Day 15 - How to Write a Quinzaine Poem for "30 Poems in 30 Days" - #NationalPoetryMonth

Ok, all my fun little poets out there - I was feeling ill last night and although I'm already starting to feel better - I'm not going to try to create any new poems today - I'm just going to share a favorite from previous years and use the poems I wrote back then as examples. It's pretty easy (and specific). Just follow the format for how many syllables - that's it - no requirements on what each line should be and it does NOT require the lines to rhyme. Easy peasy. Read on:

How to write a Quinzaine Poem

This one is short for your busy Saturday but there are specific guidelines to it. Having to fit your thoughts into patterns is good practice for learning to express yourself.

So here ya’ go:

A quinzaine is an unrhymed three line poem that contains 15 syllables, with a SPECIFIC number for each of the 3 lines. AND there is a format in that the FIRST line MAKES a STATEMENT. You can use the next two lines to ASK a QUESTION about that statement.

The pattern is:

The first line has 7 syllables
The second line has 5 syllables
The third line has 3 syllables 

Remember, the first line makes a statement and the next two lines ask a question about the subject.

Here's a couple I came up with a few years ago:

We're on earth to serve others.
Why is finding time
hard to do? 
     © 2011 Stephanie Abney

God sees us as we can be.
Can’t we see others
that way too? 
      © 2011 Stephanie Abney

YOUR TURN!! 

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 for 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.