Day 27 2024 ~ How to write a “Clerihew Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ "30 poems in 30 days"

Let's have some FUN ~ ever heard of a Clerihew Poem? Well, they are FUNNY POEMS ABOUT WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE or about PEOPLE YOU KNOW (Or not. You can write a clerihew poem about anyone, even a fictional character ~ BUT, they ARE ALWAYS about SPECIFIC PEOPLE and intended to be FUNNY, but not unkind, 4-line poems).

The Clerihew poem takes its name from its creator, Edmund Clerihew Bentley, a 20th century humorist and novelist. He was only 16 when he invented this poetry form.

A clerihew is a RHYMING poem ~ The ending rhyme pattern A-A-B-B

The ending of lines 1 and 2 should rhyme with each other.

And the ending of lines 3 and 4 should rhyme with each other.

Here’s what you do:

 

FOUR lines:

(If you wish to use a Title then it should be the person’s name)

 

The FIRST line NAMES the person in it.
* AND the endings of lines 1 and 2 need to rhyme with each other.

 Then tell something fun about them and make the last line funny.
* AND the endings of lines 3 and 4 need to rhyme with each other.

 

Here’s a so-so example I wrote to day:

 

Superman’s only weakness is kryptonite.
He doesn’t give up without a fight.
The bad guys know this and keep a supply.
But Superman recovers and takes to the sky.

                             © 2024 Stephanie Abney

Photo by Yogi Purnama on Unsplash

 

I have read a bunch of Clerihew poems by Bentley (the guy who invented the form) and his always have the person’s name being the last word of the first line), but apparently that’s not an actual requirement, so here are two more examples from previous years – one from me about my husband, Jim, and I don’t use his name at the very end of the first line (but it IS IN the first line) and one by Deborah Royal about her husband, Bill, and she DOES put his name at the end of the first line – so, do whatever works for you:

Remember, a clerihew poem is meant to be humorous without being mean.

 

My sweet, good husband works hard and plays hard and then crashes on the couch – we have DOZENS of photos of him asleep. I wrote this clerihew poem a few years ago, but I still love it and so I’ll share it as my example.

 

                          They say Jim Abney is one of the good ol’ boys,
                          To make him happy, just share your toys.
                          He likes to wrestle, laugh and leap,
                          But by afternoon, he falls asleep!

                                                                    © 2011 Stephanie Abney

 

 

I married a man named Royal.
I have found him to be quite loyal.
He is the greatest catch I have seen.
Treats me like a real queen!

                                     © 2015 Deborah Royal

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or you FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work. 

Day 26 2024 ~ How to write a “Marianne Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ "30 poems in 30 days"

Okay – LET’S all learn a new one today – this is the FIRST time I have used this poetry format ~ it’s similar to so many in that it has line and syllable requirements but it also has some rhyming rules to follow and I love the name of it ~ “Marianne”

ALSO, since it is Arbor Day . . .  I’d like to throw out a challenge that you make this poem about a tree. (Just a suggestion, but maybe, give it a try).

Here is the setup ~

The Marianne is a 5-lined verse form that contains both syllable counts per line AND lines 1, 3, and 5 MUST all have the same ENDING rhyme.

The lines are meant to be centered on the page. (Social media formatting rarely complies with that, but for your own record, you can set it that way).

It was created by Viola Berg.

The Marianne is a “pentastich,” another name for a 5-lined poem.

It has a title and then the balance of the poem goes as follows:

Line 1 ~ 4 syllables – ENDING RHYME A

Line 2 ~ 6 syllables – NO RHYMING

Line 3 ~ 8 syllables – ENDING RHYME A

Line 4 ~ 4 syllables – NO RHYMING

Line 5 ~ 2 syllables – ENDING RHYME A

 

Two tools that will be very handy for this poem are the Syllable Counter and Rhymer ~ I suggest you use them. LOL I've seen your syllable counting and rhyming and well, never hurts to double-check your work!! Cheers!!

Here’s my effort – and I LOVE the mixed media tree I created a few years back ~

 My Nanny Tree

You gave me shade

Let me climb your branches

Sitting here I was not afraid

Childhood thanks

Delayed

                                                  © 2024 Stephanie Abney

Okay – you try it!!

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they create them and especially once they post them. Thanks so much!

*** Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog or elsewhere on social media ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO EACH DAY’S SPECIFIC BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Day 25 2024 ~ How to write a “Haiku Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ "30 poems in 30 days"

Well, let’s keep things simple today ~ it’s about time we did some Haiku poems!! Pretty much everyone knows how to write one but here are some interesting details . . .

Haiku is a popular and well-known form of poetry that started in Japan in the sixteenth century.

It usually centers on a nature theme, but you can make one up about anything.

Haiku poems don’t rhyme but they do follow a pattern.

They are very short, structured poems with three lines and a total of 17 syllables. The lines in a haiku follow a set pattern: 

 

Line 1: 5 syllables

Line 2: 7 syllables

Line 3: 5 syllables

 

You need to pay attention to the number of SYLLABLES, not words.

Here are a couple of examples:

A soft, gentle breeze
Tickles leaves in my front yard
And I know He’s there.

          © 2011 Stephanie Abney

 

                                

Golden ball of fire
Slips behind the horizon
A desert goodnight

                            © 2014 Stephanie Abney

(Photo courtesy of Bob Murray of Scottsdale, AZ - used with permission)

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they create them and especially once they post them. Thanks so much!

*** Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog or elsewhere on social media ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO EACH DAY’S SPECIFIC BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Day 24 2024 ~ How to write a “Terse Verse Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ "30 poems in 30 days"

 

Well, we have put the 3 cinquain poetry forms to bed for now – great job; wonderful poems. Let’s get crazy and have some fun today!!! It’s been three years since we wrote a “Terse Verse.”

This is such a fun little poetry form. Writing “terse verses” is so fun and quick, but it’s a tad tricky!!

It will put a smile on your face!! It takes a bit of figuring things out at first, but once you hang of it – it’s hard to stop creating them!!

A “Terse Verse” is usually funny. It’s actually a RIDDLE with a TWO-WORD rhyming answer; basically a synonym . . . The tricky part is that the two words in the answer must also have the same number of syllables. So, if you use a one-syllable word for the first word, then the second word also needs to be a one-syllable word, or both need to be 2 syllables, etc.

Here are a few of my examples:      

RIDDLE QUESTION: What do you call a joke-telling rabbit?
TERSE VERSE (answer): “Funny Bunny”

[2 syllable word (fun-ny) & 2 syllable word (bun-ny)]

 

What do you call a miserable cat?
“Crabby Tabby”

What do you call a cucumber that can’t make up its mind?
“Fickle Pickle”

What do you call polite frozen water?
“Nice Ice”

        All of the above terse verses © Stephanie Abney

I think the Rhyme Zone tool would come in handy for this – it might be easier to approach this poetry form backward by finding a double rhyming two-word phrase with equal syllables and then creating a question or riddle for it.

Here’s the Rhyme Zone tool link: http://www.rhymezone.com/

And here are a few from some of the past participants of “Poetry Month” – (used with permission) Check out their cleverness:

 

What do you call a dog that writes?

Blog Dog

                ~ © 2018 Connie Cockrell

 

 

What do you call an antique tire?

Rare Spare.

                ~ © 2018 Sue Fullmer

 

 

What do you call a donut on social media?

Twitter Fritter

                ~ © 2018 Victoria Firth

 

 

What do you call laughing pennies?

Funny Money

                ~ © 2017 Peggy Barker 

 

Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Cheers!!

 

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they create them and especially once they post them. Thanks so much!

*** Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog or elsewhere on social media ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO EACH DAY’S SPECIFIC BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Day 23 2024 ~ How to write a “Cinquain Poem, Pattern 3” for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ "30 poems in 30 days"

Yep, you guessed it – next is Pattern 3 for a Cinquain Poem.  As I mentioned a couple of days ago, there are three basic ways to construct a Cinquain Poem; one is by counting the number of syllables per line, another by counting the number of words per line and the last one counts WORDS (except for line 4) BUT with very SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS!! Today we will finish off writing cinquain poems by following the guidelines for pattern 3.

Cinquain poems always have FIVE LINES, but the version I call “Pattern 3,” you will need to fill each line in ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTIONS BELOW!! J

This Cinquain Poem has a certain number of words for lines 1, 2, 3, and 5 but line 4 is any phrase (just a short sentence) you want to use so to sort of “pull it all together”

Here is the PATTERN:   

Line 1: A noun

Line 2: Two adjectives

Line 3: Three “-ing” verbs

Line 4: A phrase (short, but no specific number of words)

Line 5: Another word for the noun in line 1

 

Here are two examples of mine I wrote a while ago:

                                                                    

Dancer
Graceful, lyrical
Leaping, twirling, spinning
My beautiful granddaughter
Payton
 

                                                                                                     © 2019 Stephanie Abney

 

Babies
Sweet, precious
Laughing, babbling, crying
If only they stayed little
Adorable

                                                 © 2011 Stephanie Abney

 

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Photo credits: Pixabay

Day 22 2024 ~ How to write a Cinquain Poem (pattern 2) for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ “30 poems in 30 days”

 

Yep! You guessed it – Pattern 2 Cinquain follows Pattern 1.

You’re doing great!! A cinquain poem, Pattern TWO, counts WORDS, not syllables. Fun!!

American poet Adelaide Crapsey invented this five-line poetry form. You may recall that Cinq is French for “FIVE.” However, Adelaide took her inspiration from the Japanese haiku and tanka, rather than from the French. Go figure.

This short five-lined poem doesn’t have an actual title; rather, the FIRST line (one word) becomes the title.

It does not need to rhyme and in this version, you count the number of words per line and each line has specific requirements for what kinds of words to use:

 

1st line ~ one word – the subject (or title) or your poem

2nd line ~ two words that describe the title/subject

3rd line ~ three words that express action (using 3 “ing” participles works well here, if you like, or just 3 verbs)

4th line ~ four words that express a thought or feeling

5th line ~ one-word synonym for the title (restates your subject using a different  word)

 

(These poems look nice when they are centered) 

Create

Something new

Painting, singing, crafting

Your vision of things

Transformaton

                                              © 2024 Stephanie Abney

 

Family

Getting married

Trying, learning, growing

Working things out together

Love

                                                     © 2023 Stephanie Abney

 

[Or not using participles . . . just an action phrase for line 3]

 

Service

Helping others

Let’s work together

Bearing one another’s burdens

Love

                                                               © 2011 Stephanie Abney

 

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they create them and especially once they post them. Thanks so much!

*** Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog or elsewhere on social media ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO EACH DAY’S SPECIFIC BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

Day 21 2024 ~ How to write a Cinquain Poem (pattern 1) for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ “30 poems in 30 days”

I really love cinquain poetry. Depending on where you get your instructions there are a few variations. I’ve narrowed it down to three. Some years I share all three variations in one post but this year I’m going to share them one variation at a time, starting with the version I call “pattern one.”

Cinq is French for FIVE ~ this poem has five lines that follow a specific pattern, each line has its own purpose; title/subject, describe subject, express ACTION, then share a thought or feeling and for the end, you will restate your title using a different word(s), with only a two syllable count. DETAILS of how it goes are below in yellow.

This short five-lined poem doesn’t have an actual title; rather, the FIRST line (two syllables in this case) becomes the title.

It does not need to rhyme and in this version, you count the number of SYLLABLES per line and each line has specific requirements. The first line has 2 syllables; each line increases by 2 syllables until the last line, which returns to 2 syllables.

RESIST the urge to add words - follow the pattern - you'll be surprised at your results!!

1^st line ~ two syllables – the subject (or title) or your poem ~ either two one-syllable words or one two-syllable word

2^nd line ~ four syllables that describe the title/subject

3^rd line ~ six syllables that express action

4^th line ~ eight syllables that express a thought or feeling

5^th line ~ two syllables that show a synonym for the title (restates your subject using a different word)

Here are a couple of my poems as examples of a cinquain poem, (pattern 1). These are from years past, but remain two of my favorites:

Comfort
Feeling secure
Where judgment has no place
Wrapped in the safety of your arms
Husband

    © Stephanie Abney 1998

 

           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Children
A gift from God
Grace our lives for a time
Remain in our hearts forever
Precious

   © Stephanie Abney 1999 

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they create them and especially once they post them. Thanks so much!

*** Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog or elsewhere on social media ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO EACH DAY’S SPECIFIC BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.

 

Day 20 2024 ~ How to write a “Tan-Renga” for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ "30 poems in 30 days"

This is a fun poetry from – we’ve done it several times before, because I like it! So here ya’ go:

You can’t do this one all by yourself ~ you’ll need to grab a partner because we are going to write a “Tan-Renga,” which is a Japanese poem of collaboration. It’s fun, really. Here’s the thing – you will need to find someone to write this (SHORT – 5 line) poem with. Even if you live alone, you can find someone. It can be done together, in person, or over the phone, or via text, or email, or whatever works for you. Your partner in writing this poem can be a spouse, a child, a neighbor, a friend; heck, it can be your mail carrier – just someone other than yourself needs to help write this poem.

This is basically a Tanka poem (which we did on the 13^th this year) BUT with one catch ~ one person writes the first three lines (I’ll review the pattern below – it’s only 5 lines) and the second person finishes off the poem with the last two lines, almost as if in response to your first three lines.

The name, Tan-Renga (from Japanese) translates as "short linked poem" or "short connecting poem." 

Here is a Tanka in a nutshell, with the different lines highlighted by who writes them. Rhyming doesn’t even enter in. The only concern is the number of syllables per line: 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 . . . but for this style – it matters who writes which lines, as follows:

Line 1 = 5 syllables     (1^st person writes)

Line 2 = 7 syllables     (1^st person writes)

Line 3 = 5 syllables     (1^st person writes)

Line 4 = 7 syllables     (2^nd person writes)

Line 5 = 7 syllables     (2^nd person writes)

 

So, 7 years ago I had my husband, Jim, write this Tan-Renga with me ~  

I wrote the first three lines and he responded with the last two lines and together we came up with this:

 

Our life together

Has had a few learning curves

The highs and the lows

Giving, growing and loving

We have become companions

 

© 2017 by Stephanie and Jim Abney

 

 

Since he is wisely asleep at this hour (about 4 am Saturday morning), I can’t have him help me write another one right now – but we might do it again later and then I can come back and add it or share it on my FB National Poetry Month group. Cheers!!

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they create them and especially once they post them. Thanks so much!

*** Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog or elsewhere on social media ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO EACH DAY’S SPECIFIC BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.