Poetry+Forms

= =



Poetry Forms
Poetry can come in all shapes and sizes! Here are a few examples: -A //**concrete poem**// is a poem that forms a picture of the topic or follows the contours of a shape that is suggested by the topic.

-A //**haiku**// is a Japanese poetry form, composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. A haiku usually reflects upon some aspect of nature. Here is an example of haiki composed by Basho Matsuo in the 1600s:

An old silent pond... A frog jumps into the pond, splash! Silence again.

- Many poems are written is **//stanzas//.** "City" by Langston Hughes has two stanzas:

In the morning the city Spreads its wings Making a song In stone that sings.

In the evening the city Goes to bed Hanging lights About its head.

//**Acrostic poems**// have a word or words as the topic, written vertically down the side of the page. Each new letter begins a new line of the poem. All the lines, which do not have to rhyme, should focus on the topic.


 * L**aughing
 * U**nusually creative
 * C**aring
 * Y**oung at heart

- A **c**//**inquain**// is a five-lined poem. The first line is a one-word subject. The next line is composed of two adjectives that describe line 1. The third line has three action verbs that relate to line 1. The fourth line is a four-word sentence that relates to the subject in line 1. The fifth line is one word that summarizes the poem or is synonymous with line 1. Click below to see samples of cinquains written by second graders. [|Cinquains]

- //**Color poems**// use similes, metaphors, and all five senses to describe the feelings and sensations a color evokes. [|Read some color poems.]