Stephanie Says So

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Day 11 ~ How to Write a Dodoitsu Poem for "30 poems in 30 days" #NationalPoetryMonth

Everyone seemed to enjoy the Lantern Poem, so let’s do another Japanese poetry form, the Dodoitsu!!

Like many Japanese poetry styles, this one focuses on counting syllables – but not the same three lines of 5,7,5 syllables as the Haiku. This one is DIFFERENT ~

Here’s a bit of background: Dodoitsu poems appeared around the late 1860s. They were favored by working-class citizens. The name’s translation is basically, “quickly, city to city.” Some say that it refers to the ease with which they were passed along. The Dodoitsu has even been called the “Japanese limerick” as most revolved around love, work, and daily life, from a humorous perspective; so, as a general rule, they did not explore deep thoughts. But rather, they were used as a way to record those off-the-wall funny moments in one’s day. I have a dear friend often incorporates poems into her daily journal as they usually reflect her day. See what you come up with.

Here is the format:

FOUR LINES: (only counting syllables – no rhyming required, nor excluded . . . just whatever).

The first 3 lines ALL HAVE SEVEN SYLLABLES.

And the 4th line has FIVE SYLLABLES.

That’s it ~ simple, right? 7, 7, 7, 5. Give it a try. Write as many as suits your fancy today.

Here are a few examples:

Watching my grandson, Alex

Today we watched a movie

Last time we just played games

Always a good time

Taught the boys to do some math

They groaned about it so much

So now they have to shout out:

We love math! Love math!

I love my grandkids so much

They are so entertaining

They melt my heart with a smile

Yes, come stay a while

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.

Friday, April 10, 2026

Day 10 ~ How to Write a “Lantern Poem” for “30 Poems in 30 Days” #NationalPoetryMonth

There are so many lovely little Japanese poetry forms out there, and most are quick and fun to do. Just like this one. It’s called a "Lantern Poem."

A lantern poem is a five-line poem that somewhat resembles the shape of a Japanese lantern when completed. Please note that each line is specific in what the word(s) should be describing, and then also note the number of syllables per line. These poems do NOT have titles – the first line is basically the title.

The Pattern is:

Line 1: noun (one syllable) [this also serves as your title]

Line 2: describe the noun (two syllables)

Line 3: describe the noun (three syllables)

Line 4: describe the noun (four syllables)

Line 5: synonym for noun in line one (one syllable)

(Be aware, if you try posting these on FB, the formatting usually messes up, and you lose the lantern pattern. You can get creative, putting it onto a background and saving it and then posting, if you are that ambitious)

Here’s one I wrote today:

       Love
      Always
      Forever
Non-judgmental
         You

If you are looking for some inspiration, April 10^th is: National Farm Animals Day, National Sibling Day, and my personal favorite: National Safety Pin Day! LOL

For what it’s worth, here are a couple of Lantern poems I wrote during the pandemic:

      Work
       PJs
    Every day
‘Til further notice
       Home

Love
Husband
Companion
Together always
Jim

YOUR TURN!!

(Photo credit: DianaWolfskin at Pixabay)

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Day 9 ~ How to Write a “Windspark Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth and "30 poems in 30 days"

This is a rather simple little 5-line poem with very specific guidelines. Its simplicity is its beauty. This is also an easy and fun poetic form to use with children.

Line 1 ~ “I dreamed” (that’s it – ONLY write “I dreamed” and do not add anything)

Line 2 ~ “I was a/the _______” (you fill in the blank, generally a one-word noun)

Line 3 ~ where/location (keep it short: in the … on a … at the …) wherever

Line 4 ~ action (use an “ing” verb with just a few more words to describe the action)

Line 5 ~ adverb (use only ONE word – an adverb with a “ly” ending)

Here are a few examples:

I dreamed
I was a butterfly
In a garden
Dancing in the wind
Gracefully

I dreamed
I was organized
At home
Finding what I need
Easily

I dreamed
I was the sun
High in the sky
Watching over the world
Regally

I dreamed
I was a child
In my mother’s womb
Waiting to arrive
Anxiously

Okay, your turn!! Whatcha’ got?

(photo by Stephanie Abney at Butterfly World, Scottsdale, AZ)

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Day 8 ~ How to write a “5 W’s Poem” for “30 poems in 30 days” for #NationalPoetryMonth

Here’s a favorite poetry form called “The 5 W’s Poem.” It’s incredibly easy and super fun. If you’ve done it before, you already know that, and if not, you are in for a surprise.

The 5 W's Poem

This is an obvious poem. It can be sweet, silly, romantic, or serious, etc., depending on how you respond to each line. Since you are basically just answering questions, it’s a very simple poem to enjoy. It can be about anything.

This poem answers the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When & Why.

The only question of this nature that it does not address is “How.”

These poems do not need to rhyme, nor are the lines any particular length, meter, or subject. So, it’s a pretty simple poetry form to follow, but each line has a very specific purpose, so please note the order below:

Line 1: Who (or what) is the poem about?

Line 2: What action is happening?

Line 3: Where does the action take place?

Line 4: When does the action take place?

Line 5: Why does this action happen?

There is no need for a title to this poem because the first line tells what it is about and serves as the title as well as part of the poem:

EXAMPLES from past participants, used with permission:

My children
Laughing, wrestling, creating
Tumble through the living room
Every day after school
Because they feel safe and loved

A certain 17-year-old I know
Questions everything.
At home, at school, at church,
When he doesn't understand.
Because that's what people do who want to change the world.

Our loving Heavenly Father
Prepared a plan of Happiness,
In the heavens,
Before the world was,
So we could return and live with Him.

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Day 7 ~ How to write a “Tan-Renga” Poem for “30 poems in 30 days” for #NationalPoetryMonth

This is quite a fun poetry from – we’ve done it a few times before. But I like it, so here ya’ go:

OK, so don’t freak out, but 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 do most years so it’s still probably to come) BUT with one catch ~ one person writes the first three lines (I’ll review the pattern for a Tanka poem 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. 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, 9 years ago, I grabbed my husband, Jim, to 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

Since he is wisely asleep at this hour (about 2 am Tuesday 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.

Monday, April 6, 2026

Day 6 ~ How to Write a Pensee Poem for #NationalPoetryMonth and "30 Poems in 30 Days"

I really love this poetry form. If you have been participating for a while, you will probably recognize it. I used it every year when I was teaching. It’s such a fun format! Give it a try.

You may follow the pattern in the box below to write about any subject you wish, but please read the requirements per each line carefully.

The “Pensee Poem” is a five-line structured poem that does NOT rhyme. HOWEVER, each line has a required topic and a specific number of syllables. “Pensee” is a French word that means “a reflection or thought.”

The thing to watch out for is to follow the pattern, including WHAT should be expressed on each line, using a SPECIFIC number of syllables ~

I used the last column to “fill in the blanks” with the following example:

Line	Pattern	Example
Line 1	Subject (2 syllables)	Ice cream
Line 2	Description (4 syllables)	Cold, smooth, and sweet
Line 3	Action (7 syllables)	Makes its way to my tummy
Line 4	Setting (8 syllables)	At the end of a trying day
Line 5	Final thought (6 syllables)	All is right with the world.

Ice cream
Cold, smooth, and sweet
Makes its way to my tummy
At the end of a trying day
All is right with the world

[Ice cream photo: Pixabay image by Aline Ponce]

Loved ones
Dear to my heart
Joyfully come together
At my daughter's home for Easter
I lead a charmed life

YOUR TURN!! Make EVERY effort to be precise in what each line is ABOUT and how many SYLLABLES are needed for each line, otherwise you will not end up with a true Pensee Poem. 😊 Cheers!!

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Day 5 2026 ~ “Free Verse Poems” for Easter and “30 Poems in 30 Days” #NationalPoetryMonth

So, today is Easter. It can be a busy family-filled day for many. Let's just abandon all the rules (as some of you out there prefer to do anyway) and write a free verse poem about whatever you choose.

FREE VERSE is basically random, without any fixed metrical patterns of any kind, and while there is no need to rhyme, it’s totally fine if you wish to use rhyme, but there is no need to count syllables or to worry about much of anything – just let it flow.

I’m loving what y’all have been writing so far!! But today, I’m kind of tired, and when Easter falls in April, I usually just let you do a free verse. So far, I haven’t written anything for today. If I do, I’ll come back with an edit and add it in. And if you also are feeling too busy to write today, feel free to share any poem you have written in the past. Whatever works for you. So, for my examples today, I’m sharing two free verse poems I wrote in 2015. I've shared them before, but that's okay. I have shared “Hope” every year since because I love it, and I think it works well for Easter. The second poem is called “World Changers.” So, for what it’s worth, here are two free verse poems:

HOPE

Hope creates options.

It still can happen.

In fact, anything CAN happen.

Hope is what we cling to.

I hope I am doing enough.

I hope people understand the purity of my motives.

I hope my family will all be together in the hereafter.

Why do I have hope?

Because I believe what Christ said when He came.

I believe He really did die for our sins and that

through the atonement of Christ

and the power of the resurrection

I can be raised up unto life eternal with my loved ones.

That is what I hope for.

And because I have hope

. . . I keep trying.

I love this photo I took of Prescott Lake at a family reunion years ago.

World Changers

You can change the world.

The power is in you.

You can brighten someone’s day

With how you smile at them

And what you have to say.

You can change the world.

You need not write a song or paint a masterpiece.

Just acknowledge the person you’re with.

Give them your time and attention,

Whether young or old, rich or poor.

You can change the world.

Give someone some slack,

Share a kind word of encouragement

Get to know someone

Witness their life so they don’t go unnoticed.

You can change the world.

Do these things, and you may be pleased

At the joy that comes from being kind,

From being present with just one person

Or even with yourself

You can change the world.

Be kind, give another person value

By giving them your time and attention,

Especially if that someone is very young

Or very old.

And if you look around

At the end of the day,

Don’t be surprised if

The person whose world you change

. . . is you.

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Day 4 – How to write a “Tricube Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ "30 poems in 30 days"

We are off to a great start. I’m so impressed with the poetry y’all are creating!! I’ve seen wonderful poems posted online, mostly in our private FB group. (If you are interested in joining in there, contact me – you need permission to join). I’ve also seen poems elsewhere online as a result of this annual poetry challenge. I also am seeing 400-500 hits a day on my blog so I know a lot of people are trying their hand at poetry this month, even if they find the prompts from a Google search. Anyway, today we are writing Tircube poems.

Don’t let the simplicity of this poem fool you. It may be short, but the constraints of this poetry form make it very challenging.

It’s a mathematical poem, of sorts, created by Phillip Larrea.

TRICUBES!!!

Only three rules ~

Each line contains EXACTLY three syllables.
Each stanza contains EXACTLY three lines.
Each poem contains EXACTLY three stanzas.

Just three, three, and three.

So we're kind of talking about 3 to the 3^rd power, three times, right? No other rules – rhyming is not needed, but it doesn’t matter if you end up rhyming either. BUT YOU MUST CHECK YOUR SYLLABLES – ONLY THREE SYLLABLES per line. Use whatever punctuation you want, or none at all. Up to you.

It’s surprisingly tricky. Here are a couple I came up with, but I’m expecting great things from y’all because every day, you participants never cease to amaze me, so let’s see what you can do with this. Remember, 3 syllables per line, 3 lines per stanza, 3 stanzas per poem. THE END – if you share a poem with 5 or 6 stanzas or more than 3 syllables per line, I’m sure it would be a nice poem - - - of some sort or another - - - but it wouldn’t be a “tricube.”

HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES:

I marvel
How you grow
Precious one

Learning new
Things daily
With such joy

Stay little
But that’s not
How it works

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tell me why
Fleeting clouds
Hide the sun

It might rain
Maybe not
Wait, a drop

Angry clouds
Make a fuss
Now I’m soaked

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tide rolls in
Squishy sand
Crabs run out

Castles built
Sunburned face
Time to go

Memories
Made today
Last forever

*** 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.

Stephanie Says So

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Day 11 ~ How to Write a Dodoitsu Poem for "30 poems in 30 days" #NationalPoetryMonth

Friday, April 10, 2026

Day 10 ~ How to Write a “Lantern Poem” for “30 Poems in 30 Days” #NationalPoetryMonth

Love
      Always
      Forever
Non-judgmental
         You

Work
       PJs
    Every day
‘Til further notice
       Home

Love
Husband
Companion
Together always
Jim

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Day 9 ~ How to Write a “Windspark Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth and "30 poems in 30 days"

I dreamed
I was organized
At home
Finding what I need
Easily

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Day 8 ~ How to write a “5 W’s Poem” for “30 poems in 30 days” for #NationalPoetryMonth

A certain 17-year-old I know
Questions everything.
At home, at school, at church,
When he doesn't understand.
Because that's what people do who want to change the world.

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Day 7 ~ How to write a “Tan-Renga” Poem for “30 poems in 30 days” for #NationalPoetryMonth

Monday, April 6, 2026

Day 6 ~ How to Write a Pensee Poem for #NationalPoetryMonth and "30 Poems in 30 Days"

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Day 5 2026 ~ “Free Verse Poems” for Easter and “30 Poems in 30 Days” #NationalPoetryMonth

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Day 4 – How to write a “Tricube Poem” for #NationalPoetryMonth ~ "30 poems in 30 days"

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Stephanie Says So

Saturday, April 11, 2026

Friday, April 10, 2026

Love Always ForeverNon-judgmental You

Work PJs Every day‘Til further notice Home

Love Husband CompanionTogether always Jim

Thursday, April 9, 2026

I dreamedI was organizedAt homeFinding what I needEasily

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

A certain 17-year-old I knowQuestions everything.At home, at school, at church, When he doesn't understand.Because that's what people do who want to change the world.

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Monday, April 6, 2026

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Search This Blog

Follow Me on Pinterest

About the Books I Review

Total Pageviews

About Me

Followers

Blog Archive

BLOG AWARD

Love
Always
Forever
Non-judgmental
You

Work
PJs
Every day
‘Til further notice
Home

Love
Husband
Companion
Together always
Jim

I dreamed
I was organized
At home
Finding what I need
Easily

A certain 17-year-old I know
Questions everything.
At home, at school, at church,
When he doesn't understand.
Because that's what people do who want to change the world.