Day 8 Octopoem for #NationalPoetryMonth and "30 poems in 30 days"

Day 8 Octopoem for #NationalPoetryMonth and "30 poems in 30 days"

An “Octopoem” is a fun little poem that has 8 lines, perfect for Day 8!

Yes, I have used this form on previous Day 8’s ~ it’s a fun choice for the 8^th

Pick a topic (usually a person) of your choice and describe them in EIGHT lines.

Wait! Don’t start yet!

HERE ARE THE RULES FOR AN OCTOPOEM:

Each line can be as long as you choose, BUT use only one sentence per line.

This poem does not need to rhyme, nor do you need to count syllables.

BUT you do need to follow the order of the descriptions you use for each of the 8 lines.

You can give your octopoem a title or just start right out with line 1.

It seems to be best suited to describe people, but you can get creative and describe a pet, a literary character, or even an object, etc. ~ just be aware, one of the lines is about clothing style.

And, for fun, this year I wrote one about myself and that worked too!

Have fun!!

An octopoem has 8 lines describing a person, or a pet, or whatever:

line 1: must include a color
line 2: must name a season
line 3: must state a place
line 4: must mention the weather
line 5: must describe their clothing
line 6: must mention some type of furniture
line 7: must name a TV show
line 8: must have a type of food

Here’s an example poem I wrote about my dad last year:

I Miss You, Daddy

My dad’s eyes were blue, his favorite color

He loved to garden in the spring and summer

In what used to be our backyard lawn

The Southern California weather was perfect

He wore comfortable clothes to garden in, often rolling up the cuffs of his pants

He could sit outside on the lounge chair for hours enjoying life at that moment

Unless it was time for “The Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy”

He’d close each day with a bowl of ice cream

                                         © 2019 Stephanie Abney

And then, here is one I wrote this

year and I even decided to write it 

about myself - so, that's kind of new: 

My studio is bursting with every color of the rainbow.

It usually feels like summer here.

That’s because I live in the Arizona desert.

I love the sudden showers during monsoon season, although they can be destructive.

I’m most comfortable in pants with an elastic waistband.

I’m content if I can get my feet up once a day while in my recliner.

That’s a perfect excuse to watch TV, especially if it is a K-Drama or Hallmark movie.

If I can eat salmon and broccoli, I am a happy camper.

                                                                   © 2020 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 wrote 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 courtesy of Stephanie Abney