The Diatelle
I’d like to suggest an optional form for us to experiment with. A few months ago, Merril D. Smith wrote a poem called a Diatelle. She found this form on shadowpoetry.com.
“The Diatelle is a fun, syllable counting form like the etheree with a twist. The syllable structure of the diatelle is as follows: 1/2/3/4/6/8/10/12/10/8/6/4/3/2/1, but unlike an etheree, has a set rhyme pattern of abbcbccaccbcbba. This poetry form may be written on any subject matter and looks best center aligned in a diamond shape.”
https://merrildsmith.wordpress.com/2020/07/10/flickering/
Merril shared a poem she created using the Diatelle form:
Light comes, goes, so it flows to earth and sea, flaming grassy meadows, with photons streaming, gilds a tree. Though shadows loom below, we let them be; pretend we do not see the coming of the night, but live, walk, talk—and love, the apogee of our beings—humanity with stardust traces glows but faintly—see? The flickers dim. . .grow bright. ©2020 Merril D. Smith
She also showed how she diagrams her poetry to get the correct rhyme scheme placement. Refer to my post HERE about rhyme schemes.
Merril says, “Maybe everyone does this, but if not, maybe it’s helpful to see. I made myself a template to keep track of syllables/lines and rhymes. I do this for many forms.”
a1 Light b2 comes, goes b3 so it flows c4 to earth and sea b6 flaming grassy meadows– c8 with photons streaming, gild a tree c10 though shadows loom below, we let them be, a12 pretend we do not see the coming of the night c10 but live, walk, talk–and love, the apogee c8 of our beings–humanity b6 with stardust traces glows c4 but faintly—see? b3 The flickers b2 dim, grow a1 bright.
The Kerf
Kerfe Roig found another optional form that I think will be fun to create… and the name is close enough to her own name!
Poets Collective shares that the Kerf is a verse form in tercets and is attributed to Marie Adams.
It comprises 12 lines with 4 tercets. It’s syllabic, 6-7-10 per line, and has a rhyme scheme of abc, abc, dec, dec per stanza.
Here is Kerfe’s example:
"Composted" always digging deeper– roots that grow below, restore– listening through decay beyond stillness, a place that is neither dark nor light, yet full, aware, gathered germinating into witness, distilled light casting words that linger as counterpart– revealing mysteries in all that is held on the wings of birds, circulated through the heart, absorbed into the spiraling axis © 2021 Kerfe Roig
Arkquain Swirl
The Poet’s collective.org says: It is basically a segmented/augmented Arkquain String.
A syllabic centered poem of 34 lines.
It was invented by Madison Shaw, aka Arkbear on Allpoetry.
*syllable count: 1234 5775 4321234 5775 4321234 5775 4321
(1/2/3/4/5/7/7/5/4/3/2/1/2/3/4/5/7/7/5/4/3/2/1/2/3/4/5/7/7/5/4/3/2/1)
*7 syllable lines contain end rhyme
Example:
"Trickster" Red is a matchstick strike ignites green seed - a promise if one sheds old skin, a hot tempered belly-jewel, indentured navel slave to womb; red is a slow soft shadow, a nest for flesh in petals, pommes, grenadine pips, in the garden where stones wear mossy pinstripe suits, where angels weep as Pan flutes - a small flame still burns; she is swollen as desire whispers a name once sweet upon the lips, to know old bones in her bed to trust in the lover's ache she will hunt and kill the snake cloaked in fox's colours. Red is a Trick of the light - a match strike. © wildchild47cantaloupe sky 2022 all rights reserved
Whitney
Kerfe shared the Whitney, which is a titled syllabic form, created by Betty Ann Whitney, and it has exactly seven lines.
Syllable Pattern: 3/4/3/4/3/4/7
"Enchanted (Thursday Doors)" It looks like long ago and far away, waiting for once upon a time—shall we?—it seems to be expecting us. © Kerfe Roig
Double Ennead
A Double Ennead is a form I created for the Carrot Ranch Literary Community. The site features 99-Word stories, and I thought 99-Syllable poetry would be a great addition.
The Double Ennead comprises five lines with a syllable count of 6/5/11/6/5, (33 SYLLABLES per stanza) 3 STANZAS EACH = 99 SYLLABLES, NO MORE, NO LESS! Punctuation and rhyme schemes are optional and up to the poet.
Example:
"Farewell to Another Year" frigid morn, Autumn kissed— quiescent fields glow, tempered with an aura of seasonal flow the wheel of the year turns another month lost under the sun's frail rays, hardwood shadows fade, while frost browned grasses sing anthems to the wind naked tree limbs tremble, upright to the end death's undulations voiced leaves fall... orange rain, bird requiems pay deference to the dead another harvest done, spring dreams fill my head © Colleen M. Chesebro
Prime Verse
Prime Verse is syllabic poetry with similarities to the Nonet (which decreases 9 syllables to 1) and Rictameter (which goes up and down by twos from 2 to 10 and descends again). Prime Verse starts at 5 syllables, goes to the next prime number 7, the next which is 11, down and up again. The last couplet is the only set that rhymes and is 5 and 11 syllables. Nine lines in total; 5,7,11,7,5,7,11,5,11.
Example:
How Can We Sparkle? Whiff of Melting Snow Distant suns I have not seen Fill the darkened sky and ignite my dreams, I Could not wish upon a star When none I had gazed Ancestors viewed more than we Wonder filled both their slumber and waking dreams. Jaded only can we be When the glory of the night we cannot see. © Rebecca Cuningham 4/4/22
Word Craft Poetry 