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      The Society
      October 29, 2018
      Beauty, Poetry
      14 Comments
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      January 26, 2023
      4
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      January 25, 2023
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      January 25, 2023
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      A Sonnet for Burns Night, by Susan Jarvis Bryant

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      January 24, 2023
      30
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      A Poem on the Existence of God: ‘The Problem of Good’ by Jeffrey Essmann

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      January 24, 2023
      8
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      January 24, 2023
      5
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      April 18, 2022
      Acrostic, Epic, From the Society, High School Submissions, Poetry, Poetry Contests, Terza Rima
      7 Comments
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      January 2, 2018
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      Transgression, Fake and Genuine: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi

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      31
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      20
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      January 1, 2023
      37
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      12
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Poetry Forms

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Poetry Forms

BBC Poetry Series Explores ‘Why Form Is Fashionable Again’

The Society
April 20, 2022
Poetry, Poetry Forms
2 Comments
. Is form in poetry making a comeback? It is according to the BBC. In this BBC podcast series, aspiring poet Andrew McMillan talks to a group of "contemporary British poets who are re-framing traditional...

‘Dactylic Proverbs’ by James A. Tweedie

The Society
May 4, 2021
Culture, Epigrams and Proverbs, Humor, Poetry, Poetry Forms
19 Comments
. Set your priorities—don't be uncouth—know the Secret to happiness lies in this truth: “Though the Sum of all things is a secret worth looking for, Perfect lasagna is something worth cooking...

‘A Shout Out to Traditionalist Poets’ by Paul A. Freeman

The Society
April 27, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Poetry Forms
19 Comments
. We’re poets first-and-foremost and agree that meter, rhyme and rhythm oft are spurned; the plethora of poetry we see is free verse and should frankly be returned to sender if an emo, teenage brain or...

Two More Poems with ‘Conceits’ by Joseph S. Salemi

The Society
March 27, 2021
Beauty, Blank Verse, Essays, Humor, Poetry, Poetry Forms
10 Comments
. The Bibliophile’s Birth Certificate Marius Michel (1846-1925) was one of the most prominent and gifted bookbinders in France. He produced work in strikingly beautiful and unique designs, and today his...

Poetry Challenge: Write a Sonnet in Iambic Monometer

The Society
March 2, 2021
Poetry, Poetry Contests, Poetry Forms
122 Comments
. This challenge was conceived by Paul A. Freeman after reading a sonnet in iambic monometer by James A. Tweedie, "Allergies." Mr. Freeman's example is below. Make your own and post it in the comments...

‘Free Verse: Recondite Done Right!’ by Tonia Kalouria

The Society
February 28, 2021
Humor, Poetry, Poetry Forms
13 Comments
. In Astrophysics, I’m ranked “One,” and Greek and Latin I find fun. All serve me well at Crossword “Times,” with each day’s matrix solved by nine. Most free verse, though? Puzzles...

‘Three Experiments in Poetic Form’ by James A. Tweedie

The Society
February 25, 2021
Beauty, Poetry, Poetry Forms
30 Comments
. Midday Dreaming The raindrops fall like teardrops from a sad and sodden cloud; Their spattering the sound of some a- doring, cheerful crowd. I touch the cloud with outstretched fingers Lifted to the...

A Monosyllabic Poem: ‘To West’ by Adam Sedia

The Society
February 18, 2021
Beauty, Love Poems, Poetry, Poetry Forms
8 Comments
. Too long, too long, my love, Have we lain out here. Too long, too long, my love, Have our ease, our cheer Fixed us fast, sprawled in cool shade, With our arms and breasts clasped near, Too pleased to note...

The Power of One: Monosyllables in Classical Poetry

The Society
February 18, 2021
Essays, Poetry, Poetry Forms
16 Comments
by Adam Sedia The origin of poetry is inextricably tied to music. The earliest poems---the Homeric epics, the Chinese Book of Songs---were all lyrics to be sung. Because vowels allow the open voice to sing...

‘Every Little Thing’ and Other Poetry by Daniel Kemper

The Society
January 18, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Love Poems, Poetry, Poetry Forms
61 Comments
X Every Little Thing I. His Version She treasured every little thing that you                gave her: the sparrow necklace (hazel blueto match her eyes) the bracelet slipped insidethe box of...

‘Rosarium’: A Sestina and Other Poetry by Benjamin Thomas Cepican

The Society
January 17, 2021
Beauty, Culture, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Sestina
7 Comments
. Rosarium a sestina A rose arises red from its green sheath Adorned with swords that prick and pierce: the thorn, Whose vigil kept ensures its life's not brief. Unmatched in charm though fresh from garden...

The Spice of Life: Metric Variation in Formal Verse (An Essay)

The Society
July 13, 2020
Culture, Essays, Poetry, Poetry Forms
15 Comments
by Adam Sedia John Dryden In 1688, John Dryden, England’s first official poet laureate, was deprived of that title for remaining Catholic and replaced with the laughably inferior Thomas Shadwell....

‘Briefs’: A New Poetry Form

The Society
March 23, 2020
Culture, Essays, Humor, Poetry, Poetry Contests, Poetry Forms
21 Comments
by James A. Tweedie The form of the “brief” ordinarily consists of a couplet of anapestic tetrameter with the first soft beat of each line clipped off (x / xx / xx / xx /). The anapest, which functions...

Line, Stanza & Form: An Introduction to Poetry

The Society
February 12, 2020
Beauty, Culture, Essays, For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms
3 Comments
by Michael Curtis | excerpted from Occasional Poetry Tradition grows from wisdom, from the accumulated experience of millennia; in poetic practice, our classic tradition grows from the craft of Ages. Change...

Rediscovering the Sonnet: An Interview with Poet Theresa Rodriguez by Carol Smallwood

The Society
July 10, 2019
Essays, Interviews, Poetry, Poetry Forms
7 Comments
  This interview was conducted by Carol Smallwood with poet Theresa Rodriguez following the release of the first edition of Sonnets by Rodriguez; the second edition is published by Shanti Arts, 2020;...

‘Reprobate’s Prayer Sestina’ by Mike Bryant

The Society
July 6, 2019
Beauty, Culture, Humor, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Sestina
14 Comments
  I lift my eyes and pray to God above, deliver me, dear Lord, from Satan's Hell. I come to You with heart brimful of Love, content to drink life's water from Your well. And if, by chance, I do...

Six Clerihews by Peter Hartley

The Society
June 1, 2019
Clerihew, Culture, Humor, Poetry, Poetry Forms
39 Comments
The clerihew is a kind of epigrammatic verse (normally) consisting of a pair of rhyming couplets. The first line will usually introduce the name of a famous person. The following three lines will describe some...

Some Truncated Quatrains by Bruce Wren

The Society
May 29, 2019
Culture, For Educators, Humor, Poetry, Poetry Forms
12 Comments
A truncated quatrain is a form I have invented in an attempt to find some appropriate English form similar—for its brevity and single-mindedness in theme—to the Japanese haiku. They consist in four lines...

A Beginner’s Guide to Sapphic Verse (with Audio)

The Society
November 27, 2018
Essays, For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Readings, Sapphic Verse
34 Comments
by James A. Tweedie My interest in Sapphic verse arose from a discussion thread on an SCP post some months ago. I researched the subject and decided to try my hand at it. Recently, I submitted my poem to...

How to Write a Kyrielle

The Society
June 26, 2018
For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms
7 Comments
by Dusty Grein Like many of the old French refrain forms, the kyrielle originated in the 15th century with the traveling troubadours. It is a rhymed form, written in either 2 line couplets, or 4 line...

‘Sestina of Night’ by Karen Melander Magoon

The Society
April 21, 2018
Beauty, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Sestina
4 Comments
The lamp holds sway along the shadowed streets A penumbra encircles its sweet shine As night rests softly like a feathered cloak Upon a multitude of dancing stars And night and stars and lamp become a...

Thirty-one Sonnets: Renaissance to New Millennial

The Society
March 3, 2018
Culture, Essays, For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms
7 Comments
by Lew Icarus Bede "A sonnet is a coin: its face reveals The soul—its converse, to what Power 'tis due: Whether for tribute to the august appeals Of Life, or dower in Love's high retinue, It serve; or,...

How to Write an Alexandroid

The Society
August 5, 2017
Alexandroid, For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms
14 Comments
By C.B. Anderson Anyone writing formal poetry today has to be grateful for the arsenal of fixed forms—most of them bequeathed to us from masters of the past—that is available to lend structure to poetic...

New Publication: ‘How to Write Classical Poetry’ Released by the Society of Classical Poets

The Society
May 31, 2017
For Educators, From the Society, Poetry, Poetry Forms
7 Comments
We are pleased to announce the release of a new publication from The Society of Classical Poets titled How to Write Classical Poetry, which features a guide to common poetry forms, brief essays on the...

How to Write a Rhupunt (with Example)

The Society
March 23, 2017
For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms
9 Comments
By Elizabeth Spencer Spragins Poetry has been an integral component of Welsh culture for centuries. Indeed, the Welsh word “bardd” (poet) has been traced back to 100 B.C. Depending on their skills,...

How to Write a Limerick

The Society
February 8, 2017
For Educators, Limerick, Poetry, Poetry Forms
4 Comments
Related How to Write a Sonnet How to Write a Haiku How to Write a Rondeau How to Write a Villanelle How to Write a Poem Like the Raven by Dusty Grein The history of the poetry form we know as the...

How to Write a Terza Rima (With Examples)

The Society
January 5, 2017
For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Terza Rima
6 Comments
By Dusty Grein Dating to the thirteenth century, the terza rima (Italian for "third rhyme") is a classic form of writing poetry in three-line stanzas called tercets, which are interlinked by their rhyming...

How to Write a Sestina (with Examples and Diagrams)

The Society
December 14, 2016
For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Sestina
2 Comments
by Dusty Grein The sestina originated among the troubadours of medieval France's Provence region, and the modern thirty-nine line form is attributed to one of these traveling poet entertainers of the...

How to Write a Triolet (with Examples)

The Society
November 29, 2016
For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Triolet
6 Comments
By Carol Smallwood The triolet is a medieval French poetry form that has eight lines and was introduced to the English language by poets in the 17th century:   1. A 2. B 3. a  Rhymes with 1st...

How to Write a Haiku

The Society
November 13, 2016
Essays, For Educators, Haiku and Senryu, Poetry, Poetry Forms
12 Comments
A Quick Haiku Guide  A traditional haiku should... 1. Be three lines. The first line should have five syllables, the second seven syllables, the third five syllables. Seventeen syllables total. 2. Contain...

How to Write a Rubaiyat (with Examples)

The Society
November 2, 2016
For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms
14 Comments
By Sathya Narayana The rubaiyat (pronounced “roo-bái-yát”) is a Persian form of several quatrains. Its name is derived from the Arabic plural of the word for "quatrain," rubá'íyah. This, in turn,...

How to Write a Villanelle (with Examples)

The Society
October 19, 2016
For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Villanelle
10 Comments
by Dusty Grein Hailing from 15th and 16th century French and Italian roots, the villanelle is arguably one of the strongest repeating refrain forms in classical poetry. Related How to Write a Sonnet How...

How to Write a Rondeau (with “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae)

The Society
October 5, 2016
For Educators, Poetry, Poetry Forms, Rondeau
2 Comments
Related How to Write a Sonnet How to Write a Haiku How to Write a Limerick How to Write a Villanelle How to Write a Poem Like the Raven by E. V. Wyler Created by French troubadours during the Middle...

How to Write a Pantoum (With Example)

The Society
September 19, 2016
Beauty, For Educators, Pantoum, Poetry, Poetry Forms
17 Comments
By Carol Smallwood The pantoum is a poetry form that originated in 15th century Malaysia and drifted West in the 19th century with French writer Victor Hugo, among others. While it never quite took off like...

How to Write a Poem Like Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’

The Society
April 5, 2016
Beauty, Essays, For Educators, Poetry Forms, The Raven
8 Comments
By Dusty Grein and Evan Mantyk “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe remains one of the English language’s most popular and influential poems since it was written in 1845. Much of this was Poe’s own doing,...

How to Write Poetry with Meter

The Society
January 29, 2016
Essays, For Educators, Poetry Forms
9 Comments
By Dusty Grein Most of us enjoy poetry in one form or another. I am going to attempt to lay out the basics of writing classical style poetry in English, based on standard poetry terms and references. This...

How to Write a Sonnet

The Society
December 2, 2015
Essays, For Educators, From the Society, Poetry, Poetry Forms
18 Comments
Updated January 9, 2020 A Quick Sonnet Guide.  A traditional sonnet should have... 14 lines. X Rhyming. The most common is the Shakespearean rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. These 14  letters...

Why Poetry Should be Metered

The Society
October 1, 2012
Essays, Featured, From the Society, Poetry, Poetry Forms
5 Comments
Poetry should be metered, because metered poetry is, quite simply, better than free verse.  This is for the same reason that realist art trumps impressionist art and that Baroque music trumps rock and roll...

Writing Classical Poetry Is Easy (At Least to Begin With)

The Society
September 7, 2012
Essays, For Educators, From the Society, Poetry Forms
3 Comments
by Evan Mantyk There is very little difficulty behind writing classical poetry from a technical perspective. Classical poetry is simply poetry that is metrical (also called metered), thus contrasting with...




Trending Poems

  • A Poem for Isabel Vaughan-Spruce: ‘Her Silent Prayer’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant  29 comments
  • A Poem for January 6 Prisoners: ‘Letter from a DC Prison’ by Adam Wasem 33 comments
  • ‘Calendar Poems’: An Essay by Margaret Coats 37 comments
  • Poetry Catholic priest abortion A Poem for Defrocked Priest Frank Pavone: ‘Unholy Orders’ by Joshua C. Frank 67 comments
  • ‘Greta’s Smorgasbord of Hate’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko 59 comments
  • poem/medical assistance in dying/MAID Poems on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), by Susan Jarvis Bryant 27 comments
  • Two New Year’s Eve Poems by Susan Jarvis Bryant 30 comments
  • ‘Mourning Louis XVI’ by Brian Yapko 25 comments
  • poetry/robert burns/burns night A Sonnet for Burns Night, by Susan Jarvis Bryant 30 comments
  • Two Different Views on New Year’s Resolutions: Poems by David Whippman and Evan Mantyk 16 comments
  • Poems Against Birth Control, from Joshua C. Frank 21 comments
  • poetry/essay/Salemi/transgressive Transgression, Fake and Genuine: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi 31 comments
  • ‘A Holy Picnic’ and Other Poetry by Sally Cook 31 comments
  • ‘I Will Mock When Your Calamity Cometh’ by Alexander King Ream 5 comments
  • poetry poem beauty culture death funeral ‘Elegy for an Unremarkable Man’ by Shaun C. Duncan 24 comments

Resources

       Online Teacher’s Poetry Guide

       How to Write with Meter

       Poems of the Year

       Best Love Poems of 2021

       Best Haiku of 2022

 

Poetry Challenges

       Rhyme Two Random Words

       Classic Movie-Inspired Poem

       Bedtime Prayer

       ‘Tyranny of Fear and Lies…’

       What Rhymes with Orange? 

       Turn Famous Poem into Limerick 

       A Raven-Like Poem on Poe’s Death

       Split Nursery Rhyme       

       Poetry Quotes Challenge

       Sonnet in Iambic Monometer

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Trending Poetry

  • A Poem for Isabel Vaughan-Spruce: ‘Her Silent Prayer’ by Susan Jarvis Bryant  29 comments
  • A Poem for January 6 Prisoners: ‘Letter from a DC Prison’ by Adam Wasem 33 comments
  • ‘Calendar Poems’: An Essay by Margaret Coats 37 comments
  • Poetry Catholic priest abortion A Poem for Defrocked Priest Frank Pavone: ‘Unholy Orders’ by Joshua C. Frank 67 comments
  • ‘Greta’s Smorgasbord of Hate’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko 59 comments
  • poem/medical assistance in dying/MAID Poems on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), by Susan Jarvis Bryant 27 comments
  • Two New Year’s Eve Poems by Susan Jarvis Bryant 30 comments
  • ‘Mourning Louis XVI’ by Brian Yapko 25 comments
  • poetry/robert burns/burns night A Sonnet for Burns Night, by Susan Jarvis Bryant 30 comments
  • Two Different Views on New Year’s Resolutions: Poems by David Whippman and Evan Mant... 16 comments
  • Poems Against Birth Control, from Joshua C. Frank 21 comments
  • poetry/essay/Salemi/transgressive Transgression, Fake and Genuine: An Essay by Joseph S. Salemi 31 comments
  • ‘A Holy Picnic’ and Other Poetry by Sally Cook 31 comments
  • ‘I Will Mock When Your Calamity Cometh’ by Alexander King Ream 5 comments
  • poetry poem beauty culture death funeral ‘Elegy for an Unremarkable Man’ by Shaun C. Duncan 24 comments

Resources

          1. How to Write a Sonnet

          2. How to Write a Haiku

          3. How to Write a Limerick

          4. Best Poems of 2019

          5. Best Haiku of 2020

          6. Poetry Lesson Plan

          7. Poetry Contests

 

 

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