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

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

                             © 2026 Stephanie Abney

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

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

        © 2022 Stephanie Abney

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Tide rolls in
Squishy sand
Crabs run out

 

Castles built
Sunburned face
Time to go

 

Memories
Made today
Last forever

 

© 2022 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 ~ 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.