gladness, delight 
to light the night
                ~~jvg



Sass 🌷

Shy
at first,
Springtime's
songbirds
signal sassy
seasonal surge.
                                  ~~jvg 3-12-20
 

~~ © ~~ Poems by Judi Van Gorder ~~

For permission to use this work you can write to Tinker1111@icloud.com

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