Day 5 ~ “Pensee Poem” for “30 Poems in 30 Days” for #NationalPoetryMonth

I often try to find a poetry form that goes with the date – like today being the 5^th I was looking for poems that had five lines, etc. but there are a bunch of them that relate to the number five:

A limerick is a short, funny poem that contains five lines and tells a story

A cinquain is a five line poem

"Lantern Poem," a five line poem in the shape of a Japanese lantern

5 W’s is a five line poem

“Tanka” which has been called, “The Grandmother of Haiku,” has 5 lines.

Grammar is five lines long.

“Pensee Poem” – has five lines

I settled on the Pensee Poem ~ might be new to you (unless you’ve done this poetry challenge before) but it DOES have VERY SPECIFIC GUIDELINES and you’ll want to pay attention to them in order to create a “PENSEE POEM” ~ here ya’ go!! Cheers!!

How to write a “Pensee Poem” – “pensee” is a French word that means “a reflection or thought.” It is a five-line, structured poem that does not rhyme. Each line has a specific number of syllables and addresses a specific part of the poem ~ see box below.

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 ~ and remember – THIS poem does not rhyme.

                              

Line	Pattern	Example
Line 1	Subject (2 syllables)	Newborn
Line 2	Description (4 syllables)	Precious and sweet
Line 3	Action (7 syllables)	Sleeps peacefully in my arms
Line 4	Setting (8 syllables)	How do you like the world so far?
Line 5	Final thought (6 syllables)	I wish you could tell me

This is how the above example looks as a poem:

Newborn
Precious and sweet
Sleeps peacefully in my arms
How do you like the world so far?
I wish you could tell me.
         © 2014 Stephanie Abney  

A few more examples: 

Grandkids

So full of love

Throwing their arms around me

As we snuggle on Grandma’s couch

I lead such a charmed life

                        © 2018 Stephanie Abney

Freedom
Our liberties
Granted unto us by God
Outlined in our Constitution
Thank-you Founding Fathers      

                   © 2014 Stephanie Abney

Ice cream

Cold, smooth and sweet

Makes its way to my tummy

At the end of a trying day

For now, all is just fine.

                 © 2016 Stephanie Abney

So, these are a few of my examples, but you get the idea. So, go ahead and try several ~ perhaps one about an emotion, an animal, one of your favorite foods, or a time of year (holiday/season), an event, or something in nature. What comes to mind?

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 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.